Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - BASEBALL-STAR BRUTAL ATTACKS ON HS GIRLS WALKS FREE "SKETCHY AS HELL!"

Episode Date: November 12, 2025

Jesse Mack Butler, star baseball player for the Stillwater High School Pioneers, has been receiving offers at NCAA colleges. Jesse’s family is deeply tied to Stillwater and Oklahoma State University. The father, Mack Butler, served as the Cowboy’s football director for 16 years, and now his wife and daughter also work for OK State’s football program. Butler appears to be a typical All-American teenager, but his ex-girlfriends allege he’s extremely violent. The star teenage athlete, serial rapist, who strangles his girlfriends for a laugh, got a slap on his hand by serving NO jail time on 11 charges, securing a sweetheart deal classifying him as a "youthful offender." The now 18-year-old’s "treatment plan" is sealed, but he will attend counseling, complete community service, and abide by strict curfews. Should he fail any aspect of the plan, Jesse Butler will serve the 10-year sentence he would have received as an adult behind bars. One of his victims is choked so badly she is taken to the ER. Girls were bleeding from their private areas and sustained injuries during the assaults. The perp was facing a potential 78 years in prison, but instead the judge decided for the perp's violent behavior. He would receive a slap on the wrist after attacking multiple women, even sending one to the hospital. And another time, just before Butler can put his penis inside another victim, a woman approaches Butler’s car and says she’s calling police. Butler drives "LS" back to her own car.  Joining Nancy Grace today: Randy Kessler - Atlanta Trial Lawyer, Emory Law School Professor, Past Chair ABA Family Law Section, Author: "Divorce, Protect Yourself, Your Kids and Your Future;" Instagram: @rkessler23, X: @GADivorce Dr. Cheryl Arutt -Licensed Clinical and Forensic Psychologist Specializing in Trauma Recovery, PTSD and EMDR; website: CreativeEMDR.com, IG: @askdrcheryl Shannon Henry  -  President & Founder of SASS Go (Surviving Assault Standing Strong: a nonprofit on a mission to eradicate abuse, trafficking and violence against women and girls globally) Case Consultant, and Adjunct Professor at the University of South Carolina in the Department of Education; @sassgoglobal on FB, Instagram, X, and TikTok Rachel Countryman - Forensic Nurse Expert and founder Countryman Consulting (provides expert testimony, case consultation in sexual assault, strangulation, intimate partner violence cases; educates professionals and empowers survivors through forensic medical evidence); X: @GodoyForensics Bill Hernandez - Napa PD (California) Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Detective Paige Taylor - Reporter at Fox25 News; FB & Instagram: PaigeTaylorKOKH Sydney Sumner - Investigative Reporter, ‘Crime Stories’ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. A high school baseball star brutally, brutally attacks multiple high school girls leaving them bleeding. And he walks free with counseling. He was looking at 78. years behind bars over seven decades and he gets counseling and community service I call that sketchy as hell I'm Nancy Grace this is crime stories I want to thank you for being with us Jesse Butler a promising baseball star from Oklahoma with a

supportive family faces a grim future after his girlfriend accuses him of the unthinkable okay right there I don't like that. I don't like that because it says his girlfriend accused BS technical legal term. It's not his girlfriend accused to Paige Taylor joining us, investigative reporter Fox 25 News. Page, let me correct that. He pled. He pled guilty, of course, the judge let him do a no-low, a no-low contendary. I don't say you're right or you're wrong, but that's the equivalent of a guilty plea a no lo. He pled guilty. It's not that girlfriend accuses it's way past that. He has pled and been sentenced, right? Yes, he has. And he did initially plead not guilty. And then he was

offered this plea deal by the DA to his attorney. And that is when he pled no contest. And then he was given youthful offender status. Okay, to Randy Kessler joining us, a veteran trial lawyer out of Atlanta, Emory Law School professor, former chair of the American Bar Association Family Law section, author of divorce, protect yourself, your kids, and your future. I can go on and on and on about Kessler. But let me just say, when I would see Kessler coming down the hall at the courthouse at me, with a file in his hand, I would say, no, don't even start. And somehow he would taught all the prosecutors into sweetheart deals. Kessler, just take off your daughter. defense hat for one moment, just one moment. Isn't it true that a NOLO contendary, I do not contest?

