Shannon Keeler’s Journey to Justice
Shannon Keeler’s journey to justice is marked by a milestone over 12 years after experiencing a sexual assault in her college dorm.
In 2013, Ian Cleary assaulted Keeler at Gettysburg University in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Now, Cleary has been sentenced to two to four years in prison.
Initially, a four to eight year sentence was proposed, but the judge considered Cleary’s “guilty plea, his remorse and his long history of mental illness” in granting a sentence lesser than state guidelines.
"It definitely was shorter than we expected and less than I think he deserved," Shannon Keeler remarked after hearing the verdict. She also identified the ways she felt neglected while pursuing support in her courageous impact statement: “The system meant to protect me protected you instead… this isn’t just my story, this is the story of countless women.”
Shannon Keeler was 18 years old and in her first semester of college when she was assaulted. She attended a fraternity party where Cleary became bothersome and persistent. Afterwards, a friend escorted Keeler back to her dorm, concerned for her safety.
Ian Cleary followed the pair and entered Keeler’s dorm, uninvited, after her friend departed. "The trauma of that night wasn't confined to my dorm room. It changed how I saw myself," Keeler said. "My confidence, my self-care, my relationship with my body, all of it shifted in quiet, painful ways."
Keeler reported the assault to campus and local police and completed a rape kit. Still, at the time, the district attorney refused to charge Cleary.
After the assault, Cleary left Gettysburg and graduated from college in his hometown of Silicon Valley, California. He got a master’s degree and worked for Tesla before moving overseas.
In 2020, seven years after the attack, Cleary messaged Keeler multiple times on Facebook. The chilling messages shocked Keeler: "So, I raped you," and “I'll never do it to anyone ever again." Ian Cleary claims he sent the messages as part of a “12-step program, in hopes of seeking atonement.”
A June 2021 announcement stated that the Adams County District Attorney's Office had finally filed sexual assault charges against Cleary. “I’m committed to getting treatment for mental health and stuff like that as I go forward,” he said during the trial.
Still, Cleary’s family members declined to comment on the case and didn’t attend most of his hearings.
In court, Shannon Keeler emphasized the fact that while the justice system finally “delivered accountability,” its failures impacted her tremendously. The evidence included in her 2013 rape kit was destroyed by the time of the indictment.
Keeler also expressed that through years of hard work and personal growth, she has reached a place in her healing where she is able to forgive Cleary: she “doesn’t want to live with anger.”
"I mean, I am doing it for me, but I also recognize that I am just the complete minority," Keeler said. "I am in a position where I can do something so many other women would too, if they were in my shoes."
Authors: Andy Goldwasser and Alexis Kabat
