Brock Turner’s court case was most searched topic in Arizona
Dec 22, 2016, 7:00 AM
Brock Turner leaves the Santa Clara County Main Jail in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 2, 2016. Turner, whose six-month sentence for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman at Stanford University sparked national outcry, was released from jail after serving half his term. (Dan Honda/Bay Area News Group via AP)
(Dan Honda/Bay Area News Group via AP)
With 2016 wrapping up, The Daily Dot took a look back on what the most searched topic on Google was for each state. For Arizona, the most searched topic was the Brock Turner case.
Turner, a former Stanford University swimmer, was sentenced to six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman. He assaulted the woman near a trash can after heavily drinking at a fraternity party in January 2015.
Two graduate students confronted Turner, who was on top of the woman after she had passed out. The students chased after a fleeing Turner, and restrained him until police arrived.
The ex-Stanford student was registered as a sex offender in the state of Ohio, where he lives with his parents.
Turner’s case sparked major national reactions, and commenced a debate regarding campus rape and the criminal justice system. The debate escalated when Santa Clara Judge Aaron Persky sentenced him to just six months in jail, expresses the importance of his youth and clean criminal record.
It was later revealed that the 21-year-old’s family and friends wrote to the judge, pleading for leniency for the accused.
According to The Associated Press, Judge Persky was cleared on Dec. 19, 2016 of misconduct, and there was no evidence that showed the judge displayed any bias toward Turner.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
