Daniel Holtzclaw

Daniel Holtzclaw
Born Daniel Ken Holtzclaw
(1986-12-10) December 10, 1986
Enid, Oklahoma, U.S.
Occupation Former police officer
Criminal charge Rape, sexual battery, stalking, oral sodomy
Criminal penalty 263 years imprisonment
Conviction(s) Found guilty on 18 of 36 charges[1][2]

Daniel Ken Holtzclaw (born December 10, 1986) is a former Oklahoma City Police Department police officer. He was convicted in December 2015 of multiple counts of rape, sexual battery, forcible oral sodomy and other charges.[3]

The majority of Holtzclaw's victims had criminal histories such as drug arrests; all of the women were black.[4] According to the police investigators, Holtzclaw used his position as an officer to run background checks to find information that could be used to coerce sex.[1] During the trial, the defense questioned the victims' credibility during cross-examination, bringing up their criminal records.[5] However, the prosecution argued that victims were deliberately chosen by Holtzclaw for this very reason.[6] Holtzclaw pleaded not guilty to all charges. On December 10, 2015, an all-white jury convicted him on 18 of 36 charges, and on January 21, 2016, he was sentenced to 263 years in prison.[7][8][9]

Unlike the wide attention that has been given to the recent violence directed at black men, the Holtzclaw case has drawn little attention from either the media or activists. On the day that the Holtzclaw trial opened, the courtroom was almost empty. OKC Artists for Justice, an Oklahoma City-based advocacy group founded by two Oklahoma City residents, Candace Liger and Grace Franklin, was formed to organize support for the women.[10]

Early life

Daniel Holtzclaw was born December 10, 1986, in Enid, Oklahoma, to police officer Eric Holtzclaw and Kumiko Holtzclaw.[11]

Holtzclaw graduated from Enid High School in 2005. While there he played football as a linebacker, setting a school record for 25 tackles in a game.[12] He played linebacker at Eastern Michigan University, where he graduated with a degree in criminal law. After graduating, Holtzclaw unsuccessfully attempted to get drafted into the NFL. Following that, he joined the Oklahoma City Police Department.[13]

Criminal charges and conviction

Charges

Holtzclaw was accused of sexually abusing multiple women over the period between December 2013 and June 2014, targeting those from a poorer, overwhelmingly African American portion of the city. According to the police investigators, Holtzclaw ran background checks on women with outstanding warrants or other criminal records, and methodically targeted those victims.[1]

The offense that led to Holtzclaw's arrest happened around two o'clock in the morning on June 18, 2014, when Holtzclaw was near the end of his shift on the northeast side of Oklahoma City. During that time, police said, Holtzclaw made a traffic stop without calling for assistance or telling his station and he switched off his patrol car computer. The driver was Jannie Ligons, a 57-year-old woman who was passing through but not from the impoverished area that Holtzclaw was targeting. Unlike other women that he had accosted, she was neither poor nor did she have a police record. Before forcing her to perform oral sex on him, Holtzclaw made her lift her shirt and pull down her pants. She testified that she had begged him to stop and was afraid for her life. Ligons filed a police report and Holtzclaw was arrested that same day.[14][15][16]

While reviewing her case, two Oklahoma City sex crimes detectives remembered a previous report of forced oral sex committed by a police officer. Looking back through police records, the detectives found a report of a woman who stated that she was stopped in May 2014 and driven to an isolated area by an officer who forced her to perform oral sex. No action had been taken at the time of her report, but when the detectives contacted the woman she showed them the route that the officer had taken on the night of the attack and it was an exact match to Holtzclaw's GPS on that evening. The detectives then reviewed Holtzclaw’s automatically recorded history of running names through the department's two databases, looking specifically for people who had been checked out multiple times, and they contacted those women. In their initial investigation they found six women who were willing to come forward to testify, and the GPS device on Holtzclaw's patrol car put him at the scene of the alleged incidents and police records showed that he had called in for a warrant check on all of the women. Their investigation covered a six-month period beginning with the first woman willing to come forward, a woman who Holtzclaw arrested for drug possession in December 2013 and then forced oral sodomy on her while she was handcuffed to a hospital bed.[14][17]

Accusations of sexual misconduct

Eventually the police investigation brought together 13 women who were willing to testify; published reports did not include information on any possible further women who were not willing to testify. The earliest woman discovered was from December 20, 2013, a woman who said she had been arrested for drug possession, was hospitalized, and forced to give oral sex while she was handcuffed to her hospital bed. She said that he again made sexual advances to her on several occasions after she was released from jail. The woman said that she was led to believe that she would be released if she performed oral sex on Holtzclaw. "I didn't think that no one would believe me", she testified at a pretrial hearing. "I feel like all police will work together."[18]

On February 27, 2014, Holtzclaw allegedly pulled up to a woman who was sitting in a parked car outside her house, fondled the woman's breasts, and told her "I’m not going to take you to jail. Just play by my rules." He returned to her home repeatedly and broke into it once. At his trial she said she did not notify the police because she did not believe anyone would believe her because "I'm a black female."

