Judge to Larry Nassar: ‘I just signed your death warrant’
By Natalie Musumeci
January 24
His “army” of “sister survivor warriors” have spoken — and monster doctor Larry Nassar is going to prison for the rest of his life.
The former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor was sentenced Wednesday to 40 to 175 years on sex assault charges — on top of a 60-year sentence for child pornography charges.
“I just signed your death warrant,” Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said.
“I will carry your words with me for the rest of my days,” Nassar told his victims in a brief statement.
“Your words these past several days, your words, your words, have had a significant emotional effect on myself and have shaken me to my core. I also recognize that what I am feeling pales in comparison to the pain, trauma and emotional destruction that all of you are feeling,” Nassar said.
“There are no words to describe the depth and breadth of how sorry I am for what has occurred,” he added.
Aquilina said: “Sir, I hope that — sir. I hope you are shaken to your core. Your victims are clearly shaken to the core.”
Addressing the victims later, the judge said: “You are no longer victims. You are survivors. You’re very strong.”
She also read a letter Nassar wrote two months after his guilty plea. In that letter, he claimed he wasn’t treated fairly and that he was a good doctor.
“You did this for your pleasure and your control. This letter … tells me that you have not yet own what had you did, that you still think that somehow you are right, that you are a doctor, that you’re entitled, that you don’t have to listen, and that you did treatment,” Aquilina said. “I wouldn’t send my dogs to you, sir.”
“There has to be a massive investigation as to why there was inaction, why there was silence. Justice requires more than what I can do on this bench,” she added.
Angela Povilaitis, Michigan assistant attorney general, described the sentencing as a cultural moment.
“At this particular moment in history, this sentencing hearing will be viewed as a turning point in how our community, our state, our nation, our culture looks at sexual abuse,” she said. “This courtroom was where the shame that many survivors felt was exorcised from them and put where it belongs, right on him.”
Povilaitis called it “poetic justice” that the investigation lead, prosecution team and three judges are all women.
Nassar’s sentencing followed the powerful testimony of 156 of his accusers, who recounted emotionally charged, agonizing memories inside a Michigan court of how they were sexually abused — mostly as minors — by the once-respected sports doctor under the guise of medical care over nearly two decades.
Nassar, 54, has admitted molesting seven athletes during treatment when he was employed by MSU and USA Gymnastics, which trains Olympians.
In December, he was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to child-porn crimes.
As part of his plea agreement, the disgraced doctor was forced to sit in the witness box in the Lansing courtroom as his former patients were allowed to confront him during a marathon seven-day sentencing hearing that began Jan. 16.
Among his many accusers to come forward in recent months were Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and members of the 2012 “Fierce Five” team — Gabby Douglas, Jordyn Wieber, McKayla Maroney and Aly Raisman.
Nassar’s victims told harrowing tales of how he violated and penetrated them with his ungloved hands while they were under his care for sports injuries — and how he often gained their trust by befriending them.
The last of the “army of survivors” to speak Wednesday in court prior to the sentencing was Rachael Denhollander — the first woman to publicly accuse Nassar of sexual assault.
“You have fashioned for yourself a prison far worse than I could ever put you in,” Denhollander, speaking to Nassar, said in a strong rebuke.
During the hearing last week, Nassar griped to Aquilina, in a letter read aloud in court, that he couldn’t mentally handle listening to his victims’ stories in the courtroom.
One of Nassar’s victims, 18-year-old Emily Morales, demanded an apology from him Tuesday after delivering tearful testimony — and he told her he was “sorry.”
“I want you to look at me. I believe in forgiveness, Larry … although you have hurt me, I want to forgive you … I want you to apologize to me right here,” the young gymnast said, staring into Nassar’s eyes.
Meanwhile, it was announced this week that three top members of the USA Gymnastics board had resigned over the Nassar pedophilia scandal.
USA Gymnastics said board chairman Paul Parilla, vice chairman Jay Binder and treasurer Bitsy Kelley had stepped down from the sport’s national governing body amid growing anger over how it handled allegations that Nassar sexually abused its young athletes.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association has also opened an investigation into how MSU handled the allegations against the sicko doctor.
Both USA Gymnastics and MSU have come under fire by the victims, who blamed the institutions for not doing enough to stop Nassar.
Nassar faces a further prison sentence next week for additional counts of criminal sexual conduct in Eaton County, Michigan.
By Natalie Musumeci
January 24
His “army” of “sister survivor warriors” have spoken — and monster doctor Larry Nassar is going to prison for the rest of his life.
The former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor was sentenced Wednesday to 40 to 175 years on sex assault charges — on top of a 60-year sentence for child pornography charges.
“I just signed your death warrant,” Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said.
“I will carry your words with me for the rest of my days,” Nassar told his victims in a brief statement.
“Your words these past several days, your words, your words, have had a significant emotional effect on myself and have shaken me to my core. I also recognize that what I am feeling pales in comparison to the pain, trauma and emotional destruction that all of you are feeling,” Nassar said.
“There are no words to describe the depth and breadth of how sorry I am for what has occurred,” he added.
Aquilina said: “Sir, I hope that — sir. I hope you are shaken to your core. Your victims are clearly shaken to the core.”
Addressing the victims later, the judge said: “You are no longer victims. You are survivors. You’re very strong.”
She also read a letter Nassar wrote two months after his guilty plea. In that letter, he claimed he wasn’t treated fairly and that he was a good doctor.
“You did this for your pleasure and your control. This letter … tells me that you have not yet own what had you did, that you still think that somehow you are right, that you are a doctor, that you’re entitled, that you don’t have to listen, and that you did treatment,” Aquilina said. “I wouldn’t send my dogs to you, sir.”
“There has to be a massive investigation as to why there was inaction, why there was silence. Justice requires more than what I can do on this bench,” she added.
Angela Povilaitis, Michigan assistant attorney general, described the sentencing as a cultural moment.
“At this particular moment in history, this sentencing hearing will be viewed as a turning point in how our community, our state, our nation, our culture looks at sexual abuse,” she said. “This courtroom was where the shame that many survivors felt was exorcised from them and put where it belongs, right on him.”
Povilaitis called it “poetic justice” that the investigation lead, prosecution team and three judges are all women.
Nassar’s sentencing followed the powerful testimony of 156 of his accusers, who recounted emotionally charged, agonizing memories inside a Michigan court of how they were sexually abused — mostly as minors — by the once-respected sports doctor under the guise of medical care over nearly two decades.
Nassar, 54, has admitted molesting seven athletes during treatment when he was employed by MSU and USA Gymnastics, which trains Olympians.
In December, he was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to child-porn crimes.
As part of his plea agreement, the disgraced doctor was forced to sit in the witness box in the Lansing courtroom as his former patients were allowed to confront him during a marathon seven-day sentencing hearing that began Jan. 16.
Among his many accusers to come forward in recent months were Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and members of the 2012 “Fierce Five” team — Gabby Douglas, Jordyn Wieber, McKayla Maroney and Aly Raisman.
Nassar’s victims told harrowing tales of how he violated and penetrated them with his ungloved hands while they were under his care for sports injuries — and how he often gained their trust by befriending them.
The last of the “army of survivors” to speak Wednesday in court prior to the sentencing was Rachael Denhollander — the first woman to publicly accuse Nassar of sexual assault.
“You have fashioned for yourself a prison far worse than I could ever put you in,” Denhollander, speaking to Nassar, said in a strong rebuke.
During the hearing last week, Nassar griped to Aquilina, in a letter read aloud in court, that he couldn’t mentally handle listening to his victims’ stories in the courtroom.
One of Nassar’s victims, 18-year-old Emily Morales, demanded an apology from him Tuesday after delivering tearful testimony — and he told her he was “sorry.”
“I want you to look at me. I believe in forgiveness, Larry … although you have hurt me, I want to forgive you … I want you to apologize to me right here,” the young gymnast said, staring into Nassar’s eyes.
Meanwhile, it was announced this week that three top members of the USA Gymnastics board had resigned over the Nassar pedophilia scandal.
USA Gymnastics said board chairman Paul Parilla, vice chairman Jay Binder and treasurer Bitsy Kelley had stepped down from the sport’s national governing body amid growing anger over how it handled allegations that Nassar sexually abused its young athletes.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association has also opened an investigation into how MSU handled the allegations against the sicko doctor.
Both USA Gymnastics and MSU have come under fire by the victims, who blamed the institutions for not doing enough to stop Nassar.
Nassar faces a further prison sentence next week for additional counts of criminal sexual conduct in Eaton County, Michigan.
