Baylor Frat President Jacob Anderson Receives No Prison Time In Plea Deal For Alleged Rape [Full Victim Statement]

An online petition has garnered over 45,000 signatures after a former Baylor University fraternity president accused of rape was given a plea deal.

A woman, then 19, alleged that Jacob Anderson raped her in February of 2016. She said she attended a party where she was served a spiked drink and then Anderson led her behind a tent and raped her while choking her. After, she was brought unconscious outside and left on the ground, partially undressed and “lying face down in her own vomit.”

Anderson was charged a month later with felony sexual assault by the Waco, Texas, police and was then expelled by Baylor University after an investigation.

In October of 2018, the former frat president accepted a plea deal and pleaded no contest to the lesser charge of unlawful restraint, a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The sexual assault charges were then dismissed.

Anderson will avoid registering as a sex offender and instead serve three years of probation and must complete court-mandated counseling. There was also a $400 fine issued.

The victim and her family received the news of the plea deal through the newspaper.

The judge on the case, Ralph Strother, has a history of granting probation to at least two other men accused of sexually assaulting Baylor students. Prosecutors also sent the woman’s lawyer an email in which she suggested jurors would take Anderson’s side because there was just one alleged victim.

“It’s my opinion that our jurors aren’t ready to blame rapists and not victims when there isn’t concrete proof of more than one victim,” prosecutor Hilary LaBorde wrote in her email, which was obtained by the Waco Tribune-Herald.

The woman did not appear in court on Monday but submitted a letter that was read aloud to the court.

“I am devastated by your decision to let my rapist Jacob Walter Anderson go free without any
punishment. Rape is a violent crime that alters the victim’s life and the life of everyone around
them forever. He stole many things from me the night he raped me. I will never be the same
again.”

She continued on, saying, “Jacob Anderson will most likely rape again. He is now free to roam society, stalk women and no one will know he is a sex offender.” Later, she added, “Now, I not only have to live with his rape and the repercussions of the rape, I have to live with the knowledge that the Mclennan County justice system is severely broken. I have to live with the fact that after all these years and everything I have suffered, no justice was achieved. I have to live with the fact that my rapist will go home smiling and happy and laughing at me. He stole my body, virginity and power over my body and you let him keep it for all eternity.”

Vic Feazell, the victim’s attorney, spoke with local media. He said, “All I have to say is I’m disappointed. Our entire system failed this young woman. In 40 years of law practice, I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Full statement from victim below:

TEXAS VS JACOB WALTER ANDERSON
VICTIM RESPONSE TO PLEA BEING ACCEPTED
DECEMBER 10, 2018
Judge Strother,
I am devastated by your decision to let my rapist Jacob Walter Anderson go free without any
punishment. Rape is a violent crime that alters the victim’s life and the life of everyone around
them forever. He stole many things from me the night he raped me. I will never be the same
again.
On February 21, 2016 when I was a 19 year old, Sophomore at Baylor University, Jacob Walter
Anderson took me to a secluded area behind a tent and proceeded to violently and repeatedly
rape me. He repeatedly raped me orally and vaginaly while choking me, gagging me and
physically forcing my body into positions so he could continue to rape me. I had no control over
my body and no way to stop him. (please see my original written police statement) When I
collapsed on the ground he pulled down his pants and shoved his penis in my mouth and down
my throat gagging me. When he forcefully picked me up and shoved me into a wall to rape me
vaginally from behind he calmly and coldly said “It’s fine. You’re fine” When I tried to pull up my
pants or sit he shoved me to the ground and shoved his penis back down my throat and
continued to choke me. When he forced me up again and started to rape me vaginally again I
blacked out permanently. When I was completely unconscious he dumped me face down in the
dirt and left me there to die. He had taken what he wanted, had proven his power over my
body. He then walked home and went to bed without a second thought to the ravaged, half
dead woman he had left behind.
Jacob Anderson will most likely rape again. He is now free to roam society, stalk women and no
one will know he is a sex offender.
Jacob Anderson and all rapists who get away with their crimes will never be cured, never
change. If anything they will be emboldened by their power over women and their ability to
escape justice and punishment. They will think they are invincible and most definitely increase
their violent pathological and predatory behavior.
Everyone knows Jacob Anderson violently raped me repeatedly and almost killed me.
The evidence is overwhelming. Now, I not only have to live with his rape and the repercussions
of the rape, I have to live with the knowledge that the Mclennan County justice system is
severely broken. I have to live with the fact that after all these years and everything I have
suffered, no justice was achieved. I have to live with the fact that my rapist will go home smiling
and happy and laughing at me. He stole my body, virginity and power over my body and you let
him keep it for all eternity.
Hilary Laborde (where are you Ms. Laborde? Are you here in the courtroom? No?) and you
Abel Reyna (where are you? Are you here? No?) If I had the courage to come back to Waco
and face my rapist and testify you could at least have had enough respect for me to show up
today. You both will have to live with this decision to let a rapist run free in society without any warning to future victims. I wonder if you will have nightmares every night watching Jacob rape
me over and again. Of my body lying unconscious and alone in the dirt waiting to die. Of my
face transforming in your nightmares into someone you love. Your mother, your daughter, your
niece, your granddaughter, your best friend, your wife, your girlfriend.
Jacob Walter Anderson. It must be horrible to be you. To know what you did to me. To know
you are a rapist. To know that you almost killed me. To know that you ruined my life, stole my
virginity and stole many other things from me.
I would have loved to have stayed at Baylor. Laughed and made memories with my friends.
Learned from my professors. Run in the Baylor line one final time my Senior year and walked in
my graduation ceremony in my cap and gown with my family proudly cheering me on. I would
love to be living away from home pursuing my career the way I had planned. Not be on
medication. Not be getting therapy. Not be in and out of the doctor’s office. Not having
nightmares. Not be triggered daily into anxiety. Not be fearful. Not be sad. Not be afraid of
every man that looks at me or thinks I’m nice and just wants to meet me and get to know me.
To be happy and carefree and enjoy daily life. I am none of these things, because you raped me
and almost killed me and stole them all from me.
To the two women who created the petition of outrage over this plea I thank you. To the over
85,000 people around the world who signed the petition to deny this plea I thank you! To all my
friends and family, doctor, teachers and lawyers who believed in me and stuck with me over the past three years I thank you. You held me up and kept me strong. To my parents and siblings
thank you. I would not be alive without you. You kept me going when I could no longer handle
living. It’s been a very difficult three years. It will continue to be rough for a very long time. I
know it has impacted all of you and yet you never left my side. You never stopped loving me.
You never stopped protecting me. You never stopped fighting for me and you never left. You
never left.
Thank you.