[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Bodycam footage of a convicted rapist’s arrest has been released this week — after he managed to avoid prison time! The latter part is enraging enough, but wait until you see what happens in the video! Prepare for your blood to boil…
Jesse Butler was arrested back in March in Payne County, Oklahoma, after he brutally attacked two of his 16-year-old girlfriends. He was 17 at the time of the incidents. According to KOCO, the charges came after one of the students reported the allegations to a high school resource officer last year. The Stillwater Police Department said law enforcement found out about the attacks on September 12, 2024, prompting an investigation by police and the Payne County District Attorney. And the details of the crimes are horrific…
The Horrific Details
Per NewsNation, a police affidavit revealed a girl identified as only “L.S.” dated Butler for about three months, starting in January 2024. When the pair were together, the victim said he repeatedly raped and attempted to rape her — and strangled her if she ever refused.
The teenager claimed she gave in to Butler because he threatened to kill her and her family if she didn’t. WTF. It gets worse, though. The damage done to her neck by the strangulation was so bad that she required surgery, and her doctor noted she would have died if the strangulation had lasted another 30 seconds after one incident.
OMG! This poor girl! But she wasn’t alone…
The outlet reported that another affidavit stated Butler started dating another 16-year-old, identified as only “K.S.,” in March of 2024. They stayed together for six months, and what she experienced during that time is also a complete nightmare. She claimed Butler was aggressive and violent with her and raped her. K.S. said she only went along with the unwanted sex so he wouldn’t hurt her. Awful. And when she refused one time, the victim said he strangled her, too. He even recorded himself in the act, strangling her until she passed out. Police later found that video on Butler’s phone.
Butler was initially charged as an adult with 10 counts related to sex crimes, including two attempted rapes, three charges of “rape by instrumentation,” one count of sexual battery, one count of forcible oral sodomy, two counts of “domestic assault and battery by strangulation,” and one count of domestic assault and battery. An additional count was added against Butler following a violation of a protective order.
At first, Butler pleaded not guilty to all the charges. However, the Payne County District Attorney’s Office struck a deal with his lawyers to change his status from an adult to a youthful offender — all because he was 17 at the time of the offenses. The DA argued the youthful offender statute “allows the court to maintain supervision until the defendant’s 19th birthday and gives him a chance for rehabilitation while still holding him accountable.” In their mind, the legal leniency “does not erase the crimes or minimize their impact.” The victims’ families didn’t feel the same way and begged the office to reconsider. Ultimately, their pleas were ignored.
The Punishment (?)
A judge signed off on the deal in July. The following month, Butler changed his plea from not guilty to no contest and was sentenced to 78 years in prison — a sentence that seems like it fits those horrific crimes. However, his sentence was suspended due to the youth offender statute! Instead, the court ordered him to complete a rehabilitation plan created by the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs. That means he will not serve prison time unless he violates the program’s conditions. Those conditions include daily check-ins, weekly counseling, a curfew, no social media, and 150 hours of community service.
Butler must follow the plan until he turns 19, which is less than a year from now. If he completes the court-ordered rehab and doesn’t break more laws, his record will be wiped clean.
So… no prison time, nor will he be put on the sex offender registry. He’s getting a slap on the wrist in the end.
The decision sparked outrage, with many believing Butler’s dad’s connections as a former football director at Oklahoma State University led to a lighter sentence. Per The Oklahoman, Judge Susan Worthington, who granted Butler’s youthful offender status, also has ties to the university, earning two bachelor’s degrees from there. Hmm.
The Arrest Video
Now it’s all come back up because bodycam footage from the day of Butler’s arrest has been released. And it’s further enraging the public to see the rapist treated with such gentle compassion — all while his mom complains on camera that her kid has to be arrested at all!
In the video, police are seen approaching the teen’s mom outside their home as she says:
“We’re ready to tell our story too.”
Oh, they’re ready? Is that how arrests work for them? After the mother calls for her son to come out, one officer explains what will happen next:
“Yeah, so we’re here, we’re obviously going to place you under arrest, there’s a warrant for your arrest. We are going to take you to the jail … I do have to put you in handcuffs, so turn around for me.”
Butler’s mom chimes in to ask:
“You have to put him in handcuffs?”
To which the cop tells the teen:
“You shouldn’t be there very long. There is just a process for paperwork and stuff.”
His mom goes on to promise she will get him out of jail, and that multiple people are working on it:
“All right, stay silent. Rick knows about this, Candy’s on this, Dad’s on his way. We’re coming to get you, OK? Stay strong. Say your prayers.”
Butler, who is in tears, allows the cop to handcuff him and put him in the patrol vehicle. It is already frustrating enough that they’re almost babying him during the arrest following his horrific crimes, but this next part is rage-inducing. The mom complains:
“Awful experience for a child. Later, Jess, see you in a bit.”
An “awful experience” for her child?! What about the two young girls he sexually assaulted and nearly killed? What about the victim who required surgery and nearly died because of her son’s actions? What Butler did to them is horrible, and he doesn’t deserve a single shred of our sympathy for having to have his poor wrists cuffed for a few minutes. WTF. Watch the bodycam footage for yourself (below):
The Outrage
This Law&Crime copy of the video alone has been viewed on YouTube more than 1.8 million times, and there are plenty of other news sources who put out their own copies. So this is going around this week. And folks are NOT happy with what they see.
Here are just a few of the furious comments from citizens who do NOT see justice being done here:
“So he took a video of him strangling his victim and they still accepted this deal? Surgery, physical evidence, concrete proof… wtf?”
“This was attempted murder and it was freaking recorded”
“The judicial system has FAILED these girls!”
“70 YEARS TO 0????? Yeah our justice system is absolutely corrupt.”
“Daddy and Mommy definitely know the right people. Disgusting.”
“Judge needs to be disbarred ASAP”
“That mom is sick. ‘Ill get you out’. If my son EVER so much as attempted this, hes rotting in that jail!”
“His parents raised an entitled monster”
“Congrats mom, you not only raised a monster, you enabled him the entire way”
“He’s going to continue to escalate and end up killing someone. That judge needs to be removed. Sickening.”
“he was so very politely put in handcuffs. it was literally the nicest arrest ive ever seen.”
“‘What an awful experience for a child’… excuse me??? What about the experiences of his victims??? Disgusting”
“Telling your sadistic monster of a son to stay strong, say his prayers and you’ll be down to get him out of his punishment is another level of filth”
“The mom has a lot of nerve to tell him to “say his prayers”, when she knows damn well she raised the devil.”
“The fact they have video evidence of this monster choking these girls and they worked out 0 prison time is insane. Disbar that judge.”
“My uncle got 17 years in prison for getting pulled over with a pound of weed in his car……. And this kid walks free says a lot about our judicial system”
“This type of deal should NEVER be an option with any kind of violent crime. What the actual F”
Seems like the people are pretty much in agreement. Just not, you know, the people in charge in Oklahoma.
What do YOU think of Butler’s sentencing? Any thoughts on his treatment by the cops during his arrest here? Let us know in the comments (below).
For more information on violence against women, go to https://www.justice.gov/ovw/resources-for-survivors.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.
[Image via Stillwater Police Department]
The post Bodycam Footage Of Teen Rapist’s Arrest Goes Viral… And It’s Just As Infuriating As His ZERO Prison Time! appeared first on Perez Hilton.