Victims Rejoice Following Daniel Holtzclaw Sentence

A former Oklahoma City Police officer was formally sentenced to live out the rest of his life behind bars Thursday.

A judge ruled Daniel Holtzclaw will have to serve a total of 263 years in prison for the 18 sex crimes he was convicted of by a jury in December.

1/21/16 Related Story: Judge Sentences Holtzclaw To Serve 263 Years Consecutively

According to News 9’s reporter Adrianna Iwasinski, Holtzclaw showed no emotion as his sentence was read. And it seemed he and his family were already resigned to his fate.

But for the crowd of people who came to the courthouse to support the victims, the sentence came as a relief.

“This is a victory not only in the courtroom but a victory for rape for all women all over the world,” said Attorney Benjamin Crump.

Cheers rang out in the Oklahoma courthouse after the judge ruled Daniel Holtzclaw would have to spend 263 years in prison.

But before the ruling, the judge had to hear a motion by Holtzclaw’s team asking for a new trial. The judge listened to testimony from a police detective who wrote a Facebook post following the Holtzclaw trial. The judge then ruled it was not enough to grant defense a new trial.

Prosecutors had three women who testified against Holtzclaw read impact statement about how his actions changed their lives. One of the most compelling came from Jannie Ligons, who was the first to report Holtzclaw to police.

“Thank you, thank you everyone who supported me. Thank everybody who came out, I know I couldn’t have did this alone without you all’s help,” said Ligons.