A former Oregon State University student got the minimum sentence - 100 months, or 8 1/3 years in prison, for the Halloween 2008 rape of a 21 year old Portland, OR woman. Gregory Thomas Sako, 20, was sentenced to the mandatory minimum for rape under Oregon's Measure 11, which also stipulates that such sentences be served in full.
The trial ended last Thursday afternoon and guilty verdict was delivered by the jury Friday morning shortly before 11 a.m.
"It was absolutely the right verdict," Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Stringer said."The biggest hurdle for me was to get the jury to focus on the evidence and not to take into account Sako's status and age. It was a relief to find out that they did just that."
Sako had previously attended OSU on an ROTC scholarship and was an active member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. He was arrested Nov. 1 and according to the OSU Registrar, dropped out of classes shortly after, where he returned to live at home in Menlo Park, Calif., until the beginning of the trial.
While Sako had also been charged with 1st and 2nd degree kidnapping, his defense attorney successfully argued to presiding judge Janet Holcomb to dismiss those charges. However, according to Stringer, those charges, if they had stuck, would have resulted in the same 100 month sentence for Sako. Coffee Creek Correctional Facility is Sako;s next stop, where he will be evaluated before Oregon prison officials decide what medium or high security prison he'll be spending his time at.
Stringer hoped that the victims of other sexual assaults are encouraged to report their perpetrators, particulary on campus.
"I believe that sexual assault at OSU is highly underreported. The victim did everything correct in her situation and I hope that others can learn from her example by coming forward."
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