Stillwater Police Department via FOX News
After Jesse Butler was spared incarceration and ordered to perform community service and attend counseling, a Stillwater community rallied against the "slap on the wrist" sentence, arguing the teen was granted leniency due to his family ties.
A wave of shock and outrage has swept through Stillwater, Oklahoma, after a judge handed down a dramatically lenient sentence to 18-year-old Jesse Butler, who had pleaded no contest to multiple felony charges including rape and strangulation of two high school girls.
Despite facing a potential sentence of 78 years in prison, Butler was ultimately ordered to walk free with no jail time, instead receiving a mandate of community service and counseling.
The charges stemmed from a September 2024 investigation launched after two Stillwater High School students came forward with allegations of brutal assault. Butler, who was 17 at the time of his arrest and charged as an adult before his status was changed to youthful offender, according to KOCO, The Journal Record and Oklahoma Watch, pleaded no contest in August to 11 counts. These included first-degree rape, attempted rape in the first degree, rape by instrumentation, and domestic assault and battery by strangulation, according to FOX 25.
Given the severity of the offenses, the possibility of a sentence of nearly eight decades behind bars was very real. However, the resulting plea deal between the prosecution and defense teams led to a judgment that stunned the local community: Butler was spared incarceration and ordered to perform community service and attend counseling, per Oklahoma Watch, KJRH, and FOX 25.
As cited by KOCO, victim impact statements read in court underscored the lasting trauma inflicted by the attacks.
One of the victims articulated the depth of her suffering, stating, "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."
The decision immediately drew sharp criticism from victims' advocates and the wider community, who point to Butler’s family ties as the likely reason for the extraordinary leniency. Butler is the son of a prominent local figure -- the former director of operations for Oklahoma State University's football team -- a factor that opponents argue allowed him to evade a decades-long sentence, The Journal Record reported.
At a recent community rally, protesters voiced their disbelief over the "slap on the wrist" sentence.
"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... That's just ridiculous,” one protester told KJRH.
The mother of one victim also criticized the judicial process, noting 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," per KOCO.
As a dedicated Facebook group rallies for justice, the Stillwater community continues to demand accountability for Butler’s crimes, pushing back against a verdict they feel prioritizes family prominence over the safety and dignity of the victims.