In the law, in the eyes of the law, is a guilty plea. Okay, but it's not exactly a guilty plea, Nancy, or else you wouldn't have a difference. You wouldn't have the option of a Nolo contender. He can say for the rest of his life, he did not contest the facts. That's a better statement for his future than to say, I pled guilty. There's a reason we allow them to do that. There is a difference, but in the law, you're right. Okay, Randy Kessler. The eyes of the law, you're right. What?

Just try to spit it out. You always win, Nancy. And you know you're going to win this one because it's a rhetorical question. Yes, Nolo Contendria has the same consequences, but he still can say to future employers, family, friends, he pled Nolo Contendary. Look at him.

Baseball star. How much did his father involvement in baseball and his own affect the judge's decision. Isn't it true Paige Taylor that he and his family are deeply tied to Stillwater and Oklahoma State University? The father, Matt Butler, was the Cowboys Football Director for 16 years. Isn't that true, 16 years? The Cowboys Football Director, yes? That is correct. So now we've managed. is to, remember, Kessler, I'm just a JD. I'm not a D-D-S, a dentist. I don't know how to pull teeth, but I can get a set of pliers and try if I have to. So, Kessler, could you ever

imagine, ever imagine a cold day in He-E-D-L that I would allow two young girl high school sex assault victims sit there. and let me and hear me agree to a plea where this guy after multiple attacks, bloody, bloody sex attacks, let that sink in. Let them hear me accept a plea where he gets no jail time and he gets counseling and walks free on a no-low over my cold, dead body, Kessler. Not in a million years would you allow that. He would have been lucky to get away with with 87 years in jail if you were the prosecutor. I mean, Kessler, think about it.

Think about your own children. And I know in closing arguments, we prosecutors and defense lawyers as well are not allowed to ask the jury to put themselves in the shoes of the victim or the defendant, right? But we're not, look around, we're not in court. You have children. If your child came home and said, he sex attacked me, I was believed. I begged him to stop, and he said no. You don't think these parents shouldn't be laying on the courthouse steps screaming?

You know, there'd be a different trial, right? I'd be the one on trial in that case, right? Nancy, we all know what would happen if that was a situation. But we don't know all the facts, and there's got to be some reason. I'm just searching my brain for why would they have allowed this kind of plea deal? Why would they let them stay as a juvenile unless they didn't think they had an absolute rock-solid case that would guarantee a victory? There has to be some loophole, some technicality, some deficiency in their case, because I agree. There has to be, but you haven't found it, have you?

Well, I haven't, and I don't, I'm not pretty all in the documents. I haven't either. I haven't heard. But you got to say an airtight case, a lock on the case, is there ever a lock on a case? I mean, look at Topmom, Casey Anthony, should have been a lot, right? Not guilty. Look at O.J. Simpson, should have been a lot. Double murder.

not guilty. It happens all the time. There's never a lock on a case ever. I don't care how strong the prosecutor thinks the evidence is. There's never a lot, Randy. No, but this is probably the first time you've ever agreed with me and taken my side in some way that you're right. There's not a guaranteed lock. So what is the deficiency in this case? You know, those folks, they got a complete acquittal that you definitely don't want to risk a complete acquittal. And if you're worried as a prosecutor that you might not win, you take what you can get. But, you know, I know you're not agreeing with you, but you're telling me that there is a possibility. We don't know what the possibility was because we're telling you, Randy, that there is

never a lock and you have to have the backbone to roll the dice, get ready, and go to trial, even if you think you might lose. I mean, look at Coburger for Pete's sake. That case should have gone to trial and there should be a DP being scheduled right now. Brian Coburger should be on death row where he would sit for the next. 25 years and probably get some kind of weird reversal, but it's the point of doing the right thing. And this is the, you know what, this is the wrong thing. Let's just start at the beginning. Listen. Why do we have juvenile? Why do we not, why don't we not just prosecute everybody's

an adult? There's got to be some basis for decision making, right? This child was a child when he did this, and he's got a right to be tried as a juvenile. And that's what they decided to do. Otherwise, he was 17. Right. Okay. Well, if the law says 17-year-olds get tried as an adult, he should have been tried as an adult. Is that what the law says? No, the law gives a discretion, and they chose the discretion to say, we're going to follow the law and try him as a juvenile.

