Months after he was fired from the Oklahoma City police force, Daniel Holtzclaw was found guilty of four counts of first-degree rape and numerous other sexual offenses against eight victims.
The 12-member jury in the case — eight men and four women — had deliberated since Monday. They found the former officer guilty of half of the 36 counts he faced.
Holtzclaw, 29, was charged with sexually assaulting 13 women in a case in which race seemed to play a role. Holtzclaw is described in official documents as “Asian or Pacific Islander,” according to News OK; all of the victims in the case are black.
Former Dallasite plays key role in case gaining attention
Tezlyn Figaro, who started her media newspaper print career at NDG Assistant to the Publisher, is credited with reaching out to Crump and pushing for the case to get more attention, said, “I am ashamed at the lack of coverage from Oklahoma City media as well as the national, with not covering this case as it should have been from Day One.”
Figaro, who works in public relations, says her mother was the news director assistant at Oklahoma City’s Channel 4 for 15 years. She described being pulled over “numerous times” for no reason in the city.
“You were never alone,” Figaro told one of the victims in the case, who then gave her a hug. “Because I’ve been riding with you since Day One. You didn’t know me, and I didn’t know you, but I’ve been fighting for these women for the last year.”
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Click here to hear OKC Officer Holtzclaw Rape Victim Jannie Ligons comments
Click here to hear Tezlyn Figaro Holtzclaw Rape Case Comments
