WEBVTT - Tornado | EP 5 | Saskia's Story 0:00:02.920 --> 0:00:07.840 On December eighteenth, twenty eighteen, Mike Levinngood was charged with rape. 0:00:08.720 --> 0:00:13.440 The prosecutors spent the next year building the case against him. 0:00:13.560 --> 0:00:16.000 They were going to a jury trial, and the state 0:00:16.120 --> 0:00:20.840 wanted a conviction, so they ran toxicology, consulted with experts, 0:00:21.440 --> 0:00:25.520 combed through online chats, and analyzed every moment of the 0:00:25.560 --> 0:00:31.680 dozens of videos they were able to track down. In 0:00:31.760 --> 0:00:35.239 the end, they gathered over thirty videos Mike had filmed 0:00:35.640 --> 0:00:40.160 without Saskia's consent. In many of them, she was completely 0:00:40.400 --> 0:00:47.839 unconscious and her husband was violating her. Mike was charged 0:00:47.880 --> 0:00:51.320 with thirty one counts of illegal surveillance, and even though 0:00:51.360 --> 0:00:55.360 prosecutors had video evidence of what Mike did, in the end, 0:00:56.040 --> 0:01:00.760 they were only able to bring four counts of rape. 0:01:01.120 --> 0:01:04.960 Under Marilyn law, it was legal to rape your unconscious spouse, 0:01:05.680 --> 0:01:11.840 just so long as it was done without force. If 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:14.559 he was found guilty of every charge, he could spend 0:01:14.600 --> 0:01:18.120 the rest of his life in prison. That was Saski's hope. 0:01:18.520 --> 0:01:21.160 I wanted him to be in jail, and I felt 0:01:21.160 --> 0:01:26.120 like testifying against him and holding him accountable would get 0:01:26.120 --> 0:01:27.839 me back some of my power. 0:01:30.640 --> 0:01:35.720 But if the jury questioned Saski's story, Mike could walk free. 0:01:35.959 --> 0:01:38.880 For Ashley inder Firth, the lead prosecutor on the case, 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:40.440 it was nerve wracking. 0:01:41.480 --> 0:01:45.760 This isn't a scenario where it's a fifty to fifty 0:01:46.120 --> 0:01:48.400 and we got to get it to fifty one percent. 0:01:49.080 --> 0:01:52.000 The jury has to believe it beyond a reasonable doubt. 0:01:53.080 --> 0:01:55.960 In the final lead up to the trial, Ashley had 0:01:56.000 --> 0:01:58.040 to pass the case off to another colleague. 0:01:58.680 --> 0:02:00.520 I had to go out on returnity leave. 0:02:01.640 --> 0:02:05.080 She was pregnant with twins and they came early in 0:02:05.120 --> 0:02:08.120 the months after they were born. She practically lived in 0:02:08.160 --> 0:02:08.600 the nick. 0:02:08.520 --> 0:02:12.400 Yew and I was sort of, you know, really not 0:02:12.480 --> 0:02:13.320 thinking about work. 0:02:13.400 --> 0:02:15.240 But this case was an exception. 0:02:17.480 --> 0:02:20.840 The day before Mike's trial was set to begin, Ashley 0:02:20.880 --> 0:02:23.880 was in the hospital. She was at her baby's bedside 0:02:24.280 --> 0:02:30.600 when her phone rang. It was Rebecca mcvittie, the prosecutor 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:34.400 who took over Saski's case. Ashley answered right away. 0:02:35.320 --> 0:02:37.320 She knew how much I cared about it, and she 0:02:37.480 --> 0:02:39.960 called me to make sure I was okay with what 0:02:40.120 --> 0:02:40.480 she was. 0:02:40.400 --> 0:02:40.800 Going to do. 0:02:55.680 --> 0:03:06.400 I'm Andrea Gunning and this is Betrayal, Season five, Episode five, Tornado. 0:03:06.680 --> 0:03:09.880 Saskia had just started working again after taking a year 0:03:09.919 --> 0:03:13.720 off to manage her trauma. That morning, she was sitting 0:03:13.760 --> 0:03:17.280 in a conference room talking with her fellow social workers, 0:03:17.560 --> 0:03:20.840 but the only thing on her mind was tomorrow's trial. 