Four women, sometimes holding hands tightly, could hardly hold back their tears of relief as a federal judge in Sacramento gave a famous professional climber and guidebook author life in jail for sexually abusing women and using his power to threaten victims if they came forward.
Charles Barrett, 40, took away women’s freedom and right to seek happiness, which is their constitutional birthright. One woman, K.G., spoke out against Barrett on Tuesday in downtown Sacramento, saying that his actions will affect each victim for the rest of their lives.
Two counts of severe sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact from 2016 were found guilty by a federal jury on February 13. K.G. called that day “Freedom Day.” When she went to Yosemite National Park for the weekend to hike, she said she was raped and sexually attacked.
“It is time to put an end to Barrett’s reign of terror for good,” the victim said in court before U.S. District Court Judge John Mendez gave her sentence.
Barrett didn’t say anything when Mendez gave him the chance to talk to the court and his victims. David Torres, a defense lawyer from Bakersfield, said he is going to appeal the case.
Tores said, “I think the life sentence was quite harsh given the circumstances… given the amount of time it took to file the case” and bring charges to court.
As four women in the packed gallery cried and leaned on each other, Assistant U.S. Attorney Arin Heinz read a list of claimed sexual assaults that happened between 2008 and 2016.
The Sacramento Bee does not name people who have been sexually assaulted.
Court documents say that K.G. met Barrett at a local swimming hole and that he asked her to watch a meteor shower. Prosecutors say he took her to a remote area and raped and choked her while pushing her to the ground.
Court papers say he also raped her again in a public shower and sexually attacked her while they were swimming together in the Tuolumne River.
During the hearing, three other women also said they had been sexually assaulted. Lawyers for the government said they didn’t file charges for those claimed incidents because they happened outside the control of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert, this defendant “used his fame and physical presence as a rock climber to lure and intimidate victims who were part of the rock climbing community.” That was after he was found guilty. “His violent sexual assaults were terrible for the women he hurt, and he later made threats against them before his trial.”
Barrett was also found guilty in 2017 of making threats against a woman he was accused of assaulting, according to authorities.
The defense lawyer, Hennessy, told the judge that Barrett should not get a life term because he has a mental illness. Barrett is more than what was said about him in court, he said.
Barrett’s family and friends told the judge that he was a nice man who never made anyone feel afraid.
From the bench, though, Mendez said the suspect hadn’t shown any regret or respect for the crime. In phone calls from jail, Barrett said he was the victim, that K.G. was lying, and that the National Park Service was planning to trap him.
“We are thankful for the hard work of the National Park Service investigation team and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring this case to justice,” said Cicely Muldoon, superintendent of Yosemite National Park. “Today’s sentence makes it clear what will happen if this criminal behavior continues.” It makes Yosemite safer for climbers, people who come to the park, and our staff.
As the victims cried and hugged each other after the sentence, Heinz wiped her tears away. The sound of one victim crying could be heard down the court hallway.
K.G. said, “I can never get over what Charlie Barrett did to me.”
