Alec Cook sentenced to 3 years in prison for sex crimes against fellow UW-Madison students

Karen Herzog | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MADISON - A 22-year-old man expelled from the University of Wisconsin-Madison nearly two years ago for sexually assaulting and stalking multiple female students was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison — far short of what prosecutors requested.

Cook had faced a maximum 39 years, six months in prison.

After his time in prison, he will spend another eight years on probation and 15 more as a registered sex offender.

Cook, who grew up in the affluent suburb of Edina, Minn., showed no emotion and stared straight ahead as the sentence was handed down by Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke.

It was the judge who showed emotion, briefly choking up as he addressed a victim who hours earlier had told the court she felt shame, and that allowing Cook to prey on her kindness made her feel weak.

"She has nothing to feel shame about," Ehlke said. "She did nothing wrong. Please continue to be kind," he told the young woman, who sobbed intermittently as she quietly described to the court how her life changed following her encounter with Cook.

To one victim who said she had been called brave, strong and a survivor for stepping forward so Cook couldn't hurt anyone else, Ehlke said: "You are not defined by Alec Cook. You are brave, you are courageous and you are going to succeed at whatever you do in life."

Ehlke said he did not believe lengthy imprisonment was necessary to protect the public, and that he wanted Cook to get treated for several personality disorders sooner, rather than later — disorders that prison treatment programs do not specifically address.

It's also rare, the judge added, for someone to go from no prior conviction to a prison sentence — especially someone who, like Cook, pleaded guilty to third-degree sexual assault defined by law as sex without consent.

The hearing in the Dane County courtroom marked the final chapter in a college sexual assault case that has drawn national attention to the state's flagship campus.

How much he'll be required to pay victims in restitution will be hashed out at a future date.

Before sentencing, Cook had been free on $200,000 bond and was living with his parents. He was released on bond in December 2016 — 62 days after his arrest.

As part of a plea deal in February, Cook pleaded guilty to five felonies involving five women: three counts of third-degree sexual assault and one count each of strangulation and stalking.

In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dismissed 18 more charges involving another six female students.

Cook's lawyers asked Ehlke not to sentence their client to prison but instead put him on probation so he could seek treatment for what experts concluded were several personality disorders, including narcissism and sexual sadism.

Prosecutors argued Cook deserved the maximum punishment for behavior that "satisfied his sadistic and narcissistic desire to inflict pain on women and see women humiliated." They sought 19 years, six months in prison, followed by 20 years of extended supervision and lifetime registration as a sex offender.

Assistant Attorney General Christopher Liegel told the court that within 26 months of arriving on campus as a freshman in fall 2014, Cook had committed crimes against 11 women, while sexually harassing "numerous other women" on or near the campus.

Cook's lawyers vehemently protested that characterization, reminding the judge that the young man only admitted to and was being sentenced on charges involving five women.

Cook was emotional as he read a brief statement near the end of the hearing, sobbing between each sentence while looking straight ahead:

“I’m sorry," he said through tears. "I was wrong. You told the truth and everyone should believe you. This is my fault. You didn’t deserve this. And neither did your families. To them, too, I am sorry.”

Where he could best get treatment to reduce his chances for committing future crimes was a major point of contention between prosecutors and Cook's lawyers.

Psychologist William Merrick testified Cook has several personality disorders.

He has narcissistic traits of "thinking the world revolves around him ... and a sense of entitlement and privilege," Merrick said. He also has a sexual sadism disorder. "Sexual sadism is an intense and persistent fantasy urge or behavior linked to sexual arousal."

Merrick said he knew of no prison program that treats narcissism and personality disorders, and recommended private treatment within the community. Merrick works for the state, evaluating violent sexual predators, and also has a private forensic neuropsychology practice.

Cook did not look at the one accuser who spoke to the court, or at the mother of another accuser who spoke.

The mother noted “there’s a lot of pain in this room,” and described the sentencing as “a moment of reconciliation” and justice.

She said her daughter “has gone to great lengths to rebuild herself,” and hoped other victims could rebuild, too. "That trauma is going to be there always," but rebuilding is "possible with the right support."

"How incredible it is that these girls have come forward and have used their voices," the mother said.

She was kept awake many nights over the past two years, she said, thinking about what she would say to the court if she had the opportunity.

"Alec is someone who poses a real threat because of how charming he can be," she said.

But she said she also felt empathy for his family.

“My heart absolutely aches for Alec's family."

A victim’s advocate read a lengthy, emotional statement from the first victim who reported she was sexually assaulted by Cook.

It was a typical fall day when she first met him while biking down University Ave. on her way home from classes, she said. He was on a longboard veering in front of her. She braked to avoid hitting him and continued on, thinking nothing of it until she heard his voice, and realized he had grabbed the back of her bike seat.

"He laughed and joked as I pulled him along on his longboard, and I couldn't help but wonder who this charming, outgoing stranger was," the woman said in her statement.

The woman and Cook hung out a handful of times, and she said she told him upfront she was looking for a relationship, not a hookup; that she wanted to go slow until she got to know him better.

'He played the part of a gentleman so convincingly it almost felt like I was unnecessarily cautious... until the mask slipped and I met the real Alec Cook."

Her roommate skipped morning classes to rush her to the hospital after he violently sexually assaulted her, she recalled.

“In less than 24 hours, my body became a crime scene and my life had changed forever.”