0:03:21.800 --> 0:03:24.680 She was expecting a call from the prosecutor to let 0:03:24.680 --> 0:03:28.440 her know what time to be there the next day. Instead, 0:03:28.919 --> 0:03:33.040 she got a message saying there was news. 0:03:32.880 --> 0:03:34.560 And I said, I had to excuse myself, and I 0:03:34.600 --> 0:03:37.400 went into the psychiatris's office because it was a bigger room, 0:03:37.640 --> 0:03:39.520 and I went and sat on the chair and was 0:03:39.600 --> 0:03:42.800 kind of shaking and just waiting to hear what happened. 0:03:44.000 --> 0:03:44.880 How we were proceeding. 0:03:45.760 --> 0:03:50.680 The minutes crept by. Then, after what felt like an eternity. 0:03:50.600 --> 0:03:53.400 I got the call saying that he made this plea 0:03:53.520 --> 0:03:56.760 deal and they wanted to accept it. 0:03:57.840 --> 0:04:02.600 Mike was pleading guilty. He would serve time and be 0:04:02.640 --> 0:04:06.280 on the sex offender registry for life, but. 0:04:07.560 --> 0:04:15.640 He only had to plead guilty for one count of rape. 0:04:15.720 --> 0:04:18.640 And it kind of felt like it discounted all of 0:04:18.680 --> 0:04:23.400 the times, all of the deceit, all of the manipulation. 0:04:24.960 --> 0:04:27.880 It was like it came down to one incident. 0:04:30.400 --> 0:04:33.840 For a year, Saskia had been preparing to take the 0:04:33.960 --> 0:04:37.320 stand to make Mike answer for what he'd done to 0:04:37.360 --> 0:04:42.440 her in video after video. Now she learned there would 0:04:42.480 --> 0:04:46.000 be only one charge and there would be no trial. 0:04:47.240 --> 0:04:50.520 I felt that my chance to speak my truth was gone, 0:04:50.560 --> 0:04:53.960 and my emotions all the lead up to that just 0:04:54.080 --> 0:04:55.880 kind of drained out of me in tears. 0:04:57.520 --> 0:05:00.440 The decision to go to trial wasn't hers to make 0:05:01.360 --> 0:05:05.440 because the prosecutors don't represent Saskia like attorneys would in 0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:08.840 a civil case. They represent the state of Maryland and 0:05:08.880 --> 0:05:11.520 its citizens as a whole, and they had to be 0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:19.279 realistic with the instructions given to the jury. Would they convict? Remember, 0:05:19.480 --> 0:05:23.760 the law wasn't on Saskia's side. Force was required to 0:05:23.839 --> 0:05:26.080 prosecute spouses for rape. 0:05:26.040 --> 0:05:29.960 But the force was minimal because she was completely incapacitated. 0:05:30.560 --> 0:05:33.919 That's Debbie Feinstein, head of the Special Victim's Division at 0:05:33.960 --> 0:05:38.640 the State's Attorney's Office in Montgomery County. She supervised the case. 0:05:39.279 --> 0:05:42.080 We could see on the videos that he had moved 0:05:42.120 --> 0:05:45.720 parts of her body, and we planned to argue that 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:46.440 was force. 0:05:47.400 --> 0:05:48.480 What do you have been successful? 0:05:48.480 --> 0:05:51.360 I don't know, because it's not conventionally what someone thinks 0:05:51.400 --> 0:05:52.520 of when they think of force. 0:05:53.720 --> 0:05:58.080 The burden of proof was incredibly high. Any doubt as 0:05:58.120 --> 0:06:02.800 to whether Mike's actions come instituted forcible rape could throw 0:06:02.839 --> 0:06:06.040 the whole case out the window. He could walk free. 0:06:06.920 --> 0:06:10.560 The state's attorneys also had to think about Saskia. They 0:06:10.600 --> 0:06:15.440 were aware of Saskia's alcohol use, her dependence on prescription medications, 0:06:16.040 --> 0:06:19.360 her mental health history, and her dad's mental health history. 