A GoFundMe set up to help a teenager who stabbed her alleged rapist to death in Iowa in 2020 has raised enough money to cover what she owes the estate of the man who she says victimised her.
Pieper Lewis, 17, was houseless in Des Moines in 2020 when, her lawyers say, she was given shelter by a man named Christopher Brown, who claimed to be her boyfriend but forced her to have sex with other men for money.
That May, Ms Lewis said, Mr Brown left her at the apartment of an acquaintance named Zachary Brooks who allegedly forced her to drink alcohol and use other intoxicating substances and then repeatedly raped her. Later that month, Ms Lewis was allegedly forced to go back to Mr Brooks’ apartment and was drugged and raped again.
After that experience, Ms Lewis said, she took a knife and stabbed Mr Brooks more than 30 times, killing him.
Ms Lewis pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and willful injury last year. Earlier this week, she was sentenced to five years probation and a deferred judgment – meaning that she can have her record expunged if she meets the conditions of her sentence.
However, due to an Iowa law related to homicide convictions, she must pay $150,000 in compensation to Mr Brooks’ estate.
That’s where Leland Schipper, a former math teacher of Ms Lewis’ at Des Moines Lincoln High School, stepped in. Mr Shipper set up a GoFundMe page seeking to raise money to offset Ms Lewis’ restitution costs.
“Pieper does not deserve to be finically burdened for the rest of her life because the state of Iowa wrote a law that fails to give judges any discretion as to how it is applied,” Mr Schipper wrote. “This law doesn’t make sense in many cases, but in this case, it’s morally unjustifiable. A child who was raped, under no circumstances, should owe the rapist’s family money.”
A significant number of people clearly agreed. As of Wednesday afternoon, the GoFundMe has raised more than $216,000 from more than 5,000 donations — easily clearing the $150,000 mark and the page’s $200,000 goal.
In an update, Mr Schipper wrote that money raised in excess of the fees Ms Lewis owes Mr Brooks’ estate and the state of Iowa will be used to help her pay for a college education, set up a business or explore opportunities to help other young survivors of trafficking and sexual violence.
The messages on the GoFundMe page are full of praise for Ms Lewis’ resilience and hope for her future.
“I am so proud of you Pieper,” Regan Hage wrote. “May the life ahead of you be filled with light, love and abundant happiness. Thank you for being so brave in sharing your story.”
Ms Lewis said in court earlier this week that while she regretted killing Mr Brooks, it would be “absurd” to believe there was only one victim in the situation.
“No matter what the judge’s decision is today, I will still prevail,” Ms. Lewis said in testimony reported by The New York Times. “Nothing can stop a positive path of progress but negativity and doubt. During my journey, I have found part of the spiritual world and its beauty. I have progressed with the ability to lead with the power of many while maintaining self-worth.”
