The More You Know About Judge Aaron Persky, the More Infuriating the Stanford Rape Case Gets
Last week, Judge Aaron Persky gave Brock Turner an unusually light sentence of six months for the crime of rape; now, at least 10 prospective jurors are refusing to serve on Persky's other cases, the East Bay Times reports.
"I can't be here, I'm so upset," one juror, who was summoned to sit in on a stolen property trial.
Another potential juror stood up and said, "I can't believe what you did."
In each case, Persky said, "I understand," thanked the prospective juror for their time, and excused them from jury duty.
Brock Turner sexually assaulted an unconscious woman behind a dumpster last year outside a Stanford University frat party. Persky sentenced him to just six months because he feared a longer sentence would have a "severe impact" on the aspiring Olympic swimmer. He noted that 20-year-old Brock's youth and lack of criminal record were "unusual circumstances" that warranted a light sentence.
Like Brock, Persky also attended Stanford, where he was a student-athlete. Due to his alleged good behavior in jail, Brock will wind up serving just four months in a local jail, rather than in a less-comfortable prison.
When convicted, rapists typically serve much heavier sentences than the one Brock will serve - hence the jurors' outrage. For example, 19-year-old Vanderbilt University football player Corey Batey was sentenced this week to serve 15 to 25 years in prison for one count of aggravated rape and two counts of aggravated sexual battery. Brock, who is white, is serving just a tiny fraction of the time that Corey, who is black, will stay behind bars.
Persky is up for re-election this year and is currently running unopposed. More than 900,000 people have signed a Change.org petition to impeach Persky.