0:06:20.120 --> 0:06:23.520 These were all things that a defense attorney would use 0:06:23.560 --> 0:06:28.039 to turn a jury against her. Here's Ashley, the original prosecutor. 0:06:29.040 --> 0:06:33.360 They're going to be throwing out these things about this 0:06:33.440 --> 0:06:37.440 person to try to undermine their credibility, and that is 0:06:37.480 --> 0:06:41.839 a really hard thing for victims to deal with, and 0:06:42.040 --> 0:06:43.720 it makes it harder for us to prove our case 0:06:44.040 --> 0:06:45.440 beyond a reasonable doubt. 0:06:48.120 --> 0:06:53.200 Everyone at the state's attorney's office believed Saskia, they'd seen 0:06:53.200 --> 0:06:57.719 the evidence this woman had been raped, but their belief 0:06:57.839 --> 0:07:00.880 in Saskia and their certainty that this was a crime 0:07:01.880 --> 0:07:05.799 wasn't enough to ensure a conviction. As Debbie told. 0:07:05.680 --> 0:07:10.240 Us, unfortunately, mental health still has stigma around it that 0:07:10.560 --> 0:07:11.960 can impact a juror. 0:07:12.840 --> 0:07:14.600 It shouldn't, but it does. 0:07:15.960 --> 0:07:18.400 With all of this in mind, when Mike said he 0:07:18.480 --> 0:07:22.280 was ready to take a plea. The prosecutors said yes, 0:07:23.040 --> 0:07:25.520 with a plea deal, they'd avoid the risk of a 0:07:25.600 --> 0:07:31.040 jury acquitting Mike. They'd get a guaranteed guilty. When Ashley, 0:07:31.120 --> 0:07:33.840 the original prosecutor, got the news, I. 0:07:33.920 --> 0:07:35.560 Was really glad to hear it. 0:07:36.480 --> 0:07:40.840 Given all of the complexities with this case, I thought 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:43.960 that him pleading guilty was the very best thing that 0:07:44.000 --> 0:07:48.440 could happen. I told my colleague that I was very 0:07:48.480 --> 0:07:51.040 pleased with what she had been able to work out. 0:07:52.040 --> 0:07:56.080 So the decision was made. There would be no trial, 0:07:57.240 --> 0:08:00.360 but Saskia would still get her day in court because 0:08:00.440 --> 0:08:03.400 after Mike took the plea, he had a sentence in hearing. 0:08:04.440 --> 0:08:08.160 At this hearing, Judge Jill Cummins would determine exactly how 0:08:08.240 --> 0:08:13.720 long Mike would spend behind bars. Saskia walked down the 0:08:13.720 --> 0:08:17.680 center aisle into the courtroom with her sister, brothers and 0:08:17.720 --> 0:08:18.960 friends by her side. 0:08:19.320 --> 0:08:21.640 We were just all so excited for at least this 0:08:21.800 --> 0:08:26.160 piece of this terrible process to be behind me and 0:08:26.200 --> 0:08:29.440 behind us, and for him to at least be taken 0:08:29.480 --> 0:08:32.240 away in shackles for doing what he did. 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:36.640 The courtroom was emptier than she'd imagined it. It was 0:08:36.760 --> 0:08:40.800 just a handful of spectators, some attorneys, some clerks, and 0:08:40.880 --> 0:08:44.160 the judge. Sitting at the front of the room where 0:08:44.200 --> 0:08:49.360 the jury would have been were twelve vacant chairs. Saskia, 0:08:49.440 --> 0:08:52.360 her friends and family took their seats in the gallery. 