Speaker 1: On December eighteenth, twenty eighteen, Mike Levinngood was charged with rape.
Speaker 1: The prosecutors spent the next year building the case against him.
Speaker 1: They were going to a jury trial, and the state
Speaker 1: wanted a conviction, so they ran toxicology, consulted with experts,
Speaker 1: combed through online chats, and analyzed every moment of the
Speaker 1: dozens of videos they were able to track down. In
Speaker 1: the end, they gathered over thirty videos Mike had filmed
Speaker 1: without Saskia's consent. In many of them, she was completely
Speaker 1: unconscious and her husband was violating her. Mike was charged
Speaker 1: with thirty one counts of illegal surveillance, and even though
Speaker 1: prosecutors had video evidence of what Mike did, in the end,
Speaker 1: they were only able to bring four counts of rape.
Speaker 1: Under Marilyn law, it was legal to rape your unconscious spouse,
Speaker 1: just so long as it was done without force. If
Speaker 1: he was found guilty of every charge, he could spend
Speaker 1: the rest of his life in prison. That was Saski's hope.
Speaker 2: I wanted him to be in jail, and I felt
Speaker 2: like testifying against him and holding him accountable would get
Speaker 2: me back some of my power.
Speaker 1: But if the jury questioned Saski's story, Mike could walk free.
Speaker 1: For Ashley inder Firth, the lead prosecutor on the case,
Speaker 1: it was nerve wracking.
Speaker 3: This isn't a scenario where it's a fifty to fifty
Speaker 3: and we got to get it to fifty one percent.
Speaker 4: The jury has to believe it beyond a reasonable doubt.
Speaker 1: In the final lead up to the trial, Ashley had
Speaker 1: to pass the case off to another colleague.
Speaker 4: I had to go out on returnity leave.
Speaker 1: She was pregnant with twins and they came early in
Speaker 1: the months after they were born. She practically lived in
Speaker 1: the nick.
Speaker 3: Yew and I was sort of, you know, really not
Speaker 3: thinking about work.
Speaker 4: But this case was an exception.
Speaker 1: The day before Mike's trial was set to begin, Ashley
Speaker 1: was in the hospital. She was at her baby's bedside
Speaker 1: when her phone rang. It was Rebecca mcvittie, the prosecutor
Speaker 1: who took over Saski's case. Ashley answered right away.
Speaker 3: She knew how much I cared about it, and she
Speaker 3: called me to make sure I was okay with what
Speaker 3: she was.
Speaker 4: Going to do.
Speaker 1: I'm Andrea Gunning and this is Betrayal, Season five, Episode five, Tornado.
Speaker 1: Saskia had just started working again after taking a year
Speaker 1: off to manage her trauma. That morning, she was sitting
Speaker 1: in a conference room talking with her fellow social workers,
Speaker 1: but the only thing on her mind was tomorrow's trial.
Speaker 1: She was expecting a call from the prosecutor to let
Speaker 1: her know what time to be there the next day. Instead,
Speaker 1: she got a message saying there was news.
Speaker 2: And I said, I had to excuse myself, and I
Speaker 2: went into the psychiatris's office because it was a bigger room,
Speaker 2: and I went and sat on the chair and was
Speaker 2: kind of shaking and just waiting to hear what happened.
Speaker 2: How we were proceeding.
Speaker 1: The minutes crept by. Then, after what felt like an eternity.
Speaker 2: I got the call saying that he made this plea
Speaker 2: deal and they wanted to accept it.
Speaker 1: Mike was pleading guilty. He would serve time and be
Speaker 1: on the sex offender registry for life, but.
Speaker 2: He only had to plead guilty for one count of rape.
Speaker 2: And it kind of felt like it discounted all of
Speaker 2: the times, all of the deceit, all of the manipulation.
Speaker 2: It was like it came down to one incident.
Speaker 1: For a year, Saskia had been preparing to take the
Speaker 1: stand to make Mike answer for what he'd done to
Speaker 1: her in video after video. Now she learned there would
Speaker 1: be only one charge and there would be no trial.
Speaker 2: I felt that my chance to speak my truth was gone,
Speaker 2: and my emotions all the lead up to that just
Speaker 2: kind of drained out of me in tears.
Speaker 1: The decision to go to trial wasn't hers to make
Speaker 1: because the prosecutors don't represent Saskia like attorneys would in
Speaker 1: a civil case. They represent the state of Maryland and
Speaker 1: its citizens as a whole, and they had to be
Speaker 1: realistic with the instructions given to the jury. Would they convict? Remember,
Speaker 1: the law wasn't on Saskia's side. Force was required to
Speaker 1: prosecute spouses for rape.
