Dear Judge Estes,
I have been thinking a lot about the rape case you just presided over regarding David Becker. As a female college student, I actually lost sleep over how it turned out. The way that this was handled made Brock Turner's conviction seem like an acceptable option (which it is NOT at all). It was recommended to you that Mr. Becker spends a minimum of two years in prison. You sentenced him to two years of probation and allowed him to leave Massachusetts to go to college in Ohio and complete his probation there. He'll never even have to register as a sex offender. All because his lawyer didn't want his "college experience" to be inhibited, and you agreed.
What scares me the most about this is that David Becker could have been here. If he had decided to come to Washington State he could have lived down the hall from me. I would have had no idea, and maybe it shouldn't matter, but it does. Even worse, he may not be moving in down the hall from me, but he's probably moving down the hall from people who will never even have to know. They'll never know that he raped two girls. He'll never have to tell them. He'll get his "college experience" free of judgment unless someone recognizes his name.
What about those girls, though? I promise their college experience and their lives won't be what it should have been. Those girls, I can almost guarantee are not okay. I don't care if one of them was unconscious, in fact, that may make this already tragic and terrible situation even worse.You claimed that "she says in her own words, I do not want to be responsible for ruining his life..and that is moving to the court"
I do not think Becker's life should be ruined either. I do, however, think that he should have consequences for his actions. He is by all accounts and purposes a legal adult. Why isn't he being held responsible?
It was said in a court that Mr. Becker said that he didn't know it wasn't okay because one victim didn't stop him. That brings up a bigger issue. That brings up consent. But I digress. What I do want to address, though, is what is it going to take to stop other young men like David Becker from raping girls? You set an example that says, "You know what, it's okay. You're just a kid, just because you're affecting other people's lives, it doesn't matter."
But it's not okay, it will never be okay. You sent someone who was charged with rape, to a college campus. Rape is a heavy problem on college campuses. Victims already don't report rape because more often than not they don't even go to trial. David Beckers case did go to trial and you handled it in the worst possible way. You downplayed it. You treated it like a misdemeanor.
If you, or any other judge, are going to handle sexual assault cases and not punish the defendant than why on Earth would anyone ever report a rape case? No one ever would, no one ever does, I certainly know I wouldn't.