0:08:53.000 --> 0:08:57.280 We're just pretty dead, silent, waiting for the case to 0:08:57.280 --> 0:08:59.360 be called and waiting for Mike to be brought in. 0:09:00.440 --> 0:09:05.720 And then the doors opened. In walked Mike. Saska's friend 0:09:05.720 --> 0:09:08.840 Bridget recalls seeing him that day. He was wearing a 0:09:08.880 --> 0:09:13.280 suit and brand new white sneakers. At a glance, he 0:09:13.440 --> 0:09:16.560 was put together, but the outfit didn't fool her. 0:09:17.080 --> 0:09:19.319 He looked gaunt, and he had lost a lot of 0:09:19.320 --> 0:09:21.480 weight from stress. And that's only because he knew he 0:09:21.520 --> 0:09:25.319 got caught. You would think that you would put your 0:09:25.320 --> 0:09:28.640 head down or just have some level of remorse or shame, 0:09:29.240 --> 0:09:31.160 and he didn't. He looked straight at me and then 0:09:31.160 --> 0:09:32.000 looked straight ahead. 0:09:33.480 --> 0:09:35.360 It gave me chills. 0:09:35.400 --> 0:09:38.680 Mike took his seat next to his two attorneys. The 0:09:38.760 --> 0:09:42.400 sentencing hearing was ready to begin. What we're about to 0:09:42.440 --> 0:09:45.040 play for you are real excerpts from that day. 0:09:45.520 --> 0:09:47.960 Falk from Fast one three Bods zero six thirty staying 0:09:47.960 --> 0:09:51.120 around as Michael Paul Leving didn't been. 0:09:51.080 --> 0:09:51.640 A morning all. 0:10:11.080 --> 0:10:13.720 The hearing began with a statement by one of Mike's 0:10:13.720 --> 0:10:17.560 defense attorneys. He was determined to get the minimum possible 0:10:17.559 --> 0:10:20.680 penalty for his client, and he pulled out every stop 0:10:20.720 --> 0:10:21.600 to make that happen. 0:10:22.320 --> 0:10:25.199 Every scene has a passed and every sinner has a future, 0:10:25.720 --> 0:10:29.760 and Mike, the great parts of him will continue and 0:10:29.840 --> 0:10:33.880 dominate for the rest of his life in this particular case. 0:10:33.920 --> 0:10:39.120 Regarding the conduct here, mister Leavenood' every sands that he 0:10:39.400 --> 0:10:42.920 is unacceptable, and I'm very confident as I stand here 0:10:42.920 --> 0:10:45.400 today that he has internalized that. 0:10:47.360 --> 0:10:51.160 The attorney had witnesses prepared to testify to Mike's strong character, 0:10:51.760 --> 0:10:55.640 and he had letters from Mike's family, friends, and coworkers 0:10:55.679 --> 0:10:58.920 all saying the same thing. Mike was a good man 0:11:00.080 --> 0:11:00.960 and kind to others. 0:11:01.040 --> 0:11:03.280 He has been empathetic to others. He has been non 0:11:03.320 --> 0:11:07.400 self centered. He's been a giving person and an excellent dad, 0:11:08.120 --> 0:11:13.760 and an excellent employee and friend to dozens throughout his life. 0:11:14.840 --> 0:11:17.760 On top of that, Mike had been given a psych evaluation. 0:11:18.559 --> 0:11:23.000 It's commonly done in criminal cases to help inform sentencing decisions. 0:11:24.040 --> 0:11:28.319 Mike's evaluator said he was a low risk to society. 0:11:28.360 --> 0:11:32.360 He wasn't a danger to other women. As Mike's attorney argued, 0:11:32.840 --> 0:11:36.920 this crime was a misstep in an otherwise perfect life. 0:11:37.720 --> 0:11:40.480 When you get in the mix of the tornado and 0:11:40.559 --> 0:11:46.240 whirlwind of pornography addiction or pornography fixation, however you want 0:11:46.280 --> 0:11:49.440 to characterize it, it kind of twirls you out of 0:11:49.480 --> 0:11:53.800 control at certain moments. And again, there's nothing that takes 0:11:53.800 --> 0:11:57.360 away in anything that I'm saying on his own responsibility, 0:11:57.360 --> 0:12:00.160 in his own agency and his own free will. What 0:12:00.240 --> 0:12:03.520 I do think that this was part of this kind 0:12:03.520 --> 0:12:06.360 of hailstorm or tornado is the best thing I could 0:12:06.360 --> 0:12:10.200 think about him. We find oftoral into these and we 0:12:10.240 --> 0:12:13.640 would say unacceptable criminal series of conduct. 