Speaker 5: But the force was minimal because she was completely incapacitated.
Speaker 1: That's Debbie Feinstein, head of the Special Victim's Division at
Speaker 1: the State's Attorney's Office in Montgomery County. She supervised the case.
Speaker 5: We could see on the videos that he had moved
Speaker 5: parts of her body, and we planned to argue that
Speaker 5: was force.
Speaker 4: What do you have been successful?
Speaker 5: I don't know, because it's not conventionally what someone thinks
Speaker 5: of when they think of force.
Speaker 1: The burden of proof was incredibly high. Any doubt as
Speaker 1: to whether Mike's actions come instituted forcible rape could throw
Speaker 1: the whole case out the window. He could walk free.
Speaker 1: The state's attorneys also had to think about Saskia. They
Speaker 1: were aware of Saskia's alcohol use, her dependence on prescription medications,
Speaker 1: her mental health history, and her dad's mental health history.
Speaker 1: These were all things that a defense attorney would use
Speaker 1: to turn a jury against her. Here's Ashley, the original prosecutor.
Speaker 3: They're going to be throwing out these things about this
Speaker 3: person to try to undermine their credibility, and that is
Speaker 3: a really hard thing for victims to deal with, and
Speaker 3: it makes it harder for us to prove our case
Speaker 3: beyond a reasonable doubt.
Speaker 1: Everyone at the state's attorney's office believed Saskia, they'd seen
Speaker 1: the evidence this woman had been raped, but their belief
Speaker 1: in Saskia and their certainty that this was a crime
Speaker 1: wasn't enough to ensure a conviction. As Debbie told.
Speaker 5: Us, unfortunately, mental health still has stigma around it that
Speaker 5: can impact a juror.
Speaker 4: It shouldn't, but it does.
Speaker 1: With all of this in mind, when Mike said he
Speaker 1: was ready to take a plea. The prosecutors said yes,
Speaker 1: with a plea deal, they'd avoid the risk of a
Speaker 1: jury acquitting Mike. They'd get a guaranteed guilty. When Ashley,
Speaker 1: the original prosecutor, got the news, I.
Speaker 4: Was really glad to hear it.
Speaker 3: Given all of the complexities with this case, I thought
Speaker 3: that him pleading guilty was the very best thing that
Speaker 3: could happen. I told my colleague that I was very
Speaker 3: pleased with what she had been able to work out.
Speaker 1: So the decision was made. There would be no trial,
Speaker 1: but Saskia would still get her day in court because
Speaker 1: after Mike took the plea, he had a sentence in hearing.
Speaker 1: At this hearing, Judge Jill Cummins would determine exactly how
Speaker 1: long Mike would spend behind bars. Saskia walked down the
Speaker 1: center aisle into the courtroom with her sister, brothers and
Speaker 1: friends by her side.
Speaker 2: We were just all so excited for at least this
Speaker 2: piece of this terrible process to be behind me and
Speaker 2: behind us, and for him to at least be taken
Speaker 2: away in shackles for doing what he did.
Speaker 1: The courtroom was emptier than she'd imagined it. It was
Speaker 1: just a handful of spectators, some attorneys, some clerks, and
Speaker 1: the judge. Sitting at the front of the room where
Speaker 1: the jury would have been were twelve vacant chairs. Saskia,
Speaker 1: her friends and family took their seats in the gallery.
Speaker 2: We're just pretty dead, silent, waiting for the case to
Speaker 2: be called and waiting for Mike to be brought in.
Speaker 1: And then the doors opened. In walked Mike. Saska's friend
Speaker 1: Bridget recalls seeing him that day. He was wearing a
Speaker 1: suit and brand new white sneakers. At a glance, he
Speaker 1: was put together, but the outfit didn't fool her.
Speaker 6: He looked gaunt, and he had lost a lot of
Speaker 6: weight from stress. And that's only because he knew he
Speaker 6: got caught. You would think that you would put your
Speaker 6: head down or just have some level of remorse or shame,
Speaker 6: and he didn't. He looked straight at me and then
Speaker 6: looked straight ahead.
Speaker 4: It gave me chills.
Speaker 1: Mike took his seat next to his two attorneys. The
Speaker 1: sentencing hearing was ready to begin. What we're about to
Speaker 1: play for you are real excerpts from that day.
Speaker 7: Falk from Fast one three Bods zero six thirty staying
Speaker 7: around as Michael Paul Leving didn't been.
