Fired Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw was sentenced to 263 years in prison for a series of on-duty rapes, The Oklahoman reports. Holtzclaw, 29, of Oklahoma City, was charged with 36 counts that accused him of sexually assaulting 13 black females between December 2013 and June 2014. After a six-week trial, a jury found Holtzclaw guilty on Dec. 10 of 18 sexual offenses, including four counts of first-degree rape, involving eight victims. Jurors chose punishments ranging from five to 30 years. Judge Timothy Henderson ordered Holtzclaw to serve all that prison time consecutively for a total of 263 years.
Three victims addressed the court at sentencing yesterday. One was a grandmother who immediately reported a 2014 sexual assault to police, which prompted an investigation into Holtzclaw. He was put on paid leave the same day and fired in January 2015. Another victim present was the youngest victim, a girl who was 17 at the time of the abuse. Jurors found that the girl had been raped by Holtzclaw on her mother's front porch. Her DNA was found on the inside and outside of Holtzclaw' pants. It was the only DNA evidence from a victim in the case. Holtzclaw denied the allegations. His attorney attempted to damage the accusers’ credibility by referencing past criminal or drug activity. The case gained national attention when an all-white jury was selected. Court records describe Holtzclaw as “Asian or Pacific Islander.”