0:12:14.480 --> 0:12:18.200 Mike's other attorney also made remarks, and of course he 0:12:18.280 --> 0:12:19.760 brought up the marital exemption. 0:12:21.320 --> 0:12:24.360 Much of the most offensive behavior in this case was 0:12:24.400 --> 0:12:27.640 actually this legal under the law right, which has no 0:12:27.720 --> 0:12:32.200 bearing on whether or not it's moral, appropriate, desired, or right. 0:12:33.200 --> 0:12:37.640 But as it was, this case was difficult because incapacitation 0:12:38.800 --> 0:12:42.280 is not a grounds of sexual assault. With your spouts 0:12:42.400 --> 0:12:47.800 in Maryland, and the hours of footage that were presented 0:12:47.800 --> 0:12:49.640 by the state were largely of somebody. 0:12:49.280 --> 0:12:56.319 Incapacitated, and then he snuck in another argument, there were also. 0:12:56.160 --> 0:13:00.560 Hours and hours of footage of mutual, completely different conduct 0:13:00.640 --> 0:13:04.120 that was sexual in nature and was pornographic. It was 0:13:04.200 --> 0:13:06.880 completely within their marriage and completely within the two of them, 0:13:07.240 --> 0:13:09.640 and purely for their own private and join them. 0:13:11.000 --> 0:13:15.120 I want to underscore what's happening here. Mike was pleading guilty. 0:13:15.960 --> 0:13:19.440 According to his lawyers, he took full responsibility for what 0:13:19.520 --> 0:13:23.000 he did to Saskia. He was sorry. But in the 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:27.319 same breath, Mike's defense team was trying to discredit Saskia. 0:13:28.000 --> 0:13:31.000 They were trying to convince the judge that Saskia did 0:13:31.080 --> 0:13:35.640 consent in hopes of getting Mike less time. This was 0:13:35.720 --> 0:13:40.720 all one big misunderstanding. You'll hear the judges take on 0:13:40.760 --> 0:13:43.920 that later in the episode, but for now, back to 0:13:43.960 --> 0:13:44.680 Mike's attorney. 0:13:45.320 --> 0:13:48.560 Mister Leventhood was in a committed marriage. He did not 0:13:48.679 --> 0:13:52.120 ever cheat on her, did not in any way stray 0:13:52.200 --> 0:13:56.360 from loving her. His commitment to her was real, and 0:13:56.520 --> 0:13:59.160 the things that he shared with her were real. However, 0:13:59.240 --> 0:14:03.400 perverse and raw and misguided and based on so many 0:14:03.760 --> 0:14:08.319 codependent and bad things, they were real. He has accepted 0:14:08.400 --> 0:14:12.760 responsibility for this position, and he will accept the punishment, 0:14:12.760 --> 0:14:15.480 and he will go to jail today, someone who's never 0:14:15.520 --> 0:14:18.520 been in jail, who was successful, who is while this 0:14:18.679 --> 0:14:21.800 was going on, making two hundred two hundred fifty thousand 0:14:21.800 --> 0:14:25.800 dollars a year and living a life for him that 0:14:26.000 --> 0:14:29.560 was in many ways perfect, that was on paper everything 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:33.040 that you would want. His life will be ruined by this. 0:14:33.720 --> 0:14:36.280 He will be a lifetime registrant on the sex Vendor Registry, 0:14:36.600 --> 0:14:39.080 He will be instantly judged by anyone who meets him. 0:14:39.320 --> 0:14:41.480 He will be restricted on where he can live, and 0:14:41.520 --> 0:14:45.360 so many other things. And he has gotten a lot 0:14:45.400 --> 0:14:48.680 of perspective himself from what is important from this whole thing. 0:14:49.040 --> 0:14:52.480 Losing everything can help you see the material matters that 0:14:52.520 --> 0:14:56.520 really matter to being happy and being safe and secure. 