Speaker 8: A morning all.
Speaker 1: The hearing began with a statement by one of Mike's
Speaker 1: defense attorneys. He was determined to get the minimum possible
Speaker 1: penalty for his client, and he pulled out every stop
Speaker 1: to make that happen.
Speaker 9: Every scene has a passed and every sinner has a future,
Speaker 9: and Mike, the great parts of him will continue and
Speaker 9: dominate for the rest of his life in this particular case.
Speaker 9: Regarding the conduct here, mister Leavenood' every sands that he
Speaker 9: is unacceptable, and I'm very confident as I stand here
Speaker 9: today that he has internalized that.
Speaker 1: The attorney had witnesses prepared to testify to Mike's strong character,
Speaker 1: and he had letters from Mike's family, friends, and coworkers
Speaker 1: all saying the same thing. Mike was a good man
Speaker 1: and kind to others.
Speaker 9: He has been empathetic to others. He has been non
Speaker 9: self centered. He's been a giving person and an excellent dad,
Speaker 9: and an excellent employee and friend to dozens throughout his life.
Speaker 1: On top of that, Mike had been given a psych evaluation.
Speaker 1: It's commonly done in criminal cases to help inform sentencing decisions.
Speaker 1: Mike's evaluator said he was a low risk to society.
Speaker 1: He wasn't a danger to other women. As Mike's attorney argued,
Speaker 1: this crime was a misstep in an otherwise perfect life.
Speaker 9: When you get in the mix of the tornado and
Speaker 9: whirlwind of pornography addiction or pornography fixation, however you want
Speaker 9: to characterize it, it kind of twirls you out of
Speaker 9: control at certain moments. And again, there's nothing that takes
Speaker 9: away in anything that I'm saying on his own responsibility,
Speaker 9: in his own agency and his own free will. What
Speaker 9: I do think that this was part of this kind
Speaker 9: of hailstorm or tornado is the best thing I could
Speaker 9: think about him. We find oftoral into these and we
Speaker 9: would say unacceptable criminal series of conduct.
Speaker 1: Mike's other attorney also made remarks, and of course he
Speaker 1: brought up the marital exemption.
Speaker 7: Much of the most offensive behavior in this case was
Speaker 7: actually this legal under the law right, which has no
Speaker 7: bearing on whether or not it's moral, appropriate, desired, or right.
Speaker 7: But as it was, this case was difficult because incapacitation
Speaker 7: is not a grounds of sexual assault. With your spouts
Speaker 7: in Maryland, and the hours of footage that were presented
Speaker 7: by the state were largely of somebody.
Speaker 1: Incapacitated, and then he snuck in another argument, there were also.
Speaker 7: Hours and hours of footage of mutual, completely different conduct
Speaker 7: that was sexual in nature and was pornographic. It was
Speaker 7: completely within their marriage and completely within the two of them,
Speaker 7: and purely for their own private and join them.
Speaker 1: I want to underscore what's happening here. Mike was pleading guilty.
Speaker 1: According to his lawyers, he took full responsibility for what
Speaker 1: he did to Saskia. He was sorry. But in the
Speaker 1: same breath, Mike's defense team was trying to discredit Saskia.
Speaker 1: They were trying to convince the judge that Saskia did
Speaker 1: consent in hopes of getting Mike less time. This was
Speaker 1: all one big misunderstanding. You'll hear the judges take on
Speaker 1: that later in the episode, but for now, back to
Speaker 1: Mike's attorney.
Speaker 7: Mister Leventhood was in a committed marriage. He did not
Speaker 7: ever cheat on her, did not in any way stray
Speaker 7: from loving her. His commitment to her was real, and
Speaker 7: the things that he shared with her were real. However,
Speaker 7: perverse and raw and misguided and based on so many
Speaker 7: codependent and bad things, they were real. He has accepted
Speaker 7: responsibility for this position, and he will accept the punishment,
Speaker 7: and he will go to jail today, someone who's never
Speaker 7: been in jail, who was successful, who is while this
Speaker 7: was going on, making two hundred two hundred fifty thousand
Speaker 7: dollars a year and living a life for him that
Speaker 7: was in many ways perfect, that was on paper everything
Speaker 7: that you would want. His life will be ruined by this.
Speaker 7: He will be a lifetime registrant on the sex Vendor Registry,
Speaker 7: He will be instantly judged by anyone who meets him.
Speaker 7: He will be restricted on where he can live, and
Speaker 7: so many other things. And he has gotten a lot
Speaker 7: of perspective himself from what is important from this whole thing.
