Months after he was fired from the Oklahoma City police force, Daniel Holtzclaw was found guilty of four counts of first-degree rape and numerous other sexual offenses against eight victims.
The 12-member jury in the case – eight men and four women – had deliberated since Monday. They found the former officer guilty of half of the 36 counts he faced.
Holtzclaw, 29, was charged with sexually assaulting 13 women, in a case in which race seemed to play a role. Holtzclaw is described in official documents as "Asian or Pacific Islander," according to News OK; all of the victims in the case are black.
As the judge read the guilty findings in court late Thursday, Holtzclaw hung his head and could be heard crying. Holtzclaw faces the chance of spending the rest of his life in prison; he'll be sentenced next month.
From member station KGOU:
"Daniel Holtzclaw trembled and sobbed as judge Timothy Henderson read through the 36 charges brought against him. Count 1, sexual battery. Guilty. Recommended punishment: Eight years. Count 2, procuring lewd exhibition, not guilty."It went like this for the three dozen charges, while Holtzclaw, the fired police officer, rocked and cried, occasionally putting his head on the table. "In the end, Holtzclaw was found guilty on four of six first-degree rape charges brought against him, one charge of second degree rape with instrumentation, four counts of forcible oral sodomy, six counts of sexual battery and three procuring lewd exhibition charges. The jury recommended 263 years of prison time for the 29-year-old former college football player."
Holtzclaw, a native of Enid, Okla., played linebacker at Eastern Michigan University and was invited to rookie camp by the Detroit Lions in 2009. He has denied the charges against him and is expected to file an appeal.
In another racial component of the case, an all-white jury was selected to hear the trial, in a development that set off alarm bells in Oklahoma County's black community and beyond.
After the verdict was read, District Attorney David Prater — a former police officer – said at the Oklahoma County Courthouse, "To the African-American community, I'll say this ... I appreciate you trusting us and standing down and making sure nothing foolish happened during the investigation of this case and during the trying of this case."
Prater said he'll be asking the judge "to make sure that this defendant never sees the light of day," by seeking to have his punishment run consecutively.
Holtzclaw is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 21, according to local TV news KOKH.
The Oklahoma City Police Department released a statement after the verdict, saying:
"The Oklahoma City Police Department is pleased with the jury's decision regarding the Daniel Holtzclaw trial. It was a long and difficult trial and deliberation process for all involved. It is obvious the jury took their responsibilities very seriously and considered every piece of evidence presented to them. "We are proud of our detectives and prosecutors for a job well done. "To the jury, we thank you for your service. "We are satisfied with the jury's decision and firmly believe justice was served."
The victims in the case are scheduled to hold a news conference outside the courthouse before noon on Friday. The woman who initiated the case by accusing Holtzclaw of forcing her to perform a sex act during a traffic stop last June was present for the verdict Thursday, News OK reports: "The woman, a grandmother, hugged others beside her in the courtroom and cried with her supporters."
As KGOU reports, it was that woman's decision to act that broke the case open for investigators: "Unlike most the other women he assaulted, she immediately reported the crime to police. Detectives connected her assault to a previously unsolved report, then discovered Holtzclaw's pattern of sexual abuse. He was fired."
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