Iowa teen who killed rapist 

escapes from probation center

Sun, November 6, 2022 

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa authorities say an 18-year-old sex trafficking victim who pleaded guilty to killing a man she said raped her escaped from a women's center where she was serving her probation sentence.

Pieper Lewis was seen walking out of the building at the Fresh Start Women's Center in Des Moines shortly after 6:15 a.m. Friday, and at some point that day her GPS monitor was cut off, according to a probation violation report.

A warrant was issued for Lewis' arrest and the probation report asked for her deferred judgment to be revoked and have her original sentence imposed, KCCI reported. She could face up to 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors had called the probation sentence she was given in September merciful for a teen who endured horrible abuse, although some questioned the $150,000 restitution she was ordered to pay. A GoFundMe campaign raised over $560,000 to cover the restitution and pay for her other needs.

Polk County Judge David Porter told Lewis that her probation sentence “was the second chance you asked for. You don’t get a third," the Des Moines Register reported.

If Lewis had successfully completed five years of closely supervised probation her prison sentence would have been expunged.

Lewis pleaded guilty last year to involuntary manslaughter and willful injury in the June 2020 killing of 37-year-old Zachary Brooks, a married father of two. Lewis was 15 when she stabbed Brooks more than 30 times in a Des Moines apartment.

Lewis has said that she was trafficked against her will to Brooks for sex multiple times and stabbed him in a fit of rage. Police and prosecutors did not dispute that Lewis was sexually assaulted and trafficked.

The Associated Press does not typically name victims of sexual assault, but Lewis agreed to have her name used previously in stories about her case.

Twitter shows supports for Pieper Lewis after Iowa teen escapes custody

Angel Saunders
Mon, November 7, 2022


As previously reported by REVOLT, in September, 17-year-old Pieper Lewis was sentenced to five years of probation for the June 2020 stabbing death of 37-year-old Zachary Brooks. An Iowa court found her guilty of willful injury and voluntary manslaughter after Brooks allegedly raped and forced her into human trafficking at the age of 15.

In addition to probation, Lewis was ordered to pay his family $150,000 in restitution. Yesterday (Nov. 6) morning, CNN learned the teen “walked away from the Fresh Start Women’s Center on Friday (Nov. 4) at 6:19 a.m. after cutting off her electronic monitoring tracking device.” The information came from Jerry Evans, the executive director of Iowa’s Fifth Judicial District Department of Corrections. The now 18-year-old’s case has been making headlines since her September sentencing.

“Kyle Rittenhouse took himself and his loaded gun to a protest and shot [three] people in cold blood, cried [self-defense and] was celebrated as a hero. Pieper Lewis, aged 15, [who] stabbed her rapist to death in [self-defense] is sentenced and ordered to pay 150k,” one person tweeted around the time of the September ruling. Since her escape over the weekend, Lewis has received thousands of messages of support on social media.

“Remember: If you see [Pieper] Lewis, no you didn’t. Godspeed,” one user tweeted. Another wrote, “I hope Pieper Lewis can stay low and never be found, but more so, I wish she could live and heal in peace and not be on the run.” Others discussed how the justice system failed her by ordering “a [sex assault] survivor to pay the family of the [person who] raped her.” A user added, “Anyone who arrests hero [Pieper] Lewis isn’t law enforcement, just a vile pig. Let her go. She’s the victim of sex trafficking and America’s unjust criminal legal system.”

Some noted that her actions could have stopped others from being harmed: “#PieperLewis [Pieper] Lewis is a HERO!!! F**k Brooks and his piece of s**t family. [Pieper] did the right thing and protected herself and other young women.” Many are hoping the Iowa teen has safe travels wherever it may be that she’s heading. “Prayers over [Pieper] Lewis. May she travel safely to a safer place. Ancestors, protect and guide her,” one supporter tweeted.

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