Speaker 7: Losing everything can help you see the material matters that
Speaker 7: really matter to being happy and being safe and secure.
Speaker 1: With that, he asked to judge to give Mike the
Speaker 1: lowest possible sentence, and then it was the state's turn.
Speaker 1: The prosecutor, Rebecca mcvittie, stood up before the judge.
Speaker 10: This is a familiar situation for the court in the
Speaker 10: sense that we have a defendant that, during the light
Speaker 10: of day, in all regards, is looked at as a
Speaker 10: contributing member of society, somebody who is lovable and likable,
Speaker 10: and that is exactly the aspect of the defendant's personality
Speaker 10: that allowed miss Inwood to fall for him, to love him,
Speaker 10: and to trust him. But these types of crimes, is
Speaker 10: the court seen over and over again, are not committed
Speaker 10: in the light of day. They are committed in darkness
Speaker 10: after that trust has been established. That is the reason
Speaker 10: that this betrayal is so intense for miss Inwood. It's
Speaker 10: defense council mentioned this resolution is a compromise under the
Speaker 10: current State of Maryland law. If the state was not
Speaker 10: concluded from going forward on rape charges under the incapacitation theory,
Speaker 10: the state would be looking at hours and hours of
Speaker 10: more footage, countless more accounts of second degree rape, as
Speaker 10: the defendant himself admits repeatedly engaging in sexual acts while
Speaker 10: miss Inwood was completely unconscious. Defense counsel referenced that this
Speaker 10: is a tornado of pornography addiction, but a tornado comes
Speaker 10: and goes in moments. From October twenty, twenty seventeen until
Speaker 10: October twenty fifth, twenty eighteen, about a year, the defendant
Speaker 10: that we know of videotape miss in Wood while she
Speaker 10: was unconscious or inebriated over thirty times.
Speaker 8: That is not a tornado.
Speaker 10: That is a year of perpetuating discontinualb betrayal of trust
Speaker 10: over and over again with the person he was supposed
Speaker 10: to protect the most.
Speaker 1: Rebecca then described the contents of one of the videos
Speaker 1: Mike took. Because the charges on paper could never capture
Speaker 1: what was in those videos, it feels important to Saskia
Speaker 1: and to us for people to know the extent of
Speaker 1: Mike's crimes. But if you'd like to skip hearing these details,
Speaker 1: you can fast forward one minute.
Speaker 8: In one of the videos, with the state provided.
Speaker 10: To the court, Miss Inwood is a sleep unconscious, however
Speaker 10: you'd like to say it. About fourteen minutes into her
Speaker 10: being unconscious, she pushes the defendant away and it looks
Speaker 10: like she mounts the words stop. After that happened, the
Speaker 10: defendant continues to perform sexual acts with her, including digital
Speaker 10: penetration of her vagina, inserting sex toys in her vagina,
Speaker 10: and at the end you see that he just leaves
Speaker 10: the camera on while she's unconscious.
Speaker 7: In that bad.
Speaker 10: There is no doubt that over the course of the year,
Speaker 10: the defendant waited till she was unconscious to get online
Speaker 10: and chat and exchange pornographic videos for tokens or coins
Speaker 10: or payment of some sort. He perpetrated every woman's fear
Speaker 10: by taking her voice, her choice in the matter, and
Speaker 10: he left her powerless to protect herself.
Speaker 1: Finally, Rebecca brought up the psych evaluation, the one given
Speaker 1: to Mike, where the psychologist concluded that he was a
Speaker 1: low risk to society. She said there was one thing
Speaker 1: missing from that assessment.
Speaker 10: Deem and his sex offender evaluation was actually never given
Speaker 10: a copy of these videos. He was given descriptions by
Speaker 10: the defense as to what these videos entail. It is
Speaker 10: a dramatic difference from reading the words on the statement
Speaker 10: of charges to watching that betrayal, that abuse, and the
Speaker 10: disturbing act that the defendant chose to record.
Speaker 1: And with that, the prosecutor concluded her argument. She asked
Speaker 1: the judge for the maximum possible sentence under the Plea
Speaker 1: agreement for Saskia. The speech was validating.
Speaker 2: It was like, yes, we've had to go through this
Speaker 2: painful process, but we didn't doubt that he was guilty.
Speaker 1: The prosecutor sat back at her desk, but before Judge
Speaker 1: Cummins could make her set dancing decision. There was still
Speaker 1: two people left to hear from.
Speaker 10: Her sister would like to speak, and then this would like.
