The Stanford Rapist’s Father Offers An Impossibly Offensive Defense Of His Son

[Fentyoncé]

Former Stanford University student Brock Turner was found guilty Thursday for sexually assaulting an intoxicated, unconscious woman at an campus fraternity party last year. He was sentenced to six months in a county jail with probation, a ruling state officials argued was too lenient for the violent crime. Now, Turner’s father, Dan, has reportedly written a letter in opposition to his son’s sentence, blaming the case for damaging Brock’s “happy go lucky†nature and loss of appetite.

 

“Now he barely consumes any food and eats only to exist,†Dan Turner reportedly writes. “These verdicts have broken and shattered him and our family in so many ways.â€

The letter was posted on Twitter by Michele Dauber, the Stanford law professor who helped draft new university procedures for penalizing sexual violence.

 

Prior to his January 2015 arrest, Turner was on Stanford’s Varsity swim team — one of the best in the country. Many believed he was on a clear path to the Olympics. But this changed after the 20-year-old man was found “thrusting†on top of an unconscious woman on the ground outside a fraternity house party. Turner testified that the 22-year-old woman had given her consent, but she had no recollection of the interaction. Both were highly intoxicated.

 

The woman wrote in a letter to the judge that she was forced to answer questions about her sexual history and what she was wearing, questions that have plagued countless victims of sexual assault and rape. Turner’s father only extended this narrative in his letter.

 

“[His sentence] is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life,†according to the letter posted by Dauber. It adds that Brock had “never been violent to anyone including his actions on the night of Jan 17th.â€

 

Full text: (I italicized probably the most blood boiling portion of the letter which happens to be the last paragraph)

 

Honorable Judge Aaron Persky,
I am writing this letter to tell you about my son Brock and the person that I know he is. First of all, let me say that Brock is absolutely devastated by'the events of January 17th and 18th 2015. He would do anything to turn back the hands of time and have that night to do over again. In many one-on-one conversations with Brock since
that day, I can tell you that he is truly sorry for what occurred that night and for all the pain and suffering that it has caused for all of those involved and impacted by that night. He has expressed true remorse for his actions on that night. Living under that same roof with Brock since this incident, I can tell you firsthand the devastating
impact that it has had on my son. Before I elaborate more, I would like to share some memories of my son that demonstrate the quality of his character.

Brock has an easygoing personality that endears him to almost everyone he meets. He has always been a person that people like to be around whether they are male or female. This has been true from the time Brock was in pre-school to today. I have never seen Brock raise his voice to anyone and he doesn't pre-judge anyone. He
accepts them for who they are no more, no less. He has a very gentle and quiet nature and a smile that is truly welcoming to those around him. I have never once heard him brag or boast about any accomplishment that he has ever achieved. He is simply a very humble person who would rather hear about someone else's
accomplishments rather than talk about his own. Brock has an inner strength and fortitude that is beyond anything I have ever seen. This was no doubt honed over many years of competitive swimming and has been a major reason for his ability to cope over the last 15 months.

Brock has always been an extremely dedicated person whether it was academics, Sports, or developing and maintaining friendships and relationships. Brock?s dedication to academics started early in grade school. My fondest memory is of helping Brock prepare for his weekly Spelling test. Doing well on these tests was very
important to Brock and he would start preparing the day before by memorizing the words and making sure he had everything together in his mind. I would have to quiz him over and over just so he was sure he would do well on the test. He would make me give him a final preparation quiz as we drove to school on Friday mornings. I can
assure you that Brock always did well on these exams. While this example may seem trivial, it was an early indicator of the importance he placed on academic achievement that never left him. As he got older and progressed in school, he needed my intervention less and less as he is gifted in his ability to understand very
complicated subject matter. This natural ability along with an extremely strong work ethic lead to academic success at all levels.

Brock was equally talented in athletics participating in baseball, basketball, and swimming. I was his baseball and basketball coach and his Cub Scout den leader for many years during his grade school years. I was so proud to participate and serve as his coach and leader as it meant that I got to spend more time with him. I was also a

parent chaperone for many school outings and often times was the only dad along on these field trips. For me, I loved every minute of it because Brock was a pleasure to be around and he always treated the other kids, parents, and teachers with-respect. I will cherish the memories of those years forever.