In early 2014 Holtzclaw allegedly forced a woman who was admittedly a drug user to expose her breasts and genitals in order to avoid arrest.

March 14, 2014: Holtzclaw allegedly stopped a woman who was walking to a friend's house, asked her if she was in possession of any drugs, and forced her to expose her breasts.

April 24, 2014: Holtzclaw allegedly stopped a woman who was prostituting herself for drugs. He drove her home and when they arrived he forced her to perform oral sex and then raped her.

April 25, 2014: Holtzclaw allegedly pulled a woman over saying he was taking her to detox in jail; he instead drove her to a field and raped her, leaving her there after he was done.

May 7, 2014: Holtzclaw allegedly stopped a woman while she walked to her cousin’s house. After finding out she had some warrants, he forced her to perform oral sex and then raped her behind an abandoned school.

May 8, 2014: According to a later investigation, "A woman, known in court documents as T.M., reported that an unidentified officer forced her to perform oral sex after he found a crack pipe in her purse. Although she filed a police report later that month, no connection was made to Holtzclaw at the time."

May 21, 2014: Holtzclaw allegedly drove a woman to a secluded area and gave her an ultimatum: sex or jail. She performed oral sex on him and then he raped her. In an interview the woman said that she first thought it was a "cruel joke of some hidden-camera show" until she realized that he was serious. She said she "had been jailed many times before, and knew the math: a 15-minute ride downtown, two hours to be booked, up to a day of waiting to move to a cell, hearings drawn out over weeks or months," and then decided to give into his demands, which she figured would only take about six minutes.[14]

May 26, 2014: Holtzclaw allegedly stopped a woman and touched her breasts and put his hand in her pants. The woman said she did not tell the police because she didn't think she'd be believed.

June 17, 2014: According to an investigation, "A 17-year-old female is first stopped by Holtzclaw when he arrives to investigate a verbal dispute between two of her friends. Later, he tracks her down while she is walking home, threatens to arrest her for an outstanding warrant, and then takes her to her mother's house, where he forces her to perform oral sex and have intercourse with him on the enclosed porch."

June 18, 2014: Around 2:00am, Holtzclaw allegedly had an encounter with a 57-year-old grandmother, Jannie Ligons, who would ultimately be the one to spark the investigation

June 18, 2014: The final sexual incident occurred on the same day as the encounter reported by Ligons. According to testimony, Holtzclaw stopped a woman as she left a hotel where she had been staying with her boyfriend. After running a check on her he took her to a desolate area and raped her. She told her boyfriend about the attack and he told her that she should report the rape to the police. "He is the police", she responded.

November 2014: In November three more victims came forward, bringing the total to 13. Previously unidentified DNA which had been found on Holtzclaw's pants was found to match that of a 17-year-old girl who had come forward. She said that Holtzclaw had approached her while she was walking with friends, told her that there was a warrant for her arrest but that he was letting her go, and later again apprehended her and took her to her home where he forced her to perform oral sex and raped her. Another woman said she was walking on May 22 when Holtzclaw stopped her to check for warrants. When he found that there were no warrants out for her he said he would jail her if she didn't have sex with him; he then forced her to perform oral sex and raped her. A third woman said that he told her he was bringing her to detox but instead brought her to an isolated area and raped her. Ten more counts, including "first-degree rape, second-degree rape by instrumentation, forcible oral sodomy, and sexual battery" were filed against Officer Holtzclaw, who was still on paid leave.[19]

Trial

Holtzclaw, who had been on paid administrative leave since he was charged in August 2014,[20] was fired from the force in January 2015 and his trial began on November 2, 2015.[21] Holtzclaw faced 36 charges, including sexual battery, assault, coercive oral sodomy, and stalking. Holtzclaw plead not guilty to all charges.[22][23][13][24]

In court, prosecutors produced DNA evidence that was found on a triangle-shaped spot on the inside of Holtzclaw's uniform close to the zipper. After the hearing, his family made a statement that "The facts are that there is no DNA linking him to any of these women as far as was presented in the hearing."[13] According to The New York Times, however, the DNA did match one of the victims, then aged 17.[22][25][26][27] The DNA that was found was skin DNA; Holtzclaw's DNA was not found in the same area of clothing where the 17 year old accuser's skin DNA was found. Holtzclaw's defense attorney explained the presence of the skin cells as "secondary transfer" whereby Holtzclaw's hands had possibly come into contact with the woman's skin cells when her searched her purse and later transferred them to the zipper area of his pants.[28][29]

During the trial, Holtzclaw did not contest that he encountered the women, but he maintained his innocence. He had a group of online supporters using the hashtag #FreeTheClaw. The defense concentrated on the accusers' lifestyles and called just one witness, a former girlfriend of Holtzclaw's who testified he never exhibited sexually aggressive or inappropriate behavior around her.

