Judge Janice Cunningham to Larry Nassar:
‘Tragedy is incomprehensible’
[05feb2018]
Source:
The Detroit NewsPublished 7:14 a.m. ET Feb. 5, 2018 | Updated 8:19 p.m. ET
Feb. 5, 2018
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/02/05/larry-nassar-final-reckoning/110117596/
Access RAS 2018-02-07
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Judge CUNNINGHAM and LARRY NASSAR (Photo: Dale G Young, Detroit News)
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Time’s up for LARRY NASSAR
and the institutions where he operated as a prolific child molester, his
victims said Monday.
After more than a year of proceedings, Eaton County Circuit Judge JANICE CUNNINGHAM brought to a close NASSAR’s criminal matters when she
handed him another 40-to-125 years in prison for sexually molesting hundreds of
girls and young women under the guise of medical treatment.
“The depth and the tragedy is
incomprehensible,” Cunningham said. “You are a doctor, and you took an oath to
do no harm, but you harmed more than 250 young women. ... You will spend the
rest of your life in prison, left with the memories of destroying your family
and so many others around you.”
The sentence is Nassar’s third,
and final, for his sex crimes committed over more than two decades while he was
a sports doctor at Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics.
Already, U.S. District Judge
JANET NEFF sentenced Nassar in December, 07, 2017 to 60 years in prison for
possessing hoards of child pornography.
Two weeks ago in another county, Ingham
County Judge ROSEMARIE AQUILINA sentenced
him to 40-to-175 years in prison.
Nassar apologized in Eaton County
court before officials led him away to serve his sentences, which will run
concurrently. He will begin serving in a federal prison, but it’s not clear
which one.
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Judge Janice Cunningham handed Larry Nassar a sentence of 45-125 years
in prison. (Photo:
Dale G Young, Detroit News)
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“It’s impossible to convey the
depth and breadth of how sorry I am to each and everyone involved,” Nassar
said. “The visions of your testimony will forever be present in my thoughts.”
Afterward, many of Nassar’s
victims said it’s a new day.
“We can officially move on,” said
Ashley Erickson, 29, of Potterville. “We can put our monster away.”
Melissa Vigogne, who flew in from
France to confront Nassar last week, added she also felt a sense of closure.
“I don’t want this story to be
over,” said Vigogne, 35. “This is just a chapter. There is so much more that
needs to be done. We also know there are so many who have not come forward.”
Since last month, more than 200
women spoke over nine days in Ingham and Eaton county courtrooms about the
impact the sexual abuse inflicted by Nassar has had on their lives.
They detailed Nassar’s assaults,
testifying he inserted his fingers into their vaginas, and sometimes their
anuses, without gloves, lubricant or consent. He touched some of the young
girls’ breasts and sometimes abused them while the females’ parents were in the
room. Some reported signs he was sexually aroused when he assaulted them.
The women shared stories of
post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-doubt,
trust issues, intimacy struggles and fears for their children. Some even spoke
of suicidal thoughts.
Last month’s hearing in Ingham
County was slated to last four days with 88 victims but stretched into seven
days with 156 victims. Most shed their Jane Doe after Kyle Stephens, the first
woman to speak publicly and reveal her identity, delivered a powerful statement
with a quote that some women put on signs and carried at the 2018 Women’s
March.
“Little girls don't stay little
forever,” Stephens said to Nassar. “They grow into strong women that return to
destroy your world."
Media from around the globe
documented the moment that some hailed as a milestone moment in the movement to
end sexual violence against women.
Rachael Denhollander, whose
complaint about Nassar is credited with bringing out scores of other victims
and stopping his molestations, hopes historians will portray the victims who
rose up against Nassar as the first time women were able to raise their voices
and speak the truth about sexual assault.
“I hope this will be a turning
point for how sexual assault is viewed and treated in society,” Denhollander
said. “And I hope it will be a turning point in the institutional dynamics that
allowed it to flourish.”
Larissa Boyce — the first to tell
a Michigan State University official about Nassar 20 years ago but was not
believed — added this time cannot be forgotten.
“When people forget, the cycle
continues,” Boyce said. “In order for our society to change around sexual
abuse, people can’t forget these stories.”
Scrutiny is now expected to ramp
up at Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics — where Nassar sexually
assaulted girls. The institutions face investigations, lawsuits, lost leaders
and supporters as a result of the scandal.
“The criminal proceedings with
Larry are done, but we will now be turning our attention with even greater
force to the institutional dynamics that lead to the greatest sexual assault
scandal in history,” Denhollander said. “I hope to see true leadership arising in
the future at MSU.”
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Assistant Attorney General Angela Povilaitis hugs
victims after court was adjourned. (Photo:
Dale G Young, Detroit News)
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The sentence for Nassar also begins a new chapter in the life of the
once famous, now infamous osteopathic sports doctor who treated gymnasts,
including many Olympians, other athletes and dancers.
Nassar’s
rise started in Metro Detroit, where he attended North Farmington High
School and began working with gymnasts in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in
kinesiology in 1985 from the University of Michigan and earned his medical
degree from Michigan State University in 1993.
He settled in Holt, south of the
state capital area, where he was a husband and father of three children. He was
also a leader in the community, serving as the sports team doctor for Holt
Public Schools and Sunday school teacher at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in East Lansing.
One of his children has autism,
leading him to start a foundation to introduce children with special needs to
gymnastics.
But allegations against Nassar
emerged in August 2016 when Denhollander, a former Kalamazoo resident, reported
Nassar to MSU and the Indianapolis Star published a story a few weeks later
featuring her story.
Eventually, scores of women began
coming forward and said they also were assaulted by Nassar under the guise of
medical treatment.
His victims were mostly minors,
with the youngest being six years old. Most lived in Michigan, but some lived
in other states.
For months, Nassar denied the
accusations, saying he was doing a legitimate medical treatment involving
pelvic floor work.
But he admitted guilt last summer
for possessing child pornography and late last year admitted guilt to 10 counts
of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in Ingham and Eaton counties as more
than 200 women filed civil lawsuits against him, MSU, USA Gymnastics and
others.
“Will we ever truly know the
breadth of the evil acts committed by this defendant?” Assistant Attorney
General Angela Povilaitis said during her closing statement on Monday. “The
breadth of the defendant’s abuse and destruction is nearly infinite.”
The scandal has lead to one of
the most tumultuous chapters at MSU, Michigan’s largest public university.
Reports of Nassar’s sexual
misconduct reached at least 14 Michigan State representatives over two decades,
including former President Lou Anna Simon, a
Detroit News investigation found.
Meanwhile, USA Gymnastics also is
grappling the scandal. In March 2017, President Steve Penny resigned. Three top
executives resigned last month, and the entire board resigned last week.
USAG last month cut ties with
the Karolyi
ranch, the national gymnastics team training center, and suspended
John Geddert, owner of Twistars and former U.S. women’s national team
coach.
kkozlowski@detroitnews.com
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