Speaker 8: To be heard absolutely.
Speaker 1: Saskia and her sister Marisa had prepared victim impact statements.
Speaker 1: It would be Saskia's one chance to address Mike on
Speaker 1: the record, and it would be her only opportunity to
Speaker 1: show the judge who Mike Levinngood really was. Marisa stood
Speaker 1: up and addressed the court.
Speaker 8: Michael leaving good. You have no shame.
Speaker 11: You sit here and deny your wrongdoing in the face
Speaker 11: of irrefutable evidence that you're a rapist. We her family
Speaker 11: and friends, we know what you did.
Speaker 8: She truth clearly.
Speaker 11: I know when it all started, even before the date
Speaker 11: was shared today, because she was deteriorating mentally visibly right
Speaker 11: before our eyes. And we have no explanation as to
Speaker 11: why I went with her with you sometimes to multiple
Speaker 11: doctors and hospitals trying to find out what was wrong
Speaker 11: with her. No one could answer how she could get well.
Speaker 11: I recall vividly one night shortly after her mother died,
Speaker 11: which I will share the That date was September thirtieth,
Speaker 11: twenty seventeen, right before the videos began.
Speaker 8: When, despite drinking no more than anyone else, she was.
Speaker 11: Suddenly and surprisingly so incapacitated that she could not walk.
Speaker 11: Everyone was so concerned what had happened. She was signed
Speaker 11: one minute and then not the next. We thought about
Speaker 11: taking her to the hospital, but he was so calm,
Speaker 11: always in charge, always in control, less concerned than others,
Speaker 11: and reassured me personally that she would be fine, that
Speaker 11: he was there to take care of her. And now
Speaker 11: I have to wonder, based on that date, did you
Speaker 11: drug her that night or did you just encourage her
Speaker 11: to drink. Did you set up your cameras and final
Speaker 11: and manipulate her body while she was not aware and
Speaker 11: could not physically resist you. I know on my bones
Speaker 11: that you did. What affects me most is your cockiness
Speaker 11: in those videos.
Speaker 8: Well you felt how powerful to be able to do this.
Speaker 11: Without anyone knowing, to be able to pull it off
Speaker 11: time after time, and then put on your good husband
Speaker 11: mask during the day and rape the rewards of a
Speaker 11: beautiful home and a loving wife, your honor. Even now
Speaker 11: I feel my words are probably lost on him. He
Speaker 11: has only been concerned about himself and his consequences and
Speaker 11: his future life. Don't let him displaced lame onto his victim.
Speaker 8: Don't let other husbands or wives think they can do
Speaker 8: whatever they want to their spouses.
Speaker 11: Ensure that all people know having effect with an unconscious
Speaker 11: person is called rape, even when you're married to them.
Speaker 8: Thank you, Rol, Thank you Mam.
Speaker 1: Then after Marisa, it was finally Saskia's turn. With her
Speaker 1: paper shaking in her hand, she walked up to a
Speaker 1: table between the prosecution and the defense. Her body was
Speaker 1: towards the judge, but really she wanted to deliver the
Speaker 1: speech to Mike.
Speaker 2: I knew not to expect any empathy or remorse, and
Speaker 2: I think that drove me even more. The only thing
Speaker 2: that I can get is for him to have to
Speaker 2: sit with what he did to me.
Speaker 12: Let me start by shame. There's not enough jail time
Speaker 12: for you that will make me feel safe or give
Speaker 12: me back what I had before you. Victim, ximy, you
Speaker 12: deserved a maximum possible sentence. He pretended to be a
Speaker 12: loving husband, and yet you were my attacker.
Speaker 11: I posted pictures and videos of your crimes against my body.
Speaker 8: On the Internet for people to watch.
Speaker 13: I suffered embarrassment and a shame that I don't deserve.
Speaker 8: I never deserve it.
Speaker 13: What makes you stick to my stubmach to think about
Speaker 13: the hours and hours those images being launched by strangers.
Speaker 8: Maybe the worst part.
Speaker 13: Was when I woke up to catch and filming me,
Speaker 13: and then to finally see evil in your eyes.
Speaker 8: And that's exactly what I saw. No remorse, no caring,
Speaker 8: no sympathy, a cold and empty man. And at that
Speaker 8: point I knew and no amount of money, a.
Speaker 12: Personal discomfort which stopped me from pursuing justice.
Speaker 13: So if you were not able to pray on other
Speaker 13: vulnerable women, you pretended to support me through my ups
Speaker 13: and downs. Number one flitting on that you were using me.
