The Stanford University freshman convicted of raping an unconscious woman outside a fraternity lied when he told his sentencing judge he had little experience with partying prior to his arrival on campus, a prosecutor claims.
Brock Turner, now 20, was sentenced last week to six months in county jail for the January 2015 assault, a ruling that drew strong criticism in the Stanford community and across the nation. Santa Clara County jail records list his release date as Sept. 2, three months after his sentencing. Early release for good behavior is common in California and many other states.
Turner, in his court statement seeking a probation sentence, said he was "shattered by the party culture" at his school.
"Coming from a small town in Ohio, I had never really experienced celebrating or partying that involved alcohol." He added that he "looked to the guys on my swim team as family" and followed their lead into weekend partying.
The San Jose Mercury News, however, reports prosecutor Alaleh Kiancerci said in her sentencing memo that texts and photos found on Turner's cell phone indicate he used alcohol and drugs in high school.
"The text messages also referenced doing acid or trying to find a 'hook up' to purchase acid both in high school and while at Stanford," Kiancerci wrote.
The documents refer to a text message exchange between Turner and his sister from June 3, 2014, when she asked "Did you rage last night?" His response: "Yeah kind of. It was hard to find a place to drink. But when we finally did could only drink for like an hour and a half."
ABC News reports that a woman who saw Turner at a party on the night of the assault said he grabbed her and kissed her until she pushed him a way. And police also talked to a woman who said that, a week before the assault, she met Turner at a party and danced. She said Turner "creeped" her out by putting his hands on her waist, stomach and upper thighs.
Turner, who claimed the victim had consented to sex, could have faced more than a decade in prison on the charges — assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated/unconscious person, penetration of an intoxicated person and penetration of an unconscious person.
