(LINK IN BIO) *Trigger warning* 17-year-old Pieper Lewis was sentenced this week to five years of closely supervised probation & ordered to pay $150,000 to the family of her alleged rapist. She had pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and willful injury, with each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. In June 2020, Lewis—who was 15 at the time—killed 37-year-old Zachary Brooks by stabbing him more than 30 times in an apartment in Iowa. Brooks allegedly had raped Lewis multiple times in the weeks leading up to the stabbing, according to court records. Lewis was homeless at the time and sleeping in the hallway of an apartment building. She said she was being trafficked by a 28-year-old man who was forcing her at knifepoint to have sex with other men, Brooks being one of them. *Prosecutors didn’t dispute claims​ that Lewis was trafficked and sexually assaulted*, but argued that "Brooks was asleep at the time of the stabbing and Lewis wasn’t in immediate danger". As for making the teenager pay $150,000 to her rapist's family, Polk County District Judge David M. Porter said it’s mandatory under Iowa state law and 'this court is presented with no other option,'. Iowa doesn’t have a so-called safe harbor law, which would provide trafficking victims with access to services through a non-punitive system. The Iowa House passed a safe harbor law earlier this year, but it’s been stalled in the state senate, which is why the teenager has still been ordered to pay $150,000. ❗️A fundraiser page has been launched to support the teenager - link is also in @lmyah_sherae’s bio. #america #iowa #crime #news #blacklivesmatter