Randy, let's discuss the actual law, not the law in Randyland. The law is that there in most jurisdiction are seven deadly sins, for which a juvenile will have a bindover hearing and most likely get treated as an adult. That said, rape is a seven deadly, which means there's a very, very rubber stamp hearing. There is a hearing, but after the hearing, the case will be sent to Superior Court.

Are you telling me, you never had a case with a 17-year-old that was tried as an adult? Certainly the cases, but again, this is a different case. This is a victim, knew the defendant. this is a, you know, there's an allegation that there was a relationship. I don't know. I'm not true to it. I'm so glad you said that. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

You think I'm going to pretend that didn't just come out of your mouth? Shannon Henry, joining me, president, founder of SAS, SASS, surviving assault, standing strong. It is a non-profit on a mission to help women victims of sex attacks. Did you just hear what Kessler said? And believe you may, it might work in front of a jury. He said, uh, she was his girlfriend. Okay, number one, there's not just one. There's two victims that we know of who say startlingly similar stories about being sex

assaulted and beaten, strangled till one had to have surgery on her neck and her face drooped after the strangulation. And not only that, he videoed the attack. And the police found the video. The state has the video of the girl unconscious being strangled and then sex assaulted. Shannon, did you hear that? Randy Custer says, oh, well, it was his girlfriend. Like, that means it didn't happen, Shannon?

Yep. So now, evidently, according to Randy, we're going to start excusing relationship violence and relationship sexual assaults. And that would include the ones like this one when clearly her body was shutting down. She urinated on herself as he strangled her. That is the body shutting down because it can't do everything it needs to do. I want to see, Kessler, as you're describing that. Pick it up right there, please, Shannon.

She urinated on herself. And so that tells us that the body is shutting down. So this isn't, you know, this is the perfect case. We have the, I know there's no perfect case, but we have video evidence. Typically it's he said, she said, this is not. We have the evidence physically. psychologically. We've got the medical evidence. We know that this was attempted murder. This was kidnapping. It was rape. It was sodomy. It was everything it could be. And it does not matter if

she was in a relationship with him or he was a stranger. He is at fault. He should be sentenced accordingly. You know, Shannon, I know you must feel this sometimes. Do you, Shannon is the president and founder of surviving assault standing strong. I was just thinking about my little daughter, Lucy. She's about this big. She's just beautiful on the inside and the outside. And sometimes I just feel like going to late on the railroad track and waiting for a train to come in. I mean, there is a video. The little high school girl wet her pants. She went unconscious. At one point, she was bleeding from her genitals. And there is a other. video the guy sets up a video he wants to replay watching himself strangling her out

the one victim and there's two that we know of had to have surgery on her throat her face was drooping on one side after because the strangulation was so severe page Taylor joining us investigative reporter Fox 25. Tell me about the surgery the one little girl had to have. Well, yeah. So after she was strangled, she had a lot of pain in her neck. There was swelling. And so, you know, she did have to undergo surgery. And now she has a scar. So not only, you know, does she have mental scars, but now she has a physical one. Rachel Countryman also joining us. You know her well, forensic nurse expert, founder of Countryman

consulting. She provides expert testimony in case consultation all across the country on sex assault, strangulation, partner violence at Countryman Consulting Services.com. And there's a reason she has her own consulting business. She has been on the front lines as a rape nurse. Rachel, when you hear the victim was totally unconscious and urinated. in her clothes, urinated during the attack. She had no control over her bodily functions at all. We know that in at least one instance there was genital bleeding. How can a judge, uh, judge, what's her name, Susan Worthington, right, Paige?

Correct. That's correct. Judge Susan Worthington. I don't understand, Rachel. how yeah there you go how could she turn the other way and give this guy community service and counseling and there's not just one victim Rachel what would you be looking for and what do you think of the facts as we know them I'm getting them straight out of the arrest warrant affidavit nobody's making any of this up yeah so the symptoms are you know quite astounding a lot of times

When we have patients present, we don't see any symptoms. And so the fact that, you know, she urinated ourselves, loss of consciousness, as, you know, Susan mentioned, this is the body shutting down. The body is not getting oxygen. The tissues in the body are getting oxygen. And she's very close to losing her life. What happened? And why did the judge agree to this?

