Former Oklahoma City Officer Daniel Holtzclaw is being charged with 36 counts of rape, sexual battery, indecent exposure and forcible oral sodomy following his attacks on 13 Black women (one of these women was a teenager at the time of the alleged attack). His case is being tried in front of an all-white jury, which only has four women.
According to prosecutors, Holtzclaw primarily targeted middle-aged Black women who he believed either had criminal records or may have been carrying contraband when he approached them. These victims would be less likely to report any crimes committed against them. This all changed when he assaulted a woman being referred to as J.L., who has no criminal record, in June. J.L. reported the crime, and police discovered that her report matched several other unsolved sex crimes by an officer who resembled Holtzclaw.
In August of 2014 Holtzclaw was arrested. His trial began last week.
