🚀 go-pugleaf

Seven months ago my best friend was raped.  The trial, initially
scheduled for the end of February, was completed yesterday.

The verdict was a happy one: they got the guy for second degree
assault, second degree rape, and tampering with a witness.  Ignoring
the traumas of the trial and pretrial, like the guy was out on bail for
the past seven months and raped another guy, while he was out he
threatened Tom (that's where the tampering with a witness came from),
the first judge scheduled to hear the case had previously dismissed a
domestic violence case (the woman may not be able to see out of one eye
anymore) saying "This kind of thing happens between black couples all
the time" (the prosecutor had to come out, and go out on a limb, but
they got that judge dismissed) and the fact that Tom was on the stand
for five hours, when the rapist was on the stand for 40 minutes;  what
bothers the hell out of me is that for these three charges, he can only
be put away for 24-34 months.

Months.

Tom was the first person to press charges, so technically it is a
"first" offense, though were it not for Tom, nobody else would be
pressing charges (another guy he's raped, people who have had guns
pulled on them by him at bars...).

Tom was *raped* and in the hospital for weeks.  And this guy only goes
to jail for two years?

I am shocked.  Since other people will be pressing charges, hopefully
he won't be out of jail for a while.  But even if he is sentenced for
34 months, what does that mean with regards to when he is eligible for
parole?

-- Jay schuster@su-pescadero.arpa ...!decwrl!shasta!schuster