TULSA, Okla. — A jury found Shawn Canady guilty of sexually abusing two children.
When it came to a sentence, the jury recommended 40 years in prison, but the judge instead sentenced him to 40 years of probation.
Local News
BA man gets probation for sex abuse crimes after jury recommends 40 years
The District Attorney's office shared victim impact statements read at sentencing with 2 News, which revealed more details about the abuse.
Canady abused the victims when they were 12 and 14. Both detailed the abuse and the impact of the abuse on their lives now, years after the incidents.
One victim wrote, "I have to live with the memories of what he did to me that night for the rest of my life. Moving on is a lot easier said than done when so much was lost by the actions of just one person."
The other victim described self-harm as a way of coping with the abuse, "Because of the way he made me feel about myself, I started self-harming... just to feel something other than the crippling weight of my experience with Shawn."
The difference in the recommended sentence and the one handed down led many people to wonder what led to this, so 2 News' Stef Manchen started reaching out to those involved and community leaders.
Danielle Tudor is a rape survivor, who now advocates for legal change to support survivors. She called the sentencing on this case 'disgusting.'
“We have a DA who did his job, a jury that did its job, but we have a judge that failed miserably on everyone’s behalf, and we failed to protect the most vulnerable in our society, which is children. We valued a man and his crimes over these children who actually reported, and they will live with this the rest of their life.”
Tudor is a member of the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence board, SAFE for short. It's a newly formed under Attorney General Getner Drummond.
Allowing this offender to walk essentially free, she said, is sending the wrong message.
“I don’t think justice was served in this case, even though we’ve given him probation, that’s not justice in this case," said Tudor. "So many survivors don’t come forward and don’t report for this very reason, because they don’t think they have a shot at justice.”
2 News reached out to the judge on this case, Sharon Holmes. She didn't call us back.
45 years removed from her own abuse, Tudor intends to use her platform and position to implement changes for children like the ones Canady abused.
“We also need mandatory sentencing so individuals who will commit this time of heinous crime knows they’re going to prison.”
That is something she plans to bring before her board.
2 News looked into minimum sentencing requirements for child sex offenders.
We couldn't find a conclusive answer.
We also reached out to the United States Sentencing Commission to ask them about those regulations.
When they get back to us, we'll bring you that information.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- SUBSCRIBE on YouTube
