A GoFundMe account created for Pieper Lewis, the Iowa adolescent condemned to pay $150,000 in reparations on Tuesday for killing her alleged rapist, has earned almost $373,000 as of Thursday, with about 10,000 people contributing. Lewis, who pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter and willful injury last year, was also given five years of probation.
Lewis, a 15-year-old fugitive and victim of human trafficking, stabbed Brooks to death at his apartment in June 2020 after being compelled to engage in sexual activity.
Lewis’ former math teacher, Leland Schipper, started the GoFundMe page and stated on it that the funds will be used to pay off Pieper’s restitution to Brooks’ family and the state, “Remove financial barriers for Pieper in pursuing college/university or starting her own business,” and “Give Pieper the financial capacity to explore ways to help other young victims of sex crimes.”
The GoFundMe page established to assist Pieper Lewis in paying his reparation. GoFundMe
Tuesday, Polk County District Judge David M. Porter sentenced 17-year-old Lewis for the murder of Zachary Brooks, 37, of Des Moines. For each of the two offenses, she faced a maximum of 10 years in prison. While Lewis was able to avoid incarceration, the judge cautioned that any breach of her probation may result in a 20-year prison term.
According to the Associated Press, the judge stated that the restitution Lewis was ordered to pay to Brooks’ estate is necessary under Iowa law and that “this court has no other choice.”
The prosecution maintained that Brooks was asleep and posed no immediate threat to Lewis.
“My spirit has been scorched, but it still shines through the flames,” Lewis said in a statement he read on Tuesday. “Hear me scream, see me sparkle, and observe my development. I am a survivor.”
Lewis obtained her GED while detained pending punishment.
Schipper stated in the GoFundMe description, “Pieper wants to go to college, she wants to make art, and she wants to advocate for other girls who find themselves in situations similar to hers.” She does not deserve the enormous debt that is preventing her from following her aspirations.
Many states in the United States have “safe harbor” statutes that provide juveniles who are victims of sex trafficking with a level of criminal immunity, however Iowa does not. According to the National Institute of Justice, a University of Kentucky research on the state’s safe harbor statutes “showed that justice-involved children were more likely to be screened for sex trafficking and offered victim services, and less likely to be criminally charged.”
An activist with the Iowa Organization for Victim Assistance, Karl Schilling, stated that while a bill to create a safe harbor in Iowa passed the House of Representatives earlier this year, it stopped in the Senate owing to concerns from law enforcement groups that the proposal was too broad.
Please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1 (888) 373-7888 if you or a loved one is a victim of human trafficking.
The Associated Press provided reporting support.