Speaker 13: I had no idea that the cause of my misgy
Speaker 13: was lying in the bed.
Speaker 14: Next to me.
Speaker 13: You deserve to go to jail with the people who
Speaker 13: are real dangerous to society. You're a dangerous person who
Speaker 13: prays on vulnerable and trusting people.
Speaker 8: Your sexual predator, Michael Loving Good.
Speaker 12: You took away my ability to feel shape and to
Speaker 12: trust mebody moholeheartedly.
Speaker 13: It took away from me my happiness and I'll never
Speaker 13: be the same because of the able.
Speaker 8: Thank you. Misson one.
Speaker 1: After Saskia Mike was offered the last word. This would
Speaker 1: have been the moment to take accountability or to apologize.
Speaker 1: He chose to say nothing. At last, it came time
Speaker 1: for Judge Jill Cummins to deliver Mike's sentence.
Speaker 14: As very familiar with the statement of charges, knew what
Speaker 14: you were accused of. I'm very familiar with the facts
Speaker 14: of the case, but intellectually knowing the facts of the
Speaker 14: case is very different from watching those videos.
Speaker 1: Judge Jill Cummins had been prepared for a full criminal trial.
Speaker 1: She'd presided over the case for months, hearing all kinds
Speaker 1: of motions and pre trial arguments. At this point, she
Speaker 1: knew the case well. Much of the time, at sentencing hearings,
Speaker 1: judges give brief explanations of their decision. Some judges give
Speaker 1: no speech at all. Judge Jill Cummins was no such judge.
Speaker 14: Mister Lovinggood, what I will tell you is I've read
Speaker 14: every letter that everyone has submitted on your behalf, your
Speaker 14: letters from your daughters, your coworkers, your friends, your ex wife,
Speaker 14: and everyone has the same impression of you as a fine,
Speaker 14: outstanding person. But interestingly, with the exception i'd say of
Speaker 14: your ex wife, your friends, your coworkers. They don't know
Speaker 14: what happens behind bedroom doors and what people do in
Speaker 14: the privacy of their own homes. As you know, I've
Speaker 14: lived with this case for almost the last year now,
Speaker 14: and what I will say is I was very familiar
Speaker 14: with the statement of charges, knew what you were accused of,
Speaker 14: had read it several times every time you had appeared
Speaker 14: before me for pre trial statuses.
Speaker 8: Emotion to everything.
Speaker 14: I'm very familiar with the facts of the case, but
Speaker 14: intellectually knowing the facts of the case is very different
Speaker 14: from watching those videos. Not easy to watch those videos
Speaker 14: at all.
Speaker 1: The judge had only just seen those videos in preparation
Speaker 1: for the sentencing. They shifted her entire understanding of the case.
Speaker 14: It was clear to me that force was exercised in
Speaker 14: those videos. It was clear to me that mss Enwood
Speaker 14: was comatose, not asleep, but comatose unconscious.
Speaker 8: Absolutely, it was clear to me that you.
Speaker 14: Were enjoying yourself, that you weren't just taping this on
Speaker 14: the laptop. It looked like you had to have on
Speaker 14: some I couldn't describe it anything other as like a
Speaker 14: GoPro video thing, taping as you were maneuvering yourself and her.
Speaker 14: You added semestra cameras there.
Speaker 8: For camera angles.
Speaker 14: So reading the statement of charges and knowing the statement
Speaker 14: of charges was one thing, Watching those videos was something
Speaker 14: completely completely different. What was clear to me was that
Speaker 14: was no consensual behavior. It was disturbing and the life
Speaker 14: that you had led. I do not diminish that your education,
Speaker 14: your success that you've had in the business arena, but
Speaker 14: you have victimized miss Mwood.
Speaker 8: The damage done to her is probably irreparable.
Speaker 14: Knowing that those videos are out there for the world
Speaker 14: to see.
Speaker 1: Then the judge addressed the psych evaluation.
Speaker 8: After watching those videos.
Speaker 14: The very first question in my mind was to doctor
Speaker 14: Dean watch those videos when he rendered his evaluation. And
Speaker 14: MS mcvidio answered that question for me this morning and
Speaker 14: it was no, he didn't.
Speaker 8: Watch those videos.
Speaker 14: So I now definitely take doctor Dean's evaluation with the
Speaker 14: grant assault knowing that he didn't see the videos to
Speaker 14: understand the conduct that makes up these charges.
Speaker 8: And I did have some concern when I read the
Speaker 8: evaluation that there did.
Speaker 14: Seemed to be some lack of acceptance or responsibility on
Speaker 14: your part or the crime that you pled guilty to.
