2 who backed ex-Stanford swimmer in rape case apologize

SAN FRANCISCO -- With outcry growing against those who stood by a former Stanford University swimmer who sexually assaulted an unconscious woman, a childhood friend and a high-school guidance counselor have apologized for writing letters of support urging leniency for Brock Turner.

The case against the onetime Olympic hopeful has gripped the country, with letters to a judge from Turner's family and friends drawing outrage from critics who said they are shifting blame from a 20-year-old man who won't take responsibility for his actions.

Meanwhile, a message the victim read to Turner at his sentencing has been called a courageous account of the effect the assault has had on her life.

Taking into account more than three dozen letters from character witnesses and a recommendation from the county probation department, Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky sentenced Turner to six months in jail and three years of probation for attacking the intoxicated 23-year-old woman behind a campus dumpster in January 2015. He tried to flee, but students tackled him and pinned him down until police arrived.

The judge cited Turner's clean criminal record and the effect the conviction will have on his life.

The term triggered criticism a star athlete had gotten special treatment. Prosecutors had asked for six years in prison.

Turner will serve only three months behind bars, with his expected release date listed as Sept. 2, according to online inmate records. County jail inmates serve 50 percent of their sentences if they keep a clean disciplinary record.

Defendants can solicit letters of support from family, friends and others for judges to consider before sentencing. One of them came from Kelly Owens, a guidance counselor at Oakwood High School in Dayton, Ohio, where Turner attended.

She had told the court her former student was "absolutely undeserving of the outcome" of a jury trial that resulted in his conviction of three felony counts of sexual assault.

She regrets writing a letter to the judge and acknowledged it was a mistake, her school district said in a prepared statement Wednesday.

Leslie Rasmussen, a childhood friend of Turner's, also faced blowback for writing a supportive letter. She had blamed campus drinking culture and political correctness for his drunken choices.

"I was not there that night. I had no right to make any assumptions about the situation," a posting stated Wednesday on a Facebook page that appeared to be Rasmussen's. "Most importantly, I did not acknowledge strongly enough the severity of Brock's crime and the suffering and pain that his victim endured, and for that lack of acknowledgement, I am deeply sorry."