Austin Wilkerson: Sexual Assault And Rape

Sexual assault and rape are serious matters in today’s society. “On average, there are 288,820 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States” (“Sexual Violence Affects…”). Even with these statistics, rape is a violent act that is under-reported more and more each year. According to Webster’s Dictionary, rape is defined by, “unlawful sexual activity and usually sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against the will, usually of a female, or with a person who is beneath a certain age or incapable of valid consent.” To many people, “having sex” is interoperated as penile-vaginal intercourse, whereas “doing something sexual” is interoperated with a broader range because it could …show more content…
Wilkerson is a former University of Colorado student that should have faced life in prison after he was originally found guilty of raping a drunk girl on St. Patrick’s Day in 2014. The night of the crime, Wilkerson told friends he would take the girl back to her room and take care of her because of how intoxicated she was. He then sexually assaulted her obviously without her consent. Aligned with the Brock Turner case, prosecutors got the result of the rape kit and found no semen in Wilkerson’s victim. Days later in court, Wilkerson went on the stand saying that the victim was not drunk and that their sex was consensual. Meanwhile, his defense team was behind him stating that the victim fabricated the rape claim in order to cover up her poor academic performance (Ferrell). The prosecuting judge in Boulder, Colorado, sentenced him to two years on work release and 20 years’ probation. So again, this victim’s assailant gets to continue his daily life with only minimum consequences. Although this female did not have physical bruises or cuts, it is emotionally detrimental and will be for the rest of her life. “Rape rarely results in obvious injury, but the damage this hidden violence inflicts is often even more profound. Beyond maiming the body, rape maims the soul” (Schafran 16). People being intoxicated and not fully in control of their thoughts and actions is not consent. This is a major problem today’s society faces, and …show more content…
Vo, a former student from southeastern Pennsylvania University, was found guilty of sexually assaulting an intoxicated and unconscious classmate in her dorm room in 2015, after she repeatedly told him she was a virgin. This case is extremely sensitive because this victim’s virginity truly mattered to her. She wanted to wait and share her first time with someone special. Per the victim’s testimony in The Washington Post, “Vo was polite at first, but then his conversation turned into matters of sexual experience.” The victim, who was drinking, replied that she was a virgin and wanted to remain so. She also testified that she was drifting in and out of consciousness when Vo approached her and started feeling her leg and so forth. Later that night, he was taken to prison until officials from the Chester County Bail Agency could investigate his circumstances. The prosecuting judge set several requirements for Vo’s bail, including that he had to surrender his passport, have no contact with the victim, and stay off the WCU campus. Vo also had to be evaluated by the state’s Sexual Offenders Assessment Board to determine if he should be classified as a violent sexual predator. As far as jail time, with good behavior, Vo will have to serve six years then five years of probation out of prison. His appalling crime will live with his victim forever though. Vo, along with the other perpetrators across America, need