A 40-year-old skilled rock climber has been sentenced to life in jail for the brutal, repeated sexual assaults of a younger girl in Yosemite Nationwide Park in 2016.
A federal jury in February discovered Charles Barrett responsible of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and one rely of abusive sexual contact that occurred over a weekend in Yosemite Nationwide Park, in line with the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace for the Jap District of California.
Prosecutors stated Barrett sexually assaulted a 19-year-old who was within the park for a weekend of climbing.
Barrett’s attorneys had requested the choose for a sentence of lower than 15 and a half years, citing his alcoholism and psychological instability.
“Barrett’s lengthy historical past of sexual violence helps the imposition of a life sentence,” U.S. Legal professional Talbert stated in a information launch following sentencing. “He used his standing as a outstanding climber to assault ladies within the rock-climbing neighborhood, and when his victims started to inform, Barrett responded by lashing out publicly with threats and intimidation.”
David Torres, one in all Barrett’s attorneys, stated they plan to enchantment the case.
“We imagine that imposition of a life sentence was extreme,” Torres stated.
Barrett, who lived and labored within the nationwide park, remoted a 19-year-old girl and forcibly raped her in August 2016, prosecutors stated in a sentencing memo. Prosecutors stated Barrett strangled the girl through the assault to the purpose that she feared demise.
The following day, the girl — recognized in court docket paperwork as Okay.G. — was sore and had bruises on her physique. Regardless of that and the girl’s resistance, prosecutors stated, Barrett twice sexually assaulted her once more.
After the girl left the park, Barrett later instructed her in a textual content message that he wished to see her once more. However she instructed him that he had raped her and he or she by no means wished to see him. Barrett denied raping the girl and wrote in a later message, “Can we be mates? I miss you.”
She replied, “I discover it laborious to be mates with guys who rape me.”
He continued to message her concerning the assault, in line with prosecutors. She reported the incident in April 2020. Inside days of going to police, she began to obtain mysterious textual content messages and telephone calls from an unknown quantity, court docket paperwork present.
Three different ladies testified at trial that Barrett had additionally sexually assaulted them. The assaults, which occurred in 2010, 2015 and 2016, weren’t charged as a result of they had been exterior federal jurisdiction, in line with the U.S. Legal professional’s workplace.
One girl, described in court docket paperwork solely by her initials S.F., stated that in March 2010 Barrett assaulted her by rubbing her genitalia along with his hand whereas she was sleeping at a buddy’s home, prosecutors stated. For years after, Barrett harassed S.F. on-line, together with threatening her immediately and thru third events.
Barrett was finally convicted for making prison threats in January 2022.
In Barrett’s sentencing memo, his attorneys famous that he “does possess redeeming qualities regardless of feedback made on the contrary by the Authorities and people who have submitted letters in opposition to Charles.”
“Mr. Barrett has acknowledged his demons,” they wrote.
However prosecutors of their memo stated that Barrett has refused to simply accept accountability for his crimes.
Whereas in custody, prosecutors stated, Barrett made a whole lot of telephone calls, the place he threatened the victims with violence and vindictive lawsuits and claimed that two victims designed a conspiracy to spoil his life.
Final month, on a name along with his uncle, Barrett referred to the victims’ accounts as “wild” and “loopy” — claiming the trial amounted to “random ladies saying no matter they wished.” He claimed he hadn’t obtained a good trial and stated he was writing a e-book.
“Barrett’s jail calls proceed to indicate an entire lack of regret and a mentality of victimhood that can not be rehabilitated,” prosecutors stated of their memo.
Native information shops reported that the 4 victims had been in court docket when Barrett was sentenced.
“There is just one solution to cease a serial rapist and seasoned prison like [Barrett],” Okay.G. wrote in her sufferer influence assertion. “It’s to not give him one other likelihood to show what he’s able to.”
Occasions workers author Nathan Solis contributed to this report.
