The courts must now decide if the sentence was legal.54-year old Stacey Rambold, a former Montana teacher who was convicted of raping 14-year old Cherice Moralez who later committed suicide, is about to released after serving the 30-day sentence that caused an uproar around the country.
District Judge G. Todd Baugh of Billings, who issued the 30-day sentence, made several comments at the time of the sentencing – that Moralez was “older than her chronological age” and “as much in control of the situation as was the defendant,” — which were met with outrage and disdain and have prompted calls for the judge’s removal.
CBS News reports that he himself has issued a statement: ”I made some really stupid remarks. It didn’t come out right and I owe the whole county, but maybe even the whole country, especially women, an apology.”
There is some question whether the shortened sentence was actually legal, as Montana law may require that Rambold serve a minimum of two years in jail; that appeal could take 6 to 18 months.