Spring Break
Sako given 100 month prison sentence
Sako, a former OSU student, will next be evaluated to decide whether he will be placed in a medium or high security prison
Kate Welter
Issue date: 5/20/09 Section: News
The man convicted of rape and sexual abuse in the first degree last Friday was sentenced Monday morning at the downtown Corvallis Benton County Courthouse.
The 20-year-old former OSU student, Gregory Thomas Sako, received an eight year and four month prison sentence after being convicted last week for raping a 21-year-old Portland woman at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house at a 2008 Halloween party.
According to Oregon's Measure 11 law, which was passed in 1994 to establish harsher prison sentences for certain crimes, first-degree rape requires a mandatory minimum sentence of eight years and four months. The judge granting the sentence can also not allow early release or parole to a prisoner based off of good behavior.
After his sentence has been served, Sako will be released on parole, where he will be required to register as a sex offender.
The trial ended last Thursday afternoon and guilty verdict was delivered by the jury Friday morning shortly before 11 a.m.
"It was absolutely the right verdict," Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Stringer said.
"The biggest hurdle for me was to get the jury to focus on the evidence and not to take into account Sako's status and age. It was a relief to find out that they did just that."
Sako had previously attended OSU on an ROTC scholarship and was an active member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.
He was arrested Nov. 1 and according to the OSU Registrar, dropped out of classes shortly after, where he returned to live at home in Menlo Park, Calif., until the beginning of the trial.
Previously, Sako had been additionally charged on first and second degree kidnapping. However, these charges were dropped last Wednesday after Stephen Ensor, Sako's criminal defense lawyer, submitted a written motion to presiding Judge Janet Holcomb to dismiss the charges on the basis of a lack of evidence.
According to Stringer, even if the kidnapping charges had stuck, Sako's prison sentence time would most likely not have been any different than what it is now.
Sako will be transported to the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville where he will be evaluated. That evaluation will determine which prison he will serve time at, as well as whether the prison will be medium or high security.
"I believe that sexual assault at OSU is highly underreported. The victim did everything correct in her situation and I hope that others can learn from her example by coming forward," Stringer said.
Kate Welter, staff writer
news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231
The 20-year-old former OSU student, Gregory Thomas Sako, received an eight year and four month prison sentence after being convicted last week for raping a 21-year-old Portland woman at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house at a 2008 Halloween party.
According to Oregon's Measure 11 law, which was passed in 1994 to establish harsher prison sentences for certain crimes, first-degree rape requires a mandatory minimum sentence of eight years and four months. The judge granting the sentence can also not allow early release or parole to a prisoner based off of good behavior.
After his sentence has been served, Sako will be released on parole, where he will be required to register as a sex offender.
The trial ended last Thursday afternoon and guilty verdict was delivered by the jury Friday morning shortly before 11 a.m.
"It was absolutely the right verdict," Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Stringer said.
"The biggest hurdle for me was to get the jury to focus on the evidence and not to take into account Sako's status and age. It was a relief to find out that they did just that."
Sako had previously attended OSU on an ROTC scholarship and was an active member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.
He was arrested Nov. 1 and according to the OSU Registrar, dropped out of classes shortly after, where he returned to live at home in Menlo Park, Calif., until the beginning of the trial.
Previously, Sako had been additionally charged on first and second degree kidnapping. However, these charges were dropped last Wednesday after Stephen Ensor, Sako's criminal defense lawyer, submitted a written motion to presiding Judge Janet Holcomb to dismiss the charges on the basis of a lack of evidence.
According to Stringer, even if the kidnapping charges had stuck, Sako's prison sentence time would most likely not have been any different than what it is now.
Sako will be transported to the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville where he will be evaluated. That evaluation will determine which prison he will serve time at, as well as whether the prison will be medium or high security.
"I believe that sexual assault at OSU is highly underreported. The victim did everything correct in her situation and I hope that others can learn from her example by coming forward," Stringer said.
Kate Welter, staff writer
news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231
Note: writers will not reply to comments.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
anonymous
posted 5/20/09 @ 12:35 AM PST
Extremely sad story, but I am so glad that action is being taken against this sort of thing. I've heard of too much garbage happening at fraternity parties. (Continued…)
Bubba
posted 5/21/09 @ 7:05 AM PST
Oh yes, those fraternity boys, they're the only ones who would EVER do this. I bet those prisons are filled with nothing but Greeks. Why, if we got rid of Greek houses, the prisons would be empty and we'd have peace of earth. (Continued…)
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