And even more interesting, why did the prosecutor even put it up listen a serial rapist who strangles his girlfriends for a laugh serving no jail time on 11 charges securing a sweetheart deal classifying him as a youthful offender the now 18 year old's treatment plan counseling community service and curfew we're protesting judge susan worthington and demanding her immediate resignation we are protesting the pain county district attorney's office and demanding the immediate resignation of the 80 who made this deal. If that don't set you on fire, you woods wet.

You know what I mean? You got a bad deal. That sets me on fire. That looks like favoritism all day long for me. That from our friends at KFOR, and that was Representative J.J. Humphrey. I couldn't agree with him more. Many people are asking why Judge Susan Worthington, and don't worry, I'm going to get about three inches up the prosecutor.

tailpipe as well, why she would go along with this plea? How could she even look at herself in the mirror? Well, we have an idea. Listen. Jesse Mac Butler, a star baseball player for the Stillwater High Pioneers, already getting offers to play at NCAA colleges. Jesse's family deeply tied to Stillwater and Oklahoma State University. Father Mac Butler served as the Cowboys football director for 16 years, and now his wife and daughter also worked for Oklahoma State's football program. Stillwater outraged by Butler's light sentence, many speculating Mac Butler's deep connection to OSU is the reason behind his son's ridiculous sentence. Protesters calling for district attorney Laura Thomas is firing. I'm not slowing down.

And, you know, I have a 15 year old and he said, Daddy, you need to do something. So they have a position that came open at Stillwater schools. And I said, I don't want to be the head guy. I don't want any of that. You know, if I can help, I want to help. Straight back out to Paige Taylor, investigative reporter, Fox 25 News, Paige. I want to hear about the father's deep involvement in the community and the sports programs.

Yes, so that family does have deep ties to Stillwater to OSU. Like you mentioned, he, you know, did work for OSU for many years with the football program. and I think it's important to note, you know, football is so important in those college towns and really carries a lot of weight and meaning. You know, he's also worked at some other universities and high schools around the state of Oklahoma. Guys, it seemingly gets so much worse. But to Randy Kessler joining us, Atlanta Trial Lawyer, allegedly lawyer to the celebs, Randy, it matters.

It shouldn't matter, but I've seen it happen in court where an influential family comes into court, typically with their son, occasionally their daughter has a felony, but usually the son. And they all have on their Sunday best, and they all stand up behind the podium, and they cry and they write letters, and they get really influential people like mayors and the heads of football programs at colleges to write on behalf of the defendant. And I don't like it, but it matters not to me. To me, that makes it worse. That means that that defendant had every opportunity, every advantage given the world on a silver platter on top of a Christmas

tree and still committed a felony as opposed to some people who everybody in their family's gone to jail. They've all committed felonies. It's a way of life. They don't understand, hey, this is wrong. This guy had it all, and it makes a difference, I guess, to the judge and the prosecutor in this case. What matters to me or what these two little girls say? I agree with you, Nancy. I want to make it clear to you and all you guess. I think this conduct was despicable, and I'm not defending the conduct. I'm trying to find reasons because I wasn't there as to why they might have cut this deal or why they might have not charged him. That's all I'm trying to do is explain that. And I think you might be right. I don't know this judge. I don't know this prosecutor. But we're all searching

for either the facts weren't there or the evidence wasn't there. And it sounds like it was there. So what else is there? And I think you're looking in the right direction. Maybe there's something untoward going on. And I agree with you. I don't have famous people write letters thinking that's going to impress the judge. If I was a judge, I'd say, oh, you think you're hot stuff and you're going to pull your cloud and affect me. I think most judges, most good judges would see exactly the way you suggest that they should see it, which is it doesn't matter. In fact, it makes it worse if you think that's going to help what matters is the conduct or what matters is the evidence and what matters to the prosecution is can they prove and can they win their case if they can prove

win their case then they should push it as far as they can if they're not sure then they compromise and i've not been in the room and i wasn't there and i'm hearing more and more even on the show and it's still making me question why randy kessler yes you're not you're not worried are you that somebody's going to go on x or facebook and go oh i'm mad at randy kosser because he took up for the defendant you actually care what somebody says about you crime stories with nancy grace i can't what people say about me absolutely business if you do say what i'm in the wrong business if you care what everybody else says it doesn't matter what they say it matters that you do do the right thing and as a defense attorney, it's your job as much as I don't like it to find

holes in every case and exploit them. We have the adversarial system. We're adversaries. We collide in court and we fight it out and we test each other's evidence through cross-examination and the rules of evidence. You know how many defense attorneys I've made mad because I would fight their exhibits, fight their witnesses, any way I could. Because I want a word that speaks the truth. And it's your job to try to stop me. And that's what I do. But you know what? And try doing divorce once in a while, too. When we do some of that, then you've got people that are really angry at each other. It's not just the state. It's an individual. So certainly we do our job. And certainly there's times when we have to say, you know what, it's just an all-out fight.

