What I'm reading: Pieper Lewis' ordeal

A horrifying case

I rarely cover crime and courts stories, but like so many people around the country, I have followed the news surrounding this week’s sentencing hearing of Pieper Lewis. At age 17, she has already gone through more trauma than most people face in a lifetime.

Lewis was 15 years old and homeless when she was exploited by multiple men, and repeatedly raped by a man she stabbed to death. Polk County prosecutors initially charged her with first-degree murder. She pled to lesser offenses and was sentenced this week to five years probation. But Iowa law requires restitution payments of at least $150,000 to the victim's estate in "all criminal cases in which the offender is convicted of a felony in which the act or acts committed by the offender caused the death of another person."

At Bleeding Heartland, I urged readers to join me in donating to the GoFundMe that Leland Schipper (one of Pieper’s former teachers) set up to cover her restitution payment. More than 12,000 donors have given more than triple the original fundraising goal. Schipper says the extra money raised

will be used in the following ways: 1) Pay off Piepers 150k restitution 2) Pay off the additional 4k in restitution to the state 3) Remove financial barriers for Pieper in pursuing college/university or starting her own business. 4) Give Pieper the financial capacity to explore ways to help other young victims of sex crimes!

If you want to learn more about this case:

• WHO-TV posted the video of Lewis’ full statement at her sentencing hearing

• Des Moines Register columnist Rekha Basu wrote about the hearing

• Remy Tumin reported on the case and the sentencing for the New York Times

• Des Moines Register reporter Philip Joens wrote an in-depth story last November about the case and the abuse Lewis suffered

• This week Joens covered Lewis’ sentence and Iowa’s restitution law in more detail

• Ty Rushing of Iowa Starting Line wrote an explainer on the restitution law as well

• Des Moines Register reporter William Morris wrote about whether the man who allegedly trafficked Lewis will ever be charged

• Lyz Lenz discussed the “paternalistic judgment,” “One that chides Lewis for her fighting for her life. But what other options did she have?”