On December 10, 2015, he was convicted on 18 of the charges, with the jury recommending that he serve 263 years in prison.[8][30] Charges included first-degree rape, sexual battery, indecent exposure, stalking, forcible oral sodomy and burglary. He also faced second-degree rape by instrumentation and sexual battery charges.[5] Claiming that evidence was withheld from the defense, Holtzclaw's attorney requested a new trial on January 20, 2016. The request was denied by the judge. On January 21, Holtzclaw was sentenced to the full 263 years recommended by the jury, to be served consecutively. Holtzclaw's attorney says he will appeal.[9]

A statement released by Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty reads, in part: “We are satisfied with the jury’s decision and firmly believe justice was served."[31]

Controversy regarding media attention

According to The Atlantic, mainstream media gave Holtzclaw's trial for serial sexual attacks and rapes "relatively little" attention, although Black Lives Matter activists raised the matter in social media and helped bring attention to the ongoing judicial process.[32] The Guardian reported that local activists were surprised that advocates from national women's groups, who had attended rape trials in the past, were absent from the courtroom at the start of the trial.[1] Racial justice activists who had been very vocal about recent police-involved shootings were also accused of being largely absent from involvement in the Holtzclaw case.[1]

In the absence of national attention, two Oklahoma City women, Grace Franklin and Candace Liger, formed the group OKC Artists For Justice to bring attention to the case. They said that they began to organize when Holtzclaw's bail was reduced from $5 million to $500,000 because it was so "insulting and infuriating", that they "wanted to stand up and say 'No. This is not OK. You cannot let a man who (charges allege) attacked and raped 13 women, per the charges, go home and have Christmas dinner with his family while those women are still in fear.'"[33] Franklin said that they reached out to many national groups but received little response. She said, "It kind of fuels the feeling of separation between black so-called feminists and white feminists. Why aren't there more women out here of all shades, of all backgrounds for these women? Why are we doing this alone?"[6]

Blogger and cultural critic Mikki Kendall has written about the lack of support for the alleged victims in this case in the past. An article in Cosmopolitan noted that the media consistently ignores the violence perpetuated against black women and girls as compared to the coverage given to white women and girls. The article concluded:

Mainstream media failed these women. The lack of coverage thwarted a national conversation about sexual violence as a distinct form of police brutality. The stories of these women need to serve as an important intervention in conversations about anti-black state violence, rape culture, and the vulnerability of sex workers, ex-offenders, and current and recovering drug addicts to state and state-sanctioned violence. This verdict and Holtzclaw's forthcoming sentencing are entry points for a more thoughtful, humane, and transformative national dialogue about police brutality and sexual violence. With or without mainstream media coverage, we need to continue talking about this trial and everything it represents.[34]

Holtzclaw's case was part of an Associated Press report in a yearlong examination of sexual assaults by police. The report found that approximately 1,000 police officers lost their licenses for sex crimes during a six-year period. Reporting in the case indicates that this may be an undercount due to inconsistencies in how different jurisdictions deal with and report problem officers.[35]