Speaker 14: And as I read this evaluation. I didn't take this
Speaker 14: as you were saying that I was wrong, I shouldn't
Speaker 14: have done this. It was we started down this path
Speaker 14: and she told me that when she passed out, I
Speaker 14: could do whatever I wanted to her. That's not someone
Speaker 14: who's sang I know what I did was wrong. That's
Speaker 14: someone saying, well, she said I could do whatever I
Speaker 14: want to her when she was comatose. After watching those videos,
Speaker 14: I don't believe that that's what she said. So I'm
Speaker 14: in the position of finding that you were not truly
Speaker 14: accepting of your guilt or responsibility.
Speaker 8: In this case. Mister Leventhood, you are a predator to
Speaker 8: miss Inwood.
Speaker 14: Mister Leventhood, you have received the benefit of a FLEA agreement.
Speaker 8: Your guidelines are four to nine years.
Speaker 1: She's referring to the sentencing guidelines per second degree rape.
Speaker 1: If the case had gone to trial. These are the
Speaker 1: instructions the judge would have used to ensure fair sentencing.
Speaker 14: Your attorneys in the state have negotiated a very good
Speaker 14: range for you based upon those guidelines, so as to
Speaker 14: count one second degree rate. I'm going to send you
Speaker 14: to fifteen years suspend all but eighteen months.
Speaker 1: Suspend all but eighteen months. The judge believed Mike's crimes
Speaker 1: warranted a fifteen year sentence, but his defense team had
Speaker 1: struck a deal with the state. As part of the
Speaker 1: plea agreement, they decided on a maximum amount of time
Speaker 1: Mike would spend behind bars eighteen months. Eighteen months is
Speaker 1: a magic number in Montgomery County. It meant that Mike
Speaker 1: would go to county jail instead of state prison. Saskia
Speaker 1: first heard that number on her call with Rebecca, the prosecutor.
Speaker 1: It was the same call where she learned there would
Speaker 1: be no trial, which she heard that Mike would only
Speaker 1: serve a maximum of eighteen months. She was devastated.
Speaker 2: I can't tell you how wrong that felt.
Speaker 1: Her sister, Marisa, tried to help her see the positives
Speaker 1: of the plea.
Speaker 15: We try to focus on the guilty plea. You know,
Speaker 15: he's a sex offender for life. These are big deals,
Speaker 15: but it didn't feel equivalent to like what he'd taken
Speaker 15: from her. He deserves more time, and it was a
Speaker 15: slap in the face that he didn't get more time.
Speaker 1: The prosecutors knew Saskia wanted Mike in prison for life,
Speaker 1: but victim's perspectives are only one element that they weigh
Speaker 1: in making plea agreements.
Speaker 5: We're constantly balancing how are we going to hold the
Speaker 5: offender accountable for what they did, how are we going
Speaker 5: to try to help the victim get some closure on
Speaker 5: the criminal case? And then public safety, what are we
Speaker 5: doing in terms of protecting the public from this offender.
Speaker 1: To the prosecutors, eighteen months plus a guarantee that Mike
Speaker 1: would be on the Sex Offender Registry for life was
Speaker 1: a win. On that day in court when the judge
Speaker 1: handed down the sentence, Marisa was moved.
Speaker 15: Oh God, that was just an amazing That was amazing.
Speaker 15: I feel like the judge just saw, you know, the
Speaker 15: judge saw everything. Even though we knew he was going
Speaker 15: to get eighteen months, we knew that was going to
Speaker 15: be the outcome.
Speaker 4: We knew we were going to have a.
Speaker 15: Chance to speak and to tell him you did this,
Speaker 15: and we know you did this. I didn't realize that
Speaker 15: there was going to be that huge validation.
Speaker 1: Here's Saskia.
Speaker 2: I remember the attorneys and him whispering something to each other,
Speaker 2: and he got up and the bailiff went to meet him.
Speaker 1: Mike was handcuffed and led out the front doors.
Speaker 2: And my friend Bridget tried to snap a photo.
Speaker 1: Before Mike could get away. Saskia's friend Bridget pulled out
Speaker 1: her phone.
Speaker 6: I just wanted to record him getting handcuffed and walking
Speaker 6: off so that I could show Saskia he is where
Speaker 6: he needs to be, and I wanted her to be
Speaker 6: able to see that, so that she could have that
Speaker 6: replay in her head and not have all these terrible
Speaker 6: memories replay in her head. I had pulled my phone
Speaker 6: up and I thought I was being inconspicuous, but he
Speaker 6: looked over at me and was like, your honor.