In the late summer before Brock?s senior year in high school, he applied to Stanford with the dream of taking both his academic and athletic talents to the next level. Brock had a large amount of interest from many Division-1 coaches due to his swimming success and outstanding grades in school. Many college coaches pursued Brock based on the entire body of work that he represented. However, Stanford was always the apple of his and the ultimate prize for someone who had worked so hard for so long. Brock and first visited Stanford in the summer of 2011 between his freshman and sophomore years in high school. Brock was there to compete in his first national level swim meet called the USA Junior Nationals. We were both totally in awe of the campus, the swimming facilities, and the rich history that the university represented. I remember commenting to Brock at the time that wouldn't this be a great place to go to school. It was swimmers that had attended Stanford. This first exposure to Stanford made a lasting impression on Brock.

 

Our family was full of pride and joy when we found out in the fall of 2013 that Brock had been accepted to Stanford. This was a culminating event for Brock as we knew how much work he had put in to get to that point. The thing that made us most proud was the fact that Brock had to be accepted academically before he could be considered for an athletic scholarship. This was especially significant given Stanford's 4% acceptance'rate for that particular year. Brock was awarded a 60% swimming scholarship by the university. Even with such a generous offer, my wife and I both knew it would be a financial struggle for our family for Brock to attend Stanford, but we were determined to make it work because we knew the value of a Stanford education. As Brock's senior year passed, he was characteristically humble about being admitted to Stanford and continued to work
hard until the very last minute of high school on academics and swimming.

When Carleen and I took Brock to Stanford in September 2014 to begin his freshman year, we both felt he was totally prepared for the experience. He had been to many national level swim camps and meets and was comfortable being away from home. We were very excited for Brock as he settled into Stanford during that first quarter as a brand new student athlete. He excelled in school that quarter earning the top GPA for all freshmen on the swim team. What we didn't realize was the extent to which Brock was struggling being so far from home. Brock was working hard to adapt to the rigors of both school and swimming. When Brock was home during Christmas break, he broke down and told us how much he was struggling to fit in socially and the fact that he did not like being so far from home. Brock was nearly-distraught knowing that he had to return early from Christmas break for swimming training camp. We even questioned whether it was the right move to send him back to Stanford for the winter quarter. In hindsight, it's clear that Brock was desperately trying to fit in at Stanford and fell into the culture of alcohol consumption and partying. This culture was modeled by many of the upperclassmen on the swim team and played a role in the events of Jan 17th and 18th 2015. Looking back at Brock's brief experience at Stanford, I honestly don't believe it was the best fit for him. He was ready academically and athletically, but it was simply too far from home for someone who was born and raised in the Midwest. He needed the support structure of being closer to family and friends.

As it stands now, Brock's life has been deeply altered forever by the events of Jan 17th and 18th. He will never be his happy go lucky self with that easy going personality and welcoming smile. His every waking minute is consumed with worry, anxiety, fear, and depression. You can see this in his face, the way he walks, his weakened voice, his lack of appetite. Brock always enjoyed certain types of food and is a very good cook himself. I was always excited to buy him a big ribeye steak to grill or to get his favorite snack for him. I had to make sure to hide some of my favorite pretzels or chips because I knew they wouldn't be around long after Brock walked in from a long swim practice. Now he barely consumes any food and eats only to exist. These verdicts have broken and shattered him and our family in so many ways. His life will never be the one that he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve.

The fact that he now has to register as a sexual offender for the rest of his life forever alters where he can live, visit, work, and how he will be able to interact with people and organizations. What I know as his father is that incarceration is not the appropriate punishment for Brock. He has no prior criminal history and has never been violent to anyone including his actions on the night of Jan 17th 2015. Brock can do so many positive things as a contributor to society and is totally committed to educating other college age students about the dangers of alcohol consumption and sexual promiscuity. By having people. like Brock educate others on college campuses is how society can begin to break the cycle of binge drinking and its unfortunate results. Probation is the best answer for Brock in this situation and allows him to give back to society in a net positive way.

Very Respectfully,
Dan A. Turner

 

Link: https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2852614/Letter-from-Brock-Turner-s-Father.pdf

 

 

 

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/06/05/3784913/stanford-sexual-assault-dad-letter/

[�SHERRY�]

[jooyoungsbae]

UGH 

this makes me SO mad

i cried reading the girls letter

and reading this makes me so mad

did we fuckin ask for a resume oh my god i hope this doesnt affect anything

[Onice]

Both were highly intoxicated

 

Many cases and people haven't learned the lesson.

 

Edit: People negged me must have loved drinking so much.   People made terrible mistakes due to drinking. Wake up guys before you make a serious mistake. 