In February 2016, website SB Nation published a lengthy profile of Holtzclaw that focused on his college football career. The piece was immediately criticized as being apologetic and sympathetic to Holtzclaw; it was pulled within hours of publication, and the site subsequently suspended its long-form journalism program and cut ties with the freelance author responsible.[36][37][38][39]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Molly Redden. "Daniel Holtzclaw: former Oklahoma City police officer guilty of rape". The Guardian.
  2. ↑ "Holtzclaw sobs, stares down jury after found guilty in 18 of 36 sexual assault charges". KFOR-TV. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Ex-Oklahoma City Cop Daniel Holtzclaw Found Guilty of Rapes". NBC News. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Former Oklahoma City cop convicted on rape charges". December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Jury convicts ex-Oklahoma cop Daniel Holtzclaw of rape, sodomy charges; faces life in prison". Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Daniel Holtzclaw trial: Standing with 'imperfect' accusers". BBC News. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  7. ↑ King, Shaun (November 4, 2015). "KING: Cop accused of raping black women gets all white jury". NY Daily News. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Oklahoma ex-cop guilty of rape in sex abuse case". The Washington Post. December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Cavallier, Andrea (January 21, 2016). "Former Oklahoma City cop Daniel Holtzclaw sentenced to 263 years on rape charges". Pix11. CNN, Associated Press. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  10. ↑ Jason Johnson. "The Holtzclaw Trial: When Rape Culture Meets #BlackLivesMatter". NBC News. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  11. ↑ Michael Martinez (December 10, 2015). "Former Oklahoma City officer Daniel Holtzclaw found guilty of rape". CNN. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  12. ↑ Ruthenberg, Dave (March 23, 2013). "Ex-EHS gridiron standout goes from pursuing running backs to pursuing felons". Enid News and Eagle. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  13. 1 2 3 "How Police Caught The Cop Who Allegedly Sexually Abused Black Women". BuzzFeed. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  14. 1 2 3 "AP: Hundreds of officers lose licenses over sex misconduct". The Big Story.
  15. ↑ Sarah Kaplan (December 11, 2015). "A serial rapist cop’s ‘mistake': Assaulting the grandmother who finally reported him". Washington Post. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  16. ↑ Patty Santos (November 13, 2015). "Woman testifies after showing up high to Daniel Holtzclaw trial high". KOCO. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  17. ↑ Testa, Jessica (September 5, 2014). "How Police Caught The Cop Who Allegedly Sexually Abused Black Women". Buzz Feed News. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  18. ↑ Sedensky, Matt; Merchant, Nomann (November 1, 2015). "AP: Hundreds of officers lose licenses over sex misconduct". AP. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  19. ↑ De Leon, Conception (December 9, 2015). "The Trial of Daniel Holtzclaw, the Cop Charged With Sexually Assaulting 13 Black Women". GLAMOUR News. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  20. ↑ Golgowski, Nina (September 5, 2014). "Oklahoma City cop charged with sexually assaulting eight women is released on bond". Daily News. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Daniel Holtzclaw trial: Standing with 'imperfect' accusers". BBC News. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  22. 1 2 Passoth, Kim (November 17, 2014). "9 women testify OCPD officer sexually assaulted them; More set to take stand". KOCO. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  23. ↑ "DA files 16 felony counts against Holtzclaw". Enid News & Eagle. August 29, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Former OKC Police Officer Daniel Holtzclaw Found Guilty Of Rape". WEAS-FM. Associated Press. December 11, 2015. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  25. ↑ Philipps, Dave (December 10, 2015). "Former Oklahoma City Police Officer Found Guilty of Rapes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  26. ↑ "State witness tests positive for PCP hours before taking stand". KFOR-TV. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  27. ↑ Testa, Jessica (December 9, 2015). "The 13 Women Who Accused A Cop Of Sexual Assault, In Their Own Words". BuzzFeed. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Closing arguments to begin for former Oklahoma City police officer accused of rape, sexual assault". NewsOK. December 2, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Jury deliberating in trial of former Oklahoma City police officer". KFOR. December 2, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  30. ↑ "White Ex-Cop #DanielHoltzclaw Found Guilty, Gets Over 200 Years In Prison, Then Cries Afterwards". VannDigital.com. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Ex-cop guilty on 18 counts in Oklahoma City rape trial". Chicago Sun-Times. December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  32. ↑ Ford, Ken (December 11, 2015). "A Guilty Verdict for Daniel Holtzclaw". The Atlantic. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  33. ↑ Dallas, Ebony (December 2, 2015). "OKC Artists for Justice founders see activism as extension of creativity". News OK. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  34. ↑ Lindsey, Treva (15 December 2015). "The Media's Disgraceful Silence on Daniel Holtzclaw". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  35. ↑ Sean Murphy (January 21, 2016). "Ex-Oklahoma Officer Gets 263 Years for Rapes, Sex Assaults - ABC News". Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  36. ↑ Bonesteel, Matt (February 18, 2016). "SB Nation is right: Its story about a convicted rapist was a 'complete failure'". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  37. ↑ Victor, Daniel (February 18, 2016). "SB Nation Removes Article Criticized as Sympathetic to Convicted Rapist". The New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  38. ↑ Mitchell, Benjamin F (February 18, 2016). "SB Nation publishes, takes down "failure" of story about Holtzclaw". USA Today. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  39. ↑ Howard, Greg (2016-02-19). "SB Nation Memo Announces Hiatus For Longform Program". Deadspin.
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