Jack Burns | The Free Thought Project
There’s probably nothing that infuriates rape survivors and their families more than hearing about a rapist who got off scot-free but that’s exactly what happened to an admitted rapist who had confessed to the crime of raping his 12-year-old daughter on multiple occasions.
Martin Blake (40) from Glasgow, Montana admitted to police investigators what he’d done to his daughter, and prosecutors had agreed upon a 100-year sentence with 75 of those years commuted, meaning Blake would serve 25 years in prison for the crime.
However, Valley County District Court judge John C. McKeon disagreed with the plea deal and the prosecution’s assertion that his crimes were so egregious he deserved to be punished in the penal system. Much to the surprise of many, Judge McKeon instead, agreed with his public defender Casey Moore and gave Blake probation, with orders to complete a systematic community-based treatment program.
Yes. That’s right. He raped his own daughter and got away without being punished, after spending only 17 days in jail. Blake is now a free man.
According to the Glasgow Courier, Judge McKeon’s decision was based on, “the support that Blake had from family, friends, his church and his employer. That support included letters written by the victim’s mother and grandmother asking the court to allow Blake to remain in the community.”
The backlash against the judge’s decision was overwhelming and swift, with many in the community and the state calling for the judge to be recalled and unseated from his position. An online petition commenced and currently has nearly 1,100 signatures of the needed 1,500.
The petition, created by Madeline Forman, will be delivered to the Montana State House of Representatives. The petition referenced the already agreed upon plea deal which McKeon rejected and stated,
“Judge John McKeon, sentenced him to 30 years with all that time suspended and released him on parole. HE WILL SERVE NO TIME FOR RAPING A CHILD.HE RAPED HIS OWN DAUGHTER. HE DESTROYED HER LIFE. THIS HAS TO STOP. It is time to start punishing the judges who let these monsters walk our streets. It is time to remove Judge McKeon from the bench.”
If you’d like to get involved and read/sign the petition to remove Judge McKeon from his high horse you can do so by clicking here.
Americans are understandably outraged. When a sexual predator strikes, it doesn’t matter if that person is a family member or not. If they are not prepared to do the time in prison then they shouldn’t even consider doing the crime. The victim, who has to relive the event in graphic detail by recounting the rape by giving graphic details to a police detective, who many times is a male, is often traumatized by the investigation. They’re often subjected to wearing a hidden microphone, and encouraged to strike up a conversation with their perpetrators in order to get a recorded confession. That event alone is traumatizing enough.
The victims are often forced to sit through hours of testimony, and are often called to the witness stand to be cross-examined, again by a male at times, and forced to recall the horrific details of their abuse. When will we stand up for our youngest and most vulnerable victims of these unspeakable crimes and bring their perpetrators to justice, or is justice dead and gone?
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