[MILJYU]

i hope everyone involved in letting this boy get off w a slap on the wrist burns in hell.

[_Joo]

Even after being found guilty on three felony counts he was only sentenced to six months in jail and instead of being relieved that he got away with a shorter sentence than he deserved (because our legal system is corrupt as fuck) his folks are complaining about how he can barely eat? Give me a break. What about the girl he raped, how do they think she feels since he essentially destroyed her life? This makes me so unbelievably mad I can't even :/

[Susu]

he only cares about his son lol

 

you're son is a rapist you jackass 

[invisiblecc]

He should've not done it in the first place. Now that he has been outed he feels bad?

[gayness]

lol happy go luck my ass. No wonder this piece of shit doesn't know what he did was wrong. Spoiled piece of shit. 

[shocking blue]

Rape is a serious and horrible crime. They're acting like he shoplifted or some shit... do they even consider that that "20 minutes of action" has probably done permanent psychological damage towards the woman? He knew exactly what he was doing so if he really cared about making a good life for himself maybe he should have thought twice before committing such an act.

Boo hoo that he doesn't enjoy his steak and potatoes anymore, tough shit >.>

[glitteringstars]

What is the logic behind this man's thinking? Actions = Consequences

 

I'm pretty sure if his son got caught cheating on his exam his response would be: This is destroying our family. He can't get A JOB!!111!1 He will probably end up homeless in a few years because the outrages and unfair treatment!!!!11!!!1

[venomous]

it makes me  to think this guy, and everyone around him, is trying so hard to pass himself off as a victim.  blaming alcohol still.  there are millions of men (young and old, athletes/nonathletes, etc.) who drink alcohol, but they don't srexually assault women behind a dumpster just because they're drunk.  it's not the alcohol buddy, it's you. 

[Top Box]

I mean sucks to be your son but laws are laws, who asked him to be a rapist

[Sailor Mars]

We should feel sorry for his son??? LOL I do not feel sorry for him be grateful he got 6 months, he should have gotten a waaaay longer sentence! Oh it's destroying him and y'all? WHAT ABOUT THE GIRL HE RAPED? Should have taught your son not to rape then!

[Stepkdramafan226]

Its seems the kid is used to his parents or his status getting him out of every bad thing he has done. 

 

This one he still got a way with serving a tiny fraction of what he would have gotten. 

 

Now his dad is complaining that his son does not eat and that his life has changed. Well Mr. Dad this is what it looks like when the consequences of your action catch up with you. Granted he is only seeing a minute amount but at least it is something. 

 

This is how one selfish decision can ruin your life and someone else's. I am glad he is now a registered sex offender!!

[Deâ„“phina]

This cunt literally copied the way the victim wrote her own letter so defend his disgusting piece of shit son (I made a thread about it). No wonder those nasty farts are related.

[atlkpopfan]

Perfect example of entitlement. I wonder if he'd feel the same way if it were his daughter.  Would he feel the same way if it was someone else's son from a poor background but still with no criminal history?

[vortex]

so disgusting. he deserves more than 6 months. happy-go-lucky my ass

[Hikaruaxi]

Fucking ridiculous...

[Dolores Haze]

But this changed after the 20-year-old man was found “thrusting†on top of an unconscious woman on the ground outside a fraternity house party.

too much fucked up info in one sentence. and he was on his path to the Olympics? well suck for him.

[xharuharux]

hope he gets his ass ready disgusting pig 

 

and hope his dad follows his diet of not eating as well 

[timpa]

So what if he was a great guy for 20 years, 20mins...20secs deserve punishment for your crime.

[Delincious]

Why do people always complain about their terrible actions havign consequences in their life? Did they expect they could ruin someone's life and just go on with theirs? That's not how it works bro. You have troubles eating? that's really too bad.

I don't care about how promising your life was. YOU ruined it. Did you care about how promising that girl's life was? Nope. This is the consequence of you being a piece of shit.

[Mister Dove]

 

 

By having people. like Brock educate others on college campuses is how society can begin to break the cycle of binge drinking and its unfortunate results.

 

i'm pretty sure punishing him accordingly (as in making him rot in jail, which isn't going to happen to him) would be an enough lesson...

if anything, demanding that he "educates" college students in this issue will only make countless other young adults think they can get away with rape with minimal damage. to them, that is.

[juicy milky thighs]

White privilege

 

A slap on the wrist and unable to eat is world shattering