But if we can find a way to solve the problem without having a trial, criminal or civil, that's what we always try to do. Why risk the extreme punishment? Why risk the 87 years? Why risk the worst thing a judge or jury can do if you can find a plea? And that's what this is. I got to tell you something, Randy. I don't think you ever saw me like this because I would usually go and get in my car when I would be so upset at how a case was turning out. But this case is so wrong.

I know of two high school girl victims separated in time and space that give the same story about this guy. It's on video. He videoed it. The girl had to have surgery. He strangled her so badly. And he walked free with counseling. Dr. Cheryl Erritt joining us out of Beverly Hills, clinical forensic psychologist specializing in trauma recovery. You can find her at Ask.orgherl.com.

Cheryl, I'm having flashbacks, I guess, is PTSD from the Sean Combs verdict, where Cassie Ventura was beaten horribly, brutally, like these girls were beaten and strangled till they urinated on themselves on video and the jury excused it. and it's just like the same thing all over again with a baseball high school star that's right there's evidence there's video evidence we can see it and we can see when somebody is powerful or influential we can see courts making a decision that the young man's life is more important than the lives of the two young women that he is destroying And the thing is that this isn't just about favor. This is also, these are very, very dangerous crimes. And they are crimes with very, very high risk of reoffending.

He doesn't show remorse. The family doesn't show a sense of consequences about this. They're saying to him, oh, don't worry, we're going to get you out soon, you know, when he gets arrested. And as we've talked about, strangulation puts the... the victim at risk of 750% more likely to be murdered by the person who strangled her during an attack. We don't see remorse. We see sadism. We see him being proud of what he's doing and recording. And he sort of does a, oh, I'm sorry for what I'm about to do with one of the victims, but doesn't not hurt her. He is not moved by this pain. And the real risk here is that

these types of crimes run a very, very high risk of not only reoffending, but of murder, of murdering future victims. And whatever favor has happened here, if a future victim is murdered, I really think that the blood is on the hands of the judge in this case. Talking about flashbacks from the Sean Combs trial, remember this? Butler appears to be a typical all-American teenager, but his ex-girlfriend say he's extremely violent. Just a few weeks into the fall semester, two Stillwater High students seek out their school resource officer

scared of their shared ex-boyfriend, alleging he attacked them numerous times throughout back-to-back relationships. The victims are still attending class with their attacker, now 18-year-old Jesse Butler. It gets so much worse when you read the affidavits the sworn testimony about what these victims said, I want you to hear it. Butler tries to rape L.S. for the first time outside of a marble slab on what was supposed to be

an ice cream date. Butler pins L.S. down in his car, removes her clothes, then touches her breasts and vagina while she tells him to stop through tears. Butler says he's sorry for what he's about to do, but he has to do it. Before the rape, a woman approaches Butler's car and says she's calling police. Butler drives L.S. back to her own car, but gets in with her, still trying to initiate intercourse until L.S. finally convinces him to get out. Well, needless to say, it didn't end there. But back to you, Kessler, an ice cream date? Don't you have daughters? Yeah, it's irrelevant. I mean, it's not right. What do you want to say to that? It's irrelevant, so I'll take that as a yes.

an ice cream date you know the other night Lucy and her little friend boy went out for frozen yogurt that sounds pretty innocent doesn't it a woman in the parking lot had to come over and get him off of her and threatened to call police think about it if he will do that in a public park in front of marble slab creamery for Pete's sake,

what will he do on an isolated road or when he has the girl in private? If he will be that bold, that horrible in a public parking lot. So criminal and stupid. What do you want me to say to that, Nancy? He's stupidity. Thank goodness he did it like that

so that he got caught and that he got, and there was a witness and there was someone that came out there, right? Thank goodness. Because there are smarter criminals that are worse, right? this is not this is not a nice guy okay i like that i like that i like that when you argue there are people worse okay what am i supposed to do with that there are people worse than him worse as far as intelligence nancy not as far as what he did there are people there are people to do worse things are people to do less worse things you can't classify that you can't rank that

this is down there right this is something nobody wants to be a part of nobody wants to have I don't have a problem ranking it. I would say it's not as bad as murdering her, but it's a whole lot worse than shoplifting, right? Yeah, I can totally rank it. That's why we call it one of the seven deadly sins for which you will be tried as an adult. Okay, not convinced yet, Kessler.

Listen to this. Butler tries to rape L.S. again, this time at his home while his mother is there. L.S. cries and says no, while Butler straddles her on the couch. Butler is removing his own underwear when his mom knocks on the door and asks if everything's okay. Butler then drives L.S. home, but parked streets away, refusing to drop her off until she does what he wants. Butler gropes L.S. and moves her hand over his groin. This goes on for hours, L.S., afraid to try to leave. Butler only gives up when his sister texts he needs to come home.

To Jesse's parents, I don't know what you knew. I don't know if you heard me crying through the walls or noticed how your son's treated me when no one was looking, but I hope you hear me now. Your son hurt me in ways that cannot be undone. And I need you to understand that your silence, your protection of him, or even your denial would hurt too. Because someone should have stopped this. Someone should have seen the bruises and the fear. Did the parents know? Apparently, yes. You heard that the mother comes to the door and goes, is everything okay in there? It's her home. Her home where this is happening. How could she not know?

Well, let's take a look at mommy come arrest. We're ready to obviously tell our story, too. Yeah. Jess, it's mom. Open the door. It's me. And if you'll just have him step out. Give me your wallet and phone and stuff.

your what okay it's fine it's not locked or anything is it okay so can you tell him what you just told me or yeah so we're here we're obviously going to place you under arrest there's a warrant for your arrest

we're going to take you to the jail I told your mom that she can contact a bondsman and you shouldn't be very there very long but there just is a process for paperwork and stuff but right now you do have to come with us and I do have to put you in handcuffs So turn around for me.

You have to put it in front of me. I can't. I can't. I'll get you out for us to transport somebody who needs to be in the custody. I'll get you out for me. Alright, just stay silent. Rick knows about this. Candy's on this, dad's on this way.

We're coming to each, okay? Stay strong, okay? Say your prayers. Still water PV, okay? That way they don't think you went straight over and over the county. Did I just hear mommy say this is an awful experience for a child? Did I just hear Mommy say this is an awful experience for a child? Is she talking about that Hulk walking along in handcuffs?

And did you notice Dr. Cheryl Erett? Mommy wasn't surprised at all. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. I mean, you know, it reminds me of Dr. Cheryl. Have you ever seen cops, okay, where, and they're playing bad boy, bad boy, and they run through a house to make an arrest, and there's a guy sitting there drinking a beer and a lazy boy watching TV. He just watches the cops run through like, it's just another day at home.

Not surprised at all that the SWAT team is. running across his living room. He just keeps watching TV. The mom shows no emotion at all. She's not surprised. Her son is charged with brutal attacks on two

high school girls for Pete's sake. That's right. There is no level of shock that you're seeing register for her about the gravity of the things that he is charged with. She immediately goes into babying him and trying to make sure that he knows that they're going to pull all the strings they can and he's going to be okay.

And her empathy and her compassion seems to be about rescuing him from the consequences of the crimes he's just been accused of. And with evidence, with these young girls, these high school girls who they know, Stillwater is not a big community. I mean, these girls were, one of them we know was in her home and she was worried enough. that something didn't sound right to knock on the door. But there is a sort of an act of not knowing, a denial that is not just a river in Egypt that we see in households where there is a violence where people kind of take the convenient way out sometimes and pretend that they don't see the glaring red flags that they need to see. And this is one of the reasons I'm so concerned about this young man reoffending. To Rachel Countryman joining us, Forensic Nurse Expert at Countryman Consulting, she is an expert witness and advisor on sex assault strangulation cases all across the country. Rachel, earlier you said that sometimes in rape victims, you don't see a physical manifestation.

In this case, you've got a high school girl bleeding from her genitals and you have a strangulation. so severe that she has to have throat surgery and is left with permanent scars. Her face is drooping on one side. Wouldn't that qualify as proof forensic physical evidence that the sex attacks occurred? Yeah, I mean, for sure that definitely that physical evidence that we don't always see. And, you know, I further think about the brain injury that these girls maybe have occurred from the lack of oxygen during these strangulation attempts, multiple and multiple times. And, you know, as we know, traumatic brain injuries, they're lifelong. You know, those things are something that, you know, they're not just emotions that we can

deal with and pass on or, you know, there's something that these girls in their very young lives are going to have to deal with into their adulthood. Let's take a look at that arrest again. I'm really surprised that they didn't offer him some cookies. in milk. When they arrested him, they practically apologized for putting him in cuffs for Pete's sake. This is a two-time sex attacker. There's no question of guilt or innocence. Why are they treating him this way? I don't expect them to throw him face down on the asphalt and drag him to the car. But for Pete's sake, I mean, again, milking cookies, listen.

We're ready to obviously tell our story too. Yeah. Yes, it's mom. Open the door. It's me. And if you'll just have him step out. Give me your wallet and phone and stuff. So, okay. Your what? They're in the call. Okay, it's fine. It's not locked or anything, is it? Okay. So, can you tell him what you just tell me?

Yeah. So we're here. We're obviously going to place you under arrest. there's a warrant for your arrest. We're going to take you to the jail. I told your mom that she can contact a bondsman, and you shouldn't be there very long, but there just is a process for paperwork and stuff. But right now you do have to come with us, and I do have to put you in handcast.

So turn around for me. You have to put you in handcuffs? I'll get you out for me. All right. Stay silent. Rick knows about this, candy's on this, dad's on this way, we're coming to each other, okay? Stay strong, okay? Say your prayers. Still water PD, okay.

That way they don't think he went straight over and went forward to the county. It's so horrible. It's an awesome experience for good shot. I will never forget the night you strangled me unconscious because I said no. That moment changed my life. A medical professional later told me that I was just 30 seconds away from dying. 30 seconds. If you had kept your hands on my neck just a little longer, I wouldn't be standing here today.

That wasn't just a scare. It was a near-death experience. It didn't just hurt me. You nearly killed me. That strangulation victim, L.S., one of the two little high school girls, she ended. that's the girl that had to have the surgery on her neck with a permanent scar. She had facial drooping because of it. But I've mentioned a second victim. We're calling her K.S. Listen. Later that same week, Butler tells KS. He wants to strangle her again, this time on film

because he enjoys watching her pass out. Afraid of what would happen if she refused. KS. again, loses consciousness while Butler's hands are wrapped around her neck. The officer who takes KS.'s' report discovers the video still saved to Butler. phone matching her description and time frame. Joining us now, Domestic Violence, Sex Assault, Detective Napa, Bill Hernandez. Bill, thank you for being with us. How many times have you heard a defense attorney argue there's no proof that happened? And I remember arguing.

What do you want a video? We've got a video, Bill. But yet the judge allowed him to walk free with counts. counseling and the DA with a straight face put that up as the deal. That's terrible. I can't I can't imagine what these survivors are going to go through because of that deal that was struck. It is unconscionable and it's really unbelievable that this happened and it's really going to encourage more people like Jesse to do things like this and it's going to really stop other survivors. from wanting to report because they see that nothing is going to happen. Guys, there is a move afoot to kick out the prosecutor and the judge.

Hey, hey, oh, whoa! Lord Thomas had to go! Hey, hey, oh, oh! Judge Worthington previously under fire, a Cushing middle school teacher pleaded guilty to sexually harassing a 13-year-old student. Swain asked the girl for sexually explicit photos, and to meet him in private, Swain also caught trying to break in her bedroom window.

Swain sentenced to 10 years, but Worthington suspended the majority, Swain spending just a year behind bars. Sydney Sumner, a crime stories investigative reporter. You've researched the judge's history. What can you tell me about a track record? So Judge Susan Worthington suspended this middle school teacher's almost 10 years sentence. So he spent just a year behind bars for sexually harassing a 13-year-old girl trying to break into her bedroom.

And Nancy, it gets worse. After his release on that suspended sentence, Swain raped a 16-year-old girl. He lured her into his car, a gas station parking lot, raped her, and then harassed her for months trying to keep her quiet about what happened. That charge was dropped. The district attorney's office did not prosecute Swain for that rape, and now he's charged again. Last year, November, he was charged with sexually contacting a minor.

