NEW YORK (AA) – Former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner was released from jail Friday after serving three months for raping an unconscious woman.
Turner, 21, was sentenced June 2 to six months in prison and three years of probation as a sex offender. The controversial sentence was criticized for being too lenient.
The former Stanford student made no comments as he walked out of Santa Clara County jail in San Jose, California, rushing past a large group of media.
Turner was inebriated and pinned to the ground by two international students when police detained him Jan. 18, 2015, on charges of sexual assault and penetration.
The former promising student athlete, who was banned for life by USA Swimming, attacked his intoxicated 22-year-old victim behind a dumpster, where she was found unconscious and naked from the waist down.
She read a heart-wrenching victim impact statement to the court during sentencing, in which she mostly addressed Turner directly, describing her suffering for more than a year in vivid detail.
“Every day, I have to relearn that I am not fragile; I am capable; I am wholesome; I am not just the livid victim,” she said.
The victim, who is not a Stanford student, urged judge Aaron Persky to disregard a probation officer’s report that suggested probation as Turner’s punishment for raping her after a jury found him guilty of three rape-related felony charges.
Deputy District Attorney Alaleh Kianerci asked for six years in prison, but Persky decided on six months, reasoning that a longer sentence would have a “severe impact” on Turner.
In the aftermath of the decision, Persky faced widespread criticism and last month announced he would no longer hear criminal cases, at his own request.
Turner, a first-time convict, appeared to blame alcohol for his behavior.
Stanford University last month banned hard alcohol on its campuses, a move the school made a point of saying was not related to Turner’s case.
Michele Dauber, a law professor at Stanford, disagreed. “Sadly .@stanford appears to agree with #BrockTurner that “alcohol” and “party culture” are to blame for his conduct,” Dauber said in a tweet.
