Brock Turner released from jail after serving half of six-month sentence in Stanford sexual assault case

Former Stanford University student Brock Turner was released from jail early Friday morning, after serving half of a six-month jail sentence on a sexual assault conviction. 

Turner, whose sentence was widely criticized for its leniency, was released shortly after 6 a.m. and was met by a crowd of reporters. He exited the jail and got into a waiting white SUV that left immediately afterward. Turner offered no comment to reporters.

“If we had our way, Brock Turner would be in state prison serving a six year sentence, not going home,â€� the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office said in a statement. 

The statement emphasized the focus on a bill, AB 2888, that would require a state prison sentence for anyone convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious person. 

“With the Governor’s signature, the next Brock Turner will go to prison,â€� the statement said. 

Early releases are commonly given because of good behavior and because of California’s prison realignment. Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky is facing a recall campaign over his handling of Turner’s case. 

Turner was convicted in March of three felony counts: assault with the intent to commit rape of an unconscious person, sexual penetration of an unconscious person and sexual penetration of an intoxicated person. He attacked an unconscious woman behind a garbage bin on the Palo Alto university’s campus in January 2015. 

At his sentencing, Turner faced up to 14 years in prison. Prosecutors sought a six-year prison term. 

Persky ultimately opted for the lighter jail term of six months and also sentenced the Ohio native to three years of probation. At the time, he said a lengthier penalty would have a “severe impactâ€� on Turner. 

Criticism of the sentence escalated after the unidentified victim’s 12-page, single-spaced letter that she read in court went viral after it was published by the media. 

She harshly criticized Persky for giving Turner â€œa soft time-out, a mockery of the [seriousness] of the assaults.â€� 

Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this report.

For more California news, follow @brittny_mejia

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UPDATES:

9:25 a.m.: This article was updated with a statement from the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office.

This article was originally published at 6:55 a.m.