Oklahoma Community Outraged
An Oklahoma community is outraged after a young man accused of multiple violent crimes is now being considered a “youthful offender” instead of tried as an adult.
At the time of the attacks, Jesse Mack Butler was 17 years old. Initially, parents praised his charm: “He was wonderful, he was so nice,” said Yvonne Sweeney, the mother of one of Butler’s former girlfriends. “He brought her flowers, her favorite tea. He took her to the country club, golfing, to play pickleball. He went to church with us.”
Soon, though, Sweeney began to notice subtle shifts in her daughter’s behavior. “She would start making more plans with friends and spending less time with him,” she said. “I noticed things were a little weird, but I didn’t know what. We had no idea. Nothing was happening in front of our eyes.”
Months later, a detective approached Sweeney and her family with details of “credible sexual assault allegations” her daughter had brought against Jesse Butler. Her daughter, identified in court documents as K.S., stated that Butler raped her and strangled her until she was unconscious.
K.S. reported feeling “too ashamed to tell her mother,” but wished to protect others and came forward about the attack at school along with another young woman.
However, even after the reports, Stillwater High School kept K.S. and Butler in the same class for two weeks. Yvonne Sweeney believed this decision was heavily impacted by the status of Butler’s father, a former football director at Oklahoma State University.
Butler was charged with nine felonies against K.S. and the other young woman, L.S., who reported being strangled “so severely by Butler that her doctor told her she was lucky to be alive.”
"You didn’t just strangle me with your hands — you strangled my voice, my joy, my ability to feel safe in my own body," L.S. wrote. She also stated that Butler threatened to kill her if she spoke out about his crimes.
While the court initially delivered a 78-year sentence that would amount to a 10-year sentence if served concurrently, the decision was suspended under the state’s youthful offender program. Since Butler was 17 at the time of the offenses, he will not be tried as an adult or serve time in prison unless he violates the plan’s conditions.
State Representative J.J. Humphrey refused to accept the verdict and plans to file a motion for a grand jury investigation.
"You’re going to erase rapes and sexual crimes so you can give this guy a slap on the wrist?" Humphrey said. "Oklahoma, better pay attention. Wake up."
Payne County families were disheartened by the verdict, and many are demanding further action.
“The girls were brave,” L.S.’s mother, Amber Selvey said. “They found their voices and were ready to stand up, ready to face it all and tell their stories. But just when they were finally starting to take their power back, it was ripped away from them.”
Authors: Alexis Kabat and Andy Goldwasser
