The case of 18-year-old Jesse Mack Butler has ignited anger and accusations of systemic failure after a “sweetheart plea deal” allowed a young man facing what could have been nearly 80 years behind bars to avoid serious prison time.
In early 2024, Butler, then 17 and a student at Stillwater Public Schools, was charged with 11 counts, including rape, attempted rape, rape by instrumentation, sexual battery, forcible oral sodomy, strangulation, and domestic assault/battery by strangulation, KJRH reported.
The allegations spanned two high-school girlfriends, and court documents say one victim was left near death after being choked; another victim alleges she was strangled unconscious and that Butler even bragged he wanted to film the act, according to
Initially charged as an adult, the potential sentence at trial reportedly approached 78 years, according to KOCO News.
In a turn that has provoked outrage, Butler’s case was reclassified under Oklahoma’s “youthful offender” statute, effectively treating offenses committed as a minor with much lighter consequences.
He pleaded “no contest,” meaning he neither admitted guilt nor disputed the charges, under the deal.
While originally facing adult charges, that status change removed the possibility of a full prison sentence. The result: only one year of rehabilitation and community service in lieu of decades behind bars, the New York Post reported.
Hellbound and Down 