Anyone accused of a crime is entitled to plead not guilty since there is a legal presumption that an individual is innocent until or unless proved guilty. That does not mean, however, that the individual will not be incarcerated while awaiting trial. This was the case for an Oklahoma man accused of child rape.
Court documents reveal that the incident occurred on May 17, 2014, just after midnight. A mother was awakened by disturbing sounds coming from her 5-year-old daughter’s room. When she went into her room, she discovered a man raping her daughter. The mother managed to get the man off her daughter, but he managed to escape through the window.
The next day, the Oklahoma man’s family and friends contacted police when they saw reports of the rape on the news. Police took him into custody, and he initially pleaded not guilty to the charges. While incarcerated, he wrote letters in which he ultimately admitted to the crime and even provided details regarding its commission.
After the letters were discovered, he changed his plea to guilty. His change of plea and the letters most likely bolstered the decision to sentence the man to life in prison. He will not have the possibility of being paroled during his lifetime.
Just because charges have been filed, that does not necessarily mean that the person accused of the crime is not still under observation by law enforcement officials. In this case, the letters regarding the rape were written after he was arrested and put in jail. His confession may have convinced him and his criminal defense counsel that it would be in his best interests to change his plea.
Source: news9.com, “Sex Offender Sentenced To Life For Raping 5-Year-Old Tulsa Girl”, Richard Clark, June 25, 2015