Speaker 1: You're not supposed to take photos or videos in the courtroom.
Speaker 1: Saskia's other friend, Colleen remembers Mike's reaction, well.
Speaker 16: He looked around frantically for the judge to help him.
Speaker 16: His dismay at everyone watching him and recording him in
Speaker 16: the violation that he expressed was very ironic.
Speaker 1: Saska wishes this moment of seeing her perpetrator taken to
Speaker 1: jail would have fixed everything.
Speaker 2: I thought it would heal a part of me. I
Speaker 2: thought it would heal me feeling like a helpless victim.
Speaker 1: She thought she'd be relieved. Instead, I just had anger
Speaker 1: and hatred.
Speaker 2: I had sadness and loss for the person that I
Speaker 2: thought he was, but that person died.
Speaker 1: Saskia had a lot of healing to do, but that
Speaker 1: healing had to happen beyond the courtroom. For perpetrators, jail
Speaker 1: or prison can be a final destination, but for victims,
Speaker 1: that jail sentence is just the beginning. It's something Ashley,
Speaker 1: the prosecutor, often tells victims.
Speaker 3: The result of the criminal case can't be the beyond
Speaker 3: and end all. Even if we win and get every
Speaker 3: single count. Somebody that you loved and cared about and
Speaker 3: married is going to prison for a long time. That's
Speaker 3: hard too. Or there's an acquittal, you've internalize that a
Speaker 3: jury didn't believe you. So the criminal justice system can
Speaker 3: be a part of your healing, but it can't be
Speaker 3: all of it because it's not going.
Speaker 12: To do it.
Speaker 1: Finally, Mike was in jail, but having him behind bars
Speaker 1: didn't mean he was out of Saskia's life.
Speaker 2: He was smart enough to know that this was gonna
Speaker 2: now be a family law case.
Speaker 1: The criminal matter was finalized, but the legal battle wasn't over,
Speaker 1: not by a long shot. On the next episode of Betrayal.
Speaker 8: She was really repressed.
Speaker 7: There was don'cuse on her part more than I. When
Speaker 7: she starts drinking, she doesn't stop.
Speaker 2: I felt it goes on the twilight zone. The fact
Speaker 2: that the judges were even listening to these things was
Speaker 2: blowing my mind.
Speaker 1: For resources on sexual violence, visit RAIN dot org slash betrayal.
Speaker 1: That's r ai n N dot org slash betrayal. You
Speaker 1: can also get free confidential twenty four seven support through
Speaker 1: Rain's National Sexual Assault Hotline. Just text Hope to six
Speaker 1: four six seventy three or call one eight hundred sixty
Speaker 1: five six hope. You are not alone. If you would
Speaker 1: like to reach out to the Betrayal team or want
Speaker 1: to tell us your story, email at Betrayalpod at gmail
Speaker 1: dot com. That is Betrayal Pod at gmail dot com.
Speaker 1: Or follow us on Instagram at Betrayal Pod. To access
Speaker 1: additional content and to connect with the Betrayal community, join
Speaker 1: our substack at Betrayal dot substack dot com. We're grateful
Speaker 1: for your support. One way to show support is by
Speaker 1: subscribing to our show on Apple Podcasts. Don't Forget to
Speaker 1: rate and review Betrayal. Five star reviews go a long
Speaker 1: way a big thank you to all of our listeners.
Speaker 1: Betrayal is the production of Glass Podcasts, a division of
Speaker 1: Glass Entertainment Group, in partnership with iHeart Podcasts. The show
Speaker 1: is executive produced by Nancy Glass and Jennifer Fason, hosted
Speaker 1: and produced by me Andrea Gunning, written and produced by
Speaker 1: Caitlin Golden. Our supervising producer is Kerrie Hartman. Our story
Speaker 1: editor is Monique Leboard, also produced by Ben Fetterman. Associate
Speaker 1: producers are Olivia Hewitt and Leah Jablo. Production management by
Speaker 1: Kristin Melcie. Additional support by Curry Richmond. Our iHeart team
Speaker 1: is Ali Perry and Jessica Crincheck. Audio editing by Tanner Robbins,
Speaker 1: with additional editing and mixing by Matt Delvecchio. Special thanks
Speaker 1: to Saskia, her friends and family, and special thanks to
Speaker 1: Will Pearson and Carrie Lieberman. The Trayal's theme is composed
Speaker 1: by Oliver Bains. Music library provided by Mybe Music and
Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts