08.16.07
Excessive Punishment In Williamson County - UPDATED
Williamson County, known for it’s image of “hanging judges” and excessive punishments, is continuing to live up to that image. Austin woman gets 23 years for sex with 16-year-old boy.
An Austin woman was sentenced to 23 years in prison Wednesday for having sex with a 16-year-old whom she lived near last year in Round Rock.
Phill Raije Rian, 41, shook vigorously as a Williamson County jury sentenced her. She was convicted Monday of three counts of sexual assault of a child.
The jury recommended 10 years for one count, 13 for the second and 10 years’ probation for the third.
Judge Billy Ray Stubblefield stacked the first two sentences, meaning she will serve 23 years in prison and 10 years’ probation.
She won’t be eligible for parole until she has served half the prison term.
23 years for a relationship that’s been reported as consensual is excessive. The judge could have, at least, let them run consecutive. Now the comments from the ADA and the kid’s parents.
“She needs serious help,” Assistant District Attorney Phil Grant said during Wednesday’s sentencing phase.
But during testimony on Tuesday, the victim’s mother said she “was sure” that Rian did not force her son into a sexual relationship.
“We told him, ‘You made a big-boy decision, so you need to face big-boy consequences,’ ”
the victim’s mother said.
If the woman needs help, psychological help we’ll assume is what he meant, prison is not the place to get it. From the mothers comments it would seem she’s having trouble letting go of her little boy. Yes he made a “big-boy” decision to let his naughty neighbor “take advantage” of him.
Ms. Rian broke the law, deserved to be punished, but the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. She’s been convicted by a jury of her peers, her nickname isn’t Scooter, so she’ll do the time. There’s been no word on whether this decision can be appealed, if it can it should be that’s for sure.
[UPDATE]: KXAN has video here. You can see her attorney. Richard “Racehorse” Haynes calling the verdict shocking, and saying people have gotten much less time for murder. I doubt they did in Williamson County.
tweety said,
August 16, 2007 at 12:39 pm
And lets see here, they give an ex-deputy of PCT3 probation and the surrender of his law enforcement license for playing with the breast of a minor for the past few years.
Uh, Hello?