Massachusetts

Judge Approves Plea Deal for Former MIT Student in Boston University Assault Case

A judge on Tuesday approved a plea deal for a former Massachusetts Institute of Technology basketball player that includes no prison time in connection with an assault case nearly three years ago.

Samson Donick, 22, of Tiburon, California, pleaded guilty in Suffolk Superior Court to indecent assault and battery, assault and battery, and breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony. The initial indecent assault and battery charges had been reduced from aggravated rape stemming from an incident on Oct. 18, 2015.

Donick had been accused of sexually assaulting a sleeping woman after he entered her Boston University dorm room looking for someone else.

Prosecutors said Monday that they struck a deal with Donick's attorneys after the woman decided not to testify at trial.

The judge presiding over the case wanted Donick to "publicly acknowledge and apologize" for what he did. She said the deal would only be accepted if Donick offered an apology to her satisfaction.

Donick acknowledged that he entered the room of the sleeping victim at BU, began touching her and made her touch him. When she woke up, Donick says she told him to stop and he left.

The victim, who was also in court, delivered a powerful impact statement describing the hours after the assault.

"The soreness of every muscle aching because my uncontrollable shaking couldn’t be stopped. The sudden waves of nausea from replaying in my head what had occurred that early morning. From having a random, kind nurse try to soothe me as I cried, 'I just want my Mom' who was hundreds of miles away and I was sitting in a sterile room with fluorescent lights being told to "hand over my clothes" for evidence," read the victim.

She went on to say that the alleged rape impacted her relationship with her boyfriend.

"I had to learn to fall back in love with my boyfriend because men became my enemy," said the victim.

After the victim spoke, Donick issued his apology.

"I take full responsibility for my terrible behavior and I am extremely sorry," he said. "It breaks my heart that I am responsible for this."

The judge imposed a sentence of five years’ probation during which Donick must perform 1000 hours of community service, undergo sex offender treatment, have no contact with the victim, and wear a GPS monitor. She also said while Donick is exempt from registering as a sex offender in Massachusetts, he would have to register in his home state of California.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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