Iowa Teen Who Stabbed Alleged Rapist to Death Sentenced to 5 Years Probation, Ordered To Pay $150,000

An Iowa teen was given five years of probation after fatally stabbing the man she claimed to have been her rapist. In connection with Zachary Brooks' killing in 2020 in Des Moines, Pieper Lewis, 17, was also ordered to pay a $150,000 to his family.

Lewis admitted to willful injury and involuntary manslaughter last year. Both offenses carry a maximum 10-year prison sentence. If she breaks the terms of her probation, she might spend 20 years in prison. Judge David M. Porter of the Polk County District Court condemned Lewis on Tuesday.

Iowa Teen Who Killed Her Accused Rapist Sentenced

The judge ordered that she remain in a residential facility where she must wear a tracking device as part of the conditions of her probation. He acknowledged that forcing Lewis to give Brooks' family money was controversial, but added that under Iowa law, "this court is presented with no other option."

Per BBC, a 1997 statute mandates that those found guilty of homicide must pay $150,000. By Wednesday afternoon, a GoFundMe established by one of Lewis' former instructors had topped $234,000.

Lewis read aloud from a prepared speech on Tuesday, "Hear me roar, see me glow, and see me grow." Lewis' spirit has been scorched, yet still shines through the flames. I am a survivor," she continued.

The Iowa teen was sleeping in a doorway in 2020 after escaping an abusive home when a man took her in and sold her to other people for prostitution. She told the court that one of them, Brooks, age 37, had repeatedly raped her. In a knife attack in June 2020, the teenager stabbed him more than 30 times.

Polk County District Judge David Porter said Lewis would be taken to a halfway house in Des Moines and would wear a GPS tracking device to make sure she didn't revert to "the lifestyle you thus far left."

Lewis' assertion that she is a survivor has drawn criticism from the prosecution, who contend that she did not accept responsibility for Brooks' passing and left his children without a father. The court questioned Lewis about the bad decisions she made that resulted in the stabbing and voiced his concerns about the fact that she occasionally disregarded restrictions while being held as a juvenile.

In Iowa, there is a provision known as the affirmative defense that gives victims of crimes some protection if they committed the offense "under duress from the prospect of significant injury from another, provided that the defendant reasonably believed that such injury was impending."

Prosecutors countered that when Lewis pleaded guilty to manslaughter and malicious injury, she forfeited that affirmative defense. Lewis completed her GED when she was incarcerated for juvenile offenses and unable to contact her friends and family, Fox News reported.

What's Next For Lewis' Case?

So-called safe harbor laws, which provide victims of trafficking with at least some degree of criminal immunity, are present in dozens of jurisdictions. Not one of them is Iowa. However, if an Iowan can demonstrate that they were in danger of "imminent" significant injury, they can avoid conviction for violent offenses.

No one questioned that Lewis had been sexually molested and trafficked, but prosecutors were successful in their claim that Brooks did not pose a threat to Lewis at the time of the stabbing because Lewis was asleep.

Bringing charges against Lewis, according to the prosecution, served two purposes: first, to protect the public from someone who could fatally stab someone else; and second, to make sure Lewis gets the rehabilitation support she needs.

Per The Independent, Lewis will spend the five years of his supervised probation in the Fresh Start Women's Center in Des Moines, Iowa, a low-security jail where inmates have some flexibility to work and travel. With the aid of a GPS-enabled ankle band, Lewis' whereabouts will be tracked.

Additionally, she was required to perform 600 hours of community service, which she was to complete by educating other young people about the risks they confront and the value of making wise decisions.