Third offense. Kessler, look, I can't tell you how seriously I take every case I put in front of a jury in every guilty plea. One, there's so many nightmares, but one of my worst possible nightmares is the thought that an innocent person is behind bars. not only would the innocent person be behind bars, but the guilty person would be walking free. But when I hear that, how could the judge live with herself or the prosecutor, the prosecutor is just as bad?

They're the one that put up the plea deal and the judge rubber stamped it. They both had the opportunity to do the right thing. Did you hear what Sydney was saying about Swam, the middle school teacher, breaking in to a middle school girl's bed, room, cut loose by Worthington, went on to rape another little girl and harassed her, and now he's up on a third count.

I mean, I don't know how they can live with themselves. How do they sit down at the supper table at night and think everything's okay? They're doing just a great job. Unfortunately or unfortunately, that's what makes judges usually become more and more conservative. You have one mistake like that and one backlash, and you say that's never going to happen again. This is rare. This is a unique situation. You're asking the right questions. I don't know the answers, but yeah, it is strange that a judge would not become over time more and more conservative, more and more concern that I'm going to make a mistake. I don't want it to happen again.

This sounds like it could be a mistake. I don't know all the details. I don't know why. But you know what, Randy, there's nothing that can be done now, is there? Once the plea has been offered and accepted, once the state offers a plea, the defense accepts the plea. That's a deal. You cannot go back on a deal, no matter what. Even if another prosecutor offered it, once the deal has been accepted, it's a deal. But the judge doesn't have to accept it. No, I mean, of course, if you find wrongdoing, you see this in politics all the time, right?

If someone's wrongfully convicted because there was an impartial judge who was on the take, there are ways to go back at this. And that looks like what you're suggesting, this judge had some ulterior motive, some reason to help this community member that was a baseball star and a rioting. and baseball starting connected by family. That's about the only way you can go back getting a sentence undone is to say that it wasn't done properly and the person doing it was corrupt.

Otherwise, you can't go back and re-argue the facts or say, try again. You're right. The sentence is a sentence. You know, Bill Hernandez, who is a domestic violence sex assault detective in Napa, Bill, you mentioned the burden that these victims, the rape victims and their families

are going to have going forward, describe. Well, what's going to happen, what's going to have to happen for them is they are going to have to deal with this trauma forever for the rest of their lives. There's also some long-term consequences, especially related to the strangulation, that these girls are going to be suffering for them a long time. And I heard that one of them had to have surgery because of facial palsy and also an injury to her neck. And it's just going to be a long-term, long-time recovery for them and the families. to carry this weight while going to school, trying to act like I'm okay. I've woken up from

nightmares that make me feel like I'm being attacked all over again. 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 strangle my voice, my joy, my ability to feel safe in my own body. Two high school girls brutally attacked and the attacker enters a NOLO, which is a conviction and walks free with counseling to Paige Taylor, investigative reporter Fox 25. What, if anything, is happening now? Well, we know that he has to follow this plan under the youthful offender status, which means attending weekly counseling, 150 hours of community service, curfew, no social media,

and daily check-ins. So he will have to follow that plan until he turns 19, which is less than a year from now. That will be next August. If he strays from that plan or does not comply with that plan, then he could go back to that 78-year sentence. So then nothing. Randy Kessler very quickly.

once a deal has been struck, even if it's a deal with the devil, and the judge goes along with it, it's really hard to change that, to get that reversed. Right. I mean, that's our system. That was, right, all we can do is hope the next time it doesn't happen again and do what we can to prevent it from happening again. But yes, the answer to your question briefly is, yes. You just fed me a dirt sandwich. You think I'm going to act like I like it?

No. We are working to have the plea deal reversed. In the meantime, Judge, get off the bench. And same to you, district attorney. You're not worth the salt that goes in my bread. Be gone. I don't want to see anything but tail hole and elbows out of you while you run out of town. If you know or think you know anything about this case,

please contact Stillwater PD 405-372-4171. And if you or someone you know is an assault victim, please dial 800-656-4673. We remember American hero, Deputy Sheriff, Devin Haramio, Miami-Dade, just 27 shot in the line of duty, leaving behind grieving parents. American hero, Deputy Devin Haramio. Nancy Gray, signing off. Goodbye, friend.