A fundraiser for Pieper Lewis, the Iowa teen convicted of killing her rapist, has easily surpassed the restitution fee of $150,000 she was ordered to pay his family, according to NPR.
As of Monday evening, a GoFundMe account set up on behalf of Lewis, a victim of human trafficking, has collected more than $555,000 from people who say they were disgusted by the court-enforced restitution order.
Lewis pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and willful injury for killing Zachary Brooks in 2020. According to the teen, Brooks repeatedly raped the then-15-year-old weeks before his death. Lewis told the court that something in her snapped eventually, and in a fit of rage, she stabbed Brooks, who was 37 at the time, at least 30 times.
Judge addressed the unfairness of forcing Lewis to pay
Polk County District Judge David M. Porter decided to defer two 10-year prison terms during a sentencing hearing on Tuesday. He ruled that Lewis's time spent in juvenile detention was enough time served. He ordered her instead to five years probation.
The judge addressed the unfairness of forcing the teen to provide monetary compensation to the family of her abuser, with Porter saying he had no other option. He noted that restitution is mandatory under Iowa law. The state of Iowa is not among those that have established so-called safe harbor laws, which provide varying levels of criminal immunity for victims of human trafficking.
The GoFundMe page was launched for Lewis by Leland Schipper, her former math teacher. He described feeling incredibly proud of his student following the controversial case. He wrote in a message to would-be donors that the judge recognized that Lewis was a victim and a child and he, like almost everyone who knows the details of her case, empathized with a girl with no violent history, who saw killing a man as the only way out of her truly horrific situation.
Funds pour in for Lewis after verdict
Schipper's words and those of Lewis have moved tens of thousands of people to pour money into the account. Michelle Randall, who gave $5, wrote that her donation is not much but was sent with love.
John Dore, who gave $20, wrote that some laws are wrong and hurt people who should not be hurt any further. He said that they made those laws, and fixing them is up to them. He wrote that Lewis had been courageous. He then wished her life to be filled with peace, love, and especially justice.
Schipper initially set the fundraising goal for Lewis at $150,000, according to the Des Moines Register. When it became clear, however, that they would exceed the threshold within the first 24 hours, he decided to raise it and said he would continue accepting donations for Lewis above $200,000.
