LANSING, Mich — The outcome of William Strampel's trial has one Cooley Law School professor talking about why his conviction might have went the way it did.
"If there's a general public out there who indicates that this didn't happen because they were found not guilty, that's not fair to the victims," said Anthony Flores, a professor at Cooley Law School.
Flores, who teaches criminal law, said it's very difficult for a jury to find a defendant guilty of touching someone inappropriately without a lot of evidence.
"Touching counts are extremely hard to prove from a prosecutor's perspective because unless somebody else sees it, you have the victim's word and then you have the defendant's word," Flores said.
The jury could have also found Strampel guilty of fourth degree Criminal Sexual Conduct instead of second degree.
"That's the difference between a 15 year and a two year, and the two year offense is the same sexual contact under lesser circumstances and they came back not guilty on that," Flores said.
While some of the victims are disappointed by the verdict, Flores said that doesn't discount the struggle they went through.
"They felt strongly enough and were courageous enough to come and testify and to identify him in court and that's no easy feat," Flores said.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Download our free app for Apple and Android
and
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.
