Teen Who Raped, Strangled and Brutalized 2 Girls Was Facing 7 Decades in Prison — Then a Judge Let Him Walk Free By Samira Asma-Sadeque

An Oklahoma community is outraged after a teen from a prominent local family was relieved of a decades-long prison sentence despite several convictions for rape and assault charges, per local reports.

Jesse Butler, 18, was arrested on March 4 following reports of assault by two high-school students in Stillwater, Okla., according to an official report reviewed by PEOPLE.

Butler was 17 years old at the time of his arrest and was charged as an adult, per court documents cited by KOCO. His status was then changed to youthful offender, per The Journal Record, Oklahoma Watch and KOCO.

In August, Butler pleaded no contest to 11 counts against him, per the official report, which was obtained and shared online by FOX 25.

The offenses included first-degree rape, domestic assault and battery by strangulation, attempted rape in the first degree and rape by instrumentation, the outlet reported.

Butler was facing 78 years in prison for the convictions, but the judge let him go without any jail time, and ordered him to perform community service and attend counseling instead, per Oklahoma Watch, KJRH and FOX 25.

The lenient sentence was thanks to the plea deal between the prosecution and defense teams, KJRH and The Journal Record reported.

The families of his victims are outraged at the sentence, and victims’ advocates say Butler was allowed to go free because of his family’s prominence in Stillwater, The Journal Record reported. Butler’s father is the former director of operations for Oklahoma State University’s football team, the outlet reported.

The charges against Butler stemmed from a September 2024 investigation, which began after two female students at Stillwater High School came forward with several allegations against him.

In victim impact statements cited by KOCO, one of the girls would later say: “I’ve had to explain bruises, explain silence, explain why I started isolating from people who love me.”

“You didn’t just strangle me with your hands, you strangled my voice, my joy, my ability to feel safe in my own body,” she said.

The local community is now rallying around the victims and protesting what they call a light sentence.

“I feel terrible for those young women,” said Adelyn Smith, who was among about 100 protesters at a recent rally calling for accountability for Butler, KJRH reported.

“Almost losing your life, having a video being recorded of you almost losing your life and your assaulter being able to just walk with no punishment, a slap on the wrist and 150 hours of community service,” she said. “That’s just ridiculous.”

The mother of one of the victims, in a victim impact statement cited by KOCO, criticized how her daughter “had to prove she was the victim, over and over again, while the system made excuse after excuse for the person who hurt her.”

“My daughter has handled this with more strength than most adults could,” she added. “Watching her stay brave while adults failed her has been both inspiring and heartbreaking.”

A Facebook group has been created by advocates demanding justice for Butler’s victims.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.