Latest news with #ShannonKeeler
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Man who sent Facebook message about committing a 2013 campus sexual assault pleads guilty
Campus Sexual Assault GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) — An American extradited from France to face charges that he sexually assaulted a fellow Pennsylvania college student in 2013 — and later sent her a Facebook message that said 'So I raped you' — pleaded guilty Thursday. Ian Cleary, 32, pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault more than a decade after Shannon Keeler says he sneaked into her first-year dorm at Gettysburg College on the eve of winter break and assaulted her. Cleary's guilty plea was the first time she'd seen him since the assault. 'I had been thinking about this moment for 12 years,' said Keeler, who clenched her husband's hand as Cleary was led into court by deputies. She called it a surreal moment. A decade ago, a former prosecutor had declined the case. 'It's taken a lot of twists and turns to get to this point,' said Keeler, now 30. 'It took a lot of people doing the right thing to get us here.' Judge Kevin Hess set an Oct. 20 sentencing date. The two sides proposed a four- to eight-year sentence, which the judge can accept or not. Keeler, in interviews with The Associated Press, described her decade-long efforts to persuade authorities to pursue charges, starting hours after the assault. She renewed the quest in 2021, after finding a series of disturbing Facebook messages from his account. Cleary has been in custody since his arrest on minor, unrelated charges in Metz, France, in April 2024. A defense lawyer told the judge Thursday that Cleary experienced several mental health episodes there and was hospitalized around the time he sent the Facebook messages in 2019. Cleary left Gettysburg after the assault and finished college in Silicon Valley, California, where he'd grown up. He then got a master's degree and worked for Tesla before moving overseas, where he spent time writing medieval fiction, according to his online posts. The AP published an investigation on the case and on the broader reluctance among prosecutors to pursue campus sex assault charges in May 2021. An indictment followed weeks later. Authorities in the U.S. and Europe tried to track Cleary down for the next three years, but seemed unable to follow his trail, online or otherwise. In court Thursday, defense lawyer John Abom said Cleary was homeless at times and unaware of the charges. Adams County District Attorney Brian Sinnett on Thursday said he has his doubts, but cannot prove that Cleary was on the run, so it's unlikely to be an issue at sentencing. The second-degree sexual assault charge carries a maximum 10 years in prison. His family members have declined to comment on the case and have not attended his court hearings. Abom also declined to comment on Cleary's behalf Thursday. The AP typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Keeler has done. 'I hope that we as a society, the institutions around us, can make truly successful legal outcomes more viable for victims,' she said after the plea. "It starts with listening to victims and making sure their voices are heard,' she said, 'even if the system's slow to catch up.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Years After the Crime, He Messaged Her: 'So I Raped You' — Now She's Finally Seeing Justice
NEED TO KNOW Ian Cleary pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault for raping fellow Gettysburg College student Shannon Keeler in 2013 The case was reignited in 2021 when Keeler discovered a Facebook message from Cleary that read, 'So I raped you" After being located in France in 2024 and extradited, Cleary is now awaiting sentencing in PennsylvaniaA man accused of raping a fellow college student in Pennsylvania in 2013 — and later sending her a Facebook message that read 'So I raped you' — admitted to the charges on Thursday. Ian Cleary, 32, pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault over a decade after he stalked Shannon Keeler at a party, snuck into her dorm and sexually assaulted her during her freshman year at Gettysburg College, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. 'I had been thinking about this moment for 12 years,' Keeler said, per the outlet. 'It's taken a lot of twists and turns to get to this point,' Keeler said, according to the Post-Gazette. 'It took a lot of people doing the right thing to get us here.' Prosecutors had previously declined to pursue the case, but authorities took a renewed interest in the case after Keeler opened her unread Facebook messages in 2021, and saw a name she wasn't expecting, according to the Associated Press. 'So I raped you,' Cleary wote. 'I'll never do it to anyone ever again,' another message read, per the outlet. Related: Woman Got Chilling Facebook Message: 'So I Raped You.' After 3-Year Search, Suspect Is Arrested Overseas The AP published an investigation on the case, and an indictment followed weeks later, per the outlet. After a three year search, authorities found Cleary in Metz, France in April 2024 and moved to extradite him to Pennsylvania, the AP reported, citing the U.S. Marshals Service. In court, both sides have proposed a four to eight year sentence, which is up to the judge to decide, the Post-Gazette reported. Judge Kevin Hess is set to sentence Cleary on Oct. 20. 'I hope that we as a society, the institutions around us, can make truly successful legal outcomes more viable for victims,' Keeler said in court, per the outlet. 'It starts with listening to victims and making sure their voices are heard,' she continued. 'Even if the system's slow to catch up.' If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to . Read the original article on People
