Ex-Stanford swimmer convicted of rape blames 'party culture'
Sports Court: Tamara Holder and Eric Guster react to Brock Turner's letter to the judge in controversial case
In a letter to the judge released Friday, the mother of former Stanford swimmer and convicted rapist Brock Turner pleaded against prison time for her son, describing it as a "death sentence."
Carleen Turner also wrote, "Look at him. He won’t survive it. He will be damaged forever and I fear he would be a major target. Stanford boy, college kid, college athlete -- all the publicity."
Judge Aaron Persky ultimately sentenced Brock Turner to six months in jail and ordered him to register as a sex offender for life. However, the decision sparked outrage, with critics claiming the sentence was much too light. A petition to remove the judge from the bench received more than a million signatures.
Brock Turner, 20, of Oakwood, Ohio, is scheduled to be released from Santa Clara County jail in September, after completing three months of his sentence due to good behavior.
The victim's emotional statement to the court about how the assault devastated her life spread quickly online, attracting national attention to the case.
In Carleen Turner's letter, which she submitted before her son's sentencing, she also wrote this his "dreams have been shattered." The mom wrote that she and her husband, a "working middle-class couple with Midwestern values," had downsized their home as her other children racked up student loan debt.
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