Letter from Brock Turner's mother to judge surfaces; she says jail would be 'death sentence'

In this June 2, 2016 photo, Brock Turner, 20, right, makes his way into the Santa Clara Superior Courthouse in Palo Alto, Calif. The six-month jail term given to Turner, the former Stanford University swimmer who sexually assaulted an unconscious woman after both attended a fraternity party, is being decried as a token punishment. less In this June 2, 2016 photo, Brock Turner, 20, right, makes his way into the Santa Clara Superior Courthouse in Palo Alto, Calif. The six-month jail term given to Turner, the former Stanford University swimmer ... more Photo: Dan Honda Photo: Dan Honda Image 1 of / 30 Caption Close Letter from Brock Turner's mother to judge surfaces; she says jail would be 'death sentence' 1 / 30 Back to Gallery

A recent release of court documents from Brock Turner's case bears a letter from Turner's mother to the judge, asking for leniency during sentencing because he will become a "major target."

In her letter, Carleen Turner asks Judge Aaron Persky to not send Brock Turner to prison, saying that sending him to jail will be a "death sentence":

This is his future life. I beg of you, please don't send him to jail/prison. Look at him. He won't survive it. He will be damaged forever and I fear he would be a major target. Stanford boy, college kid, college athlete - all the publicity.... this would be a death sentence for him. Having lost everything he has ever worked for his entire life and knowing the registry is a requirement for the rest of his life certainly is more than harsh.

... Your honor, please be kind and merciful to my beautiful son. He is suffering and will continue to pay for this for his entire lifetime.

Brock Turner, 20, was convicted of three counts of sexual assault in March, facing up to 14 years in prison. Persky sentenced him to six months in jail for assaulting a drunk and unconscious woman. Turner is expected to be released after three months.

Carleen Turner's letter echoed much of the sentiment of a letter from her husband, which was released earlier this month. In that heavily criticized letter, Dan Turner said that his son was "paying a steep price for 20 minutes of action" and that his son is no longer "his happy go lucky self."

In her letter, Carleen Turner never mentions the victim, but says her son is a "shattered and broken shell of the person he used to be."

"My once vibrant and happy boy is distraught, deeply depressed, terribly wounded, and filled with despair," she writes. "His smile is gone forever — that beautiful grin is no more. When I look into his eyes I see fear and anguish.

"His voice is barely above a whisper and he keeps himself hunched over almost trying not to be noticed," the letter continues. "He trembles uncontrollably. He is crushed that the jury ruled against him. He has lost so much weight because he barely eats anything. He is utterly terrified and traumatized by this."

The letter also recounts stories of Brock's childhood and gives a background on the Turners, saying that Brock does not come from a wealthy, privileged family — instead, she says those reports "could not be further from the truth" and that the family's financial status "is precarious and unstable."

Carleen Turner focuses a portion of the letter on Brock's future, saying that he will forever have to register as a sex offender, referencing Ohio as one of the toughest states with its sexual offender registry. She asked that the judge show Brock that "his life still has meaning."

"Your honor, I beg of you to show Brock mercy," the letter stated. "He has never been in trouble, never even had a demerit in high school, he studied, swam, worked hard — he has lived an exemplary life. He will contribute to society in a positive way, it will just be a different path now.

"Please send him a message that his life sill has meaning, that you believe in him. Please give him hope."

The letter ends, saying, "Your Honor, please be kind and merciful to my beautiful son. He is suffering and will continue to pay for this for his entire lifetime."

The full letter can be read here.