New York Times
6 days ago
- New York Times
Man Who Sent ‘I Raped You' Message Pleads Guilty to Sexual Assault
A California man who attacked a fellow Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and years later sent her a Facebook message that said 'So I raped you' pleaded guilty on Thursday to sexual assault. The plea, in the Adams County Court of Common Pleas in Gettysburg, Pa., capped a case in which Shannon Keeler, 30, the woman who was attacked, spent years pressing the authorities to bring charges against the man, Ian Cleary. 32. Mr. Cleary attacked Ms. Keeler in her dorm room on the night of Dec. 15, 2013, when they were both students at Gettysburg College, kissing her and then having sex with her without her consent, prosecutors said. Years later, in 2019, Mr. Cleary sent Ms. Keeler a series of Facebook messages about the attack. The Adams County District Attorney's Office brought charges against Mr. Cleary in 2021, setting off a search that ended with his arrest in 2024 in France and his extradition to the United States in January. Under a plea agreement, Mr. Cleary will face a maximum possible sentence of four to eight years in prison when he is sentenced by Judge Kevin A. Hess on Oct. 20, according to John Abom, Mr. Cleary's lawyer. Mr. Cleary can receive credit for his time in custody since his April 2024 arrest, Mr. Abom said. He is being held at the Adams County Adult Correctional Complex. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Toronto Star
6 days ago
- Toronto Star
Man who sent Facebook message about committing a 2013 campus sexual assault pleads guilty
GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) — An American extradited from France to face charges that he sexually assaulted a fellow Pennsylvania college student in 2013 — and later sent her a Facebook message that said 'So I raped you' — pleaded guilty Thursday. Ian Cleary, 32, pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault more than a decade after Shannon Keeler says he sneaked into her first-year dorm at Gettysburg College on the eve of winter break and assaulted her. Cleary's guilty plea was the first time she'd seen him since the assault.
CBS News
6 days ago
- CBS News
Man who sent Facebook message about campus rape pleads guilty
An American accused of sexually assaulting a fellow Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said "So I raped you" has pleaded guilty months after being extradited from France to face the allegations. Ian Cleary, 32, who was raised in Silicon Valley before attending Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, had hired a private lawyer to review the evidence as he considered a potential plea. Judge Kevin Hess set an Oct. 20 sentencing date. The two sides proposed a four- to eight-year sentence, which the judge can accept or not. Accuser Shannon Keeler, in interviews with The Associated Press, described her decade-long efforts to persuade authorities to pursue charges, starting hours after she says Cleary, a third-year student, sneaked into her first-year dorm on the eve of winter break. She renewed the quest in 2021, after finding a series of disturbing Facebook messages from his account that said, "So I raped you." Keeler faced Cleary in the courtroom Thursday for the first time since the attack. She clutched her husband's hand as Cleary entered the courtroom in handcuffs and listened stoically as he gave brief answers to the judge's questions. Cleary has been in custody since his arrest on minor, unrelated charges in Metz, France, in April 2024. A defense lawyer told the judge Thursday that Cleary experienced several mental health episodes there and was hospitalized around the time he sent the Facebook message in 2019. The second-degree sexual assault charge carries a maximum 10 years in prison. His family members have declined to comment on the case and have not attended his court hearings. Cleary, who grew up in Saratoga, California, left Gettysburg after the assault and finished college near home. He then got a master's degree and worked for Tesla before moving overseas, where he spent time writing medieval fiction, according to his online posts. The AP published an investigation on the case and on the broader reluctance among prosecutors to pursue campus sex assault charges in May 2021. An indictment followed weeks later. Authorities in the U.S. and Europe had been trying to track Cleary down until his capture in France. The AP typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Keeler has done.
