Daniel Holtzclaw, 29, was charged with sexually assaulting and raping 13 African-American women and found guilty of 18 of the 36 charges, including four of the six rape charges, according to Reuters.
“I didn’t do it,” said Holtzclaw, who broke down in tears on Thursday when the guilty verdict was read.
He is likely to be sentenced in January next year and could face life in prison.
The jury has been deliberating since Monday night.
Protesters who gathered outside the court earlier this week, demanded that the all-white jury convict the officer who is mixed race Asian and white, based on the physical evidence and the word of the 13 black women, who testified about how they were sexually assaulted.
Prosecutors said Holtzclaw targeted women when he came across them while patrolling. He went after those women who had outstanding warrants, previous arrests or were in possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia.
“He exercised authority on those society doesn’t care about,” Assistant District Attorney Gayland Gieger said in closing arguments on Monday.
Hundreds of US police officers have lost their jobs over sexual offenses such as rape and possession of child pornography during the past few years, according to a recent study.
The study, carried out by the Associated Press, examined official data from 41 states to determine how many police officers were fired between 2009 and 2014 and for what reasons.
Author
