Oklahoma court upholds sentence for ex-cop convicted of rape
Source: Associated Press
Ken Miller, Associated Press
Updated 4:56 pm CDT, Thursday, August 1, 2019
Photo: Sue Ogrocki, AP
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FILE - In this Jan. 21, 2016 file photo, former Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw, is seen at a sentencing hearing in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals says it will issue an opinion this week in an appeal filed by Holtzclaw, who is appealing his 18 convictions and 263-year prison sentence. Holtzclaw was accused of preying on black women he encountered while on duty.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A court on Thursday upheld the rape and sexual assault convictions and 263-year prison sentence of a former Oklahoma City police officer whose case has been watched closely by the Black Lives Matter movement and some conservatives.
The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals unanimously rejected appeals by Daniel Holtzclaw that included a lack of evidence, excessive sentence, prosecutorial misconduct, a "circus atmosphere" during his trial and a failure by the defense attorney to present an expert to offer an alternative explanation to how DNA of one victim wound up on Holtzclaw's pants.
Holtzclaw's family said in a statement that it is devastated by the ruling, but not surprised. Holtzclaw's father, Eric Holtzclaw, said the family plans to file a new round of appeals in federal court, a process family members said could take more than a decade.
"We will fight for Daniel until he is free," his sister, Jenny Holtzclaw, told reporters. She said her brother was convicted because of "biased claims" by prosecutors and fabricated accusations by "unreliable accusers."
Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Court-to-rule-in-appeal-of-ex-Oklahoma-cop-14271997.php
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