Though the sentence for Brock Turner, a former Stanford freshman convicted of three felonies for the rape of an unconscious woman behind a fraternity house dumpster last year, was deemed by many to be lenient at just six-months in jail followed by probation, Turner is in fact expected to be released two three months early.
County of Santa Clara records obtained by the Daily Mail indicate that Turner's release date is scheduled for September 2, as "it was assessed that he was unlikely to misbehave behind bars." KTVU notes that county jail inmates typically serve 50 percent of their sentences in cases where their records are kept clean, making the early release appear less of an aberration.
"I've lost my ability to swim in the Olympics. I've lost my ability to obtain a Stanford degree. I've lost employment opportunities, my reputation and most of all, my life," the publication quotes courtroom statements made by Turner, words echoed in another statement in which the convict appeared to blame "peer pressure" and "the culture surrounded by binge drinking and sexual promiscuity that protrudes through what people think is at the core of being a college student" for his criminal actions.
There is also new evidence obtained by ABC News that Turner lied in his statement to probation officers about never having partied or used illicit drugs before college. Photographs show Turner holding a bong prior to his Stanford days, as well as drinking from a liquor bottle, and text messages suggest his use of harder drugs. As CBS further reports, Turner texted with friends in 2014 about using LSD, and wanting to try "candyflippin," which is the use of LSD and MDMA together. In his statement prior to sentencing, Turner wrote, "Coming from a small town in Ohio, I never really experienced celebrating or partying that involved alcohol."
In a report also cited by Cosmopolitan.com, the Daily Mail further alleges that court documents show Turner lied to his probation officer, obtaining a more lenient sentence by claiming the woman he raped was conscious, rather than unresponsive, to his probation officer. The Daily Mail also makes note that Turner "has his own cell with television" at Elmwood county jail in Milpitas, CA.
When Judge Aaron Perksy passed down Turner's sentence, he himself became the subject of scrutiny, with a change.org petition calling for his removal. While Persky is up for re-election, Buzzfeed maintains that he is likely to retain his job.
