A 17-year-old in Iowa who pled guilty to murdering the guy she suspected of raping her was forced to pay the alleged rapist’s family $150,000.
Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that Pieper Lewis, who pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter and willful injury, was handed a deferred judgment on each of the two 10-year jail sentences for these offences.
This indicates that she will not be sent to prison unless she violates the terms of her probation.
According to the Associated Press, Polk County District Judge David Porter stated on Tuesday that the court has no choice but to order her to pay the $150,000, citing Iowa law.
According to the AP, she was initially charged with first-degree murder.
Lewis, a foster child, was 15 years old and homeless when she reported being raped repeatedly.
According to the Des Moines Register, her defense attorneys said she was involved in a sex trafficking deal between her ex-boyfriend and the guy she murdered, Zachary Brooks.
According to the Associated Press, prosecutors did not contest Lewis’ charges of rape or sex trafficking in the case, but because Brooks is deceased, he cannot be formally convicted guilty.
In May 2020, Brooks’ boyfriend instructed her to stay with Brooks, who plied her with drink and marijuana, per her plea bargain, which was seen by the Register.
Five times while she was asleep, Brooks allegedly engaged in sexual activity with her over her objections, according to the statement.
Her attorneys detailed how on May 31, her boyfriend threatened her with a knife and instructed her to return to Brooks’ residence, where he would receive $50 worth of marijuana in exchange for sexual acts with Lewis.
According to her attorneys, Lewis fell asleep and awoke to find that she had been raped after being persuaded to drink and smoke marijuana.
According to the AP, after Brooks fell asleep, she grabbed a knife from the table next to him.
“I suddenly realized that Mr. Brooks had raped me again, and I was filled with wrath,” she is quoted as saying by the Register. According to the complaint, she then stabbed him more than thirty times, causing his death.
In Iowa, the age of consent is 16, although the law allows 14- and 15-year-olds to consent to sexual activity with someone within 48 months of their age. Brooks was 37 years old when he was slain, according to the Register.
The publication reports that Lewis, who graduated high school while in detention, wants to become an advocate for juvenile justice.
According to the newspaper, Porter also ordered her to perform 1,200 hours of community service and to stay at the Fresh Start Women’s Center, a women’s correctional facility.
During the sentencing, she read a prepared statement.
“My spirit has been scorched, yet it still shines through the flames,” she was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. “Hear me scream, see me sparkle, and observe my development.”
