Justice is not a concept that everyone experiences equally. I remember sitting in abject horror with my colleagues after learning Brock Turner only served half of his already pathetic six-month sentence. And history is somewhat repeating itself again.
Oklahoma teen Jesse Butler, who is from a prominent family, was unburdened of a decades-long prison sentence despite being convicted of rape and assault charges, according to People. Two high school students accused Butler of the crimes in March 2025 when he was 17 at the time. He was originally charged as an adult but was changed to a “youthful offender” according to the Journal Record.
He pleaded no contest to 11 counts of against him, which included first-degree rape, battery by strangulation, domestic assault, attempted rape, and rape by instrumentation. Despite him facing 78 years in prison, a judge instead ordered him to do community service and get counseling instead.
Naturally, the families are outraged at this sentencing, as are residents who took to the streets to protest.
People online were equally as disgusted.
“Lock him up and throw away the key. That is absolutely disgusting and a gross miscarriage of justice,” wrote one commenter.
“Letting psychopaths off with a slap on the wrist is a total fail. He will rape again and leave no witness,” proclaimed another person.
“We should never give a male a second chance to be a predator,” added someone else.
The sentence comes thanks to a plea deal that was struck. It’s worth noting that Nutler’s father is the former director of operations for Oklahoma State University’s football team, which some people believe influenced the decision to remove the jail time.
In a victim impact statement reported by KOCO, a mother of one of the victims said her daughter “had to prove she was the victim, over and over again, while the system made excuse after excuse for the person who hurt her.”
“My daughter has handled this with more strength than most adults could,” she continued. “Watching her stay brave while adults failed her has been both inspiring and heartbreaking.”
The hard truth is that if Butler was a race other than white, this likely would not be happening. My heart breaks over the message this is sending to the poor victims and their families.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, the National Sexual Assault Hotline provides confidential 24/7 support. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673) or chat online at RAINN.
