A Judge Ordered a Human Trafficking Victim to Pay $150k for Killing Her Attacker. Then the Internet Stepped In.

PJ media ^ | 09/15/2022 | RYAN LEDENDECKER

[SeekAndFind]

Pieper Lewis, an Iowa teenager, has already lived through the nightmare of experiencing multiple sexual assaults when she was captured as a human trafficking victim two years ago by nasty, evil men when she was only 15. That nightmare swiftly ended when she fought back, stabbing her attacker numerous times after yet another sexual assault.

Most decent people would cheer on her extreme bravery, but that wasn’t the case in the Iowa court system, as a judge punished her with serious charges for ultimately saving her own life.

Adding insult to injury, the judge ordered her to pay $150,000 to the estate of the dead rapist. You read that correctly — she has to pay the family of the monster who repeatedly raped her.

The Hill reported:

Pieper Lewis was 15 years old when she stabbed and killed 37-year-old Zachary Brooks after, she says, he repeatedly raped her.

She pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and willful injury. She faced up to 20 years in prison, but a judge on Tuesday handed her a deferred sentence that allows her to serve five years of probation, perform community service and get counseling.

However, her conviction carries with it an automatic requirement by law that she pay $150,000 in restitution to her victim’s family.

The news of the restitution payment sparked an immediate backlash, and the social media world didn’t take long to devise an effective way to help the teen out and reward her for taking the brave action of defending herself with deadly force.

Time for Iowa to revisit its laws!

“Iowa teen Pieper Lewis ordered to pay $150K to family of accused rapist she killed.”


https://t.co/1HKzv53hKS

— Katrina Pierson (@KatrinaPierson) September 14, 2022

[SeekAndFind]

In less than 24 hours, a GoFundMe page set up for Lewis managed to raise an astonishing $340,000, and by the time this piece is published, it’ll undoubtedly be higher. The initial goal, according to Leland Schipper, the person who created the page and one of Lewis’ former teachers, was to raise $200,000. That goal was quickly crushed.

[Bikkuri]

[Bayard]

Ok that Iowa law is poorly designed. Something doesn’t work out here.

In theory I am willing to say there is good intention behind it, but kidnapped sex victims shouldn’t be liable for killing their captors/tormentors to escape.

[TXBlair]

God bless this brave, young woman. I hope she inflicted maximum pain. Hope she stabbed him in his pathetic wiener.

[Falconspeed]

“It’ll undoubtedly be higher.” True. $436,000 and counting. Sad case of an unethical judge.

[sport]

If I am ever on the Jury of a rape victim killing their rapists, they will get at least two trials. Because if the first Jury does not acquit, I will for damn sure, hang it.

[Husker24]

If the Governor had pardoned her, would she still have to pay the judgment?

[Bayard]

Interesting, its Iowa Law so that is something for a Lawyer in Iowa. Its a perfect case for pardon if that is possible.

[hanamizu]

I think the problem for her is she pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and willful injury. Why her lawyer let her do this, I don’t know.

[midwest_hiker]

Wait a min. She killed a persons and Go Fund Me allowed it$$$$$. But, but, but, Here is my shocked face :0 … sarc//

[midwest_hiker]

Wait a min. She killed a persons and Go Fund Me allowed it$$$$$. But, but, but, Here is my shocked face :0 … sarc//

[HereInTheHeartland]

Unfortunate situation .
She did all of us in Iowa a favor by taking care of this vermin. Horrible what happened to her.
The judge acted well in not sentencing her to prison.
The GoFundMe amount now is really high, that could create problems if not managed well.

[Sequoyah101]

The law sucks so the solution is to buy out of it?

Guess it works for some.

I’d like a more permanent solution.

The patriots sent the judges packing at gun point.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: She killed a persons and Go Fund Me allowed it$$$$$.

Errr... did you see her picture? Could that be THE MAJOR FACTOR why they allowed it?

[Nifster]

Good. Hope she makes some money from it

[ETCM]

but that wasn’t the case in the Iowa court system, as a judge punished her with serious charges for ultimately saving her own life.

No, the JUDGE was NOT the problem, in fact the judge gave her a deferred sentence. The PROSECUTOR is the one who went after her, charging her with 1st Degree Murder, thus getting her to cop a plea to avoid the risk of a decade or more in prison. If the prosecutor believed her rape story, he should have used his prosecutorial discretion and offered her a diversion program.

Also, there is a lot more to the story. It wasn't a self-defense killing, she stabbed him while he slept and her defense was far from rock solid. The link below gives a lot more detail

Des Moines teen Pieper Lewis, who killed alleged rapist, gets probation, deferred judgment

[DannyTN]

We had a similar case here in Tennessee. Cyntoia Brown killed one of her Johns when she was 16 years old. She served 15 years before she was granted clemency with parole.

[Joann37]

More poor journalism and a false headline. As you point out, it wasn’t the judge’s fault; he was just following the law.

[Secret Agent Man]

As long as you dont care about gender, ie man can kill a female kidnapper, I’m ok with it.

[Gene Eric]

>> it wasn’t the judge’s fault; he was just following the law.

Well, there’s a first for everything