0:14:58.240 --> 0:15:00.680 With that, he asked to judge to give Mike the 0:15:00.720 --> 0:15:05.000 lowest possible sentence, and then it was the state's turn. 0:15:05.720 --> 0:15:09.160 The prosecutor, Rebecca mcvittie, stood up before the judge. 0:15:09.880 --> 0:15:12.720 This is a familiar situation for the court in the 0:15:12.840 --> 0:15:16.600 sense that we have a defendant that, during the light 0:15:16.680 --> 0:15:20.760 of day, in all regards, is looked at as a 0:15:20.840 --> 0:15:25.360 contributing member of society, somebody who is lovable and likable, 0:15:26.120 --> 0:15:31.040 and that is exactly the aspect of the defendant's personality 0:15:31.600 --> 0:15:35.480 that allowed miss Inwood to fall for him, to love him, 0:15:35.720 --> 0:15:40.000 and to trust him. But these types of crimes, is 0:15:40.040 --> 0:15:42.720 the court seen over and over again, are not committed 0:15:42.760 --> 0:15:45.880 in the light of day. They are committed in darkness 0:15:46.600 --> 0:15:51.280 after that trust has been established. That is the reason 0:15:51.960 --> 0:15:58.160 that this betrayal is so intense for miss Inwood. It's 0:15:58.240 --> 0:16:02.960 defense council mentioned this resolution is a compromise under the 0:16:03.000 --> 0:16:06.240 current State of Maryland law. If the state was not 0:16:06.320 --> 0:16:11.280 concluded from going forward on rape charges under the incapacitation theory, 0:16:11.440 --> 0:16:13.680 the state would be looking at hours and hours of 0:16:13.720 --> 0:16:17.960 more footage, countless more accounts of second degree rape, as 0:16:18.040 --> 0:16:23.040 the defendant himself admits repeatedly engaging in sexual acts while 0:16:23.040 --> 0:16:29.440 miss Inwood was completely unconscious. Defense counsel referenced that this 0:16:29.480 --> 0:16:34.440 is a tornado of pornography addiction, but a tornado comes 0:16:34.480 --> 0:16:40.160 and goes in moments. From October twenty, twenty seventeen until 0:16:40.160 --> 0:16:45.040 October twenty fifth, twenty eighteen, about a year, the defendant 0:16:45.160 --> 0:16:48.320 that we know of videotape miss in Wood while she 0:16:48.480 --> 0:16:53.040 was unconscious or inebriated over thirty times. 0:16:54.240 --> 0:16:55.440 That is not a tornado. 0:16:55.800 --> 0:17:01.280 That is a year of perpetuating discontinualb betrayal of trust 0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:05.320 over and over again with the person he was supposed 0:17:05.359 --> 0:17:07.119 to protect the most. 0:17:08.920 --> 0:17:12.000 Rebecca then described the contents of one of the videos 0:17:12.040 --> 0:17:16.360 Mike took. Because the charges on paper could never capture 0:17:16.600 --> 0:17:20.680 what was in those videos, it feels important to Saskia 0:17:20.920 --> 0:17:23.800 and to us for people to know the extent of 0:17:23.880 --> 0:17:28.119 Mike's crimes. But if you'd like to skip hearing these details, 0:17:28.600 --> 0:17:32.400 you can fast forward one minute. 0:17:32.840 --> 0:17:36.000 In one of the videos, with the state provided. 0:17:35.600 --> 0:17:41.080 To the court, Miss Inwood is a sleep unconscious, however 0:17:41.119 --> 0:17:45.320 you'd like to say it. About fourteen minutes into her 0:17:45.359 --> 0:17:52.119 being unconscious, she pushes the defendant away and it looks 0:17:52.160 --> 0:17:57.639 like she mounts the words stop. After that happened, the 0:17:57.640 --> 0:18:02.760 defendant continues to perform sexual acts with her, including digital 0:18:02.800 --> 0:18:06.640 penetration of her vagina, inserting sex toys in her vagina, 0:18:08.040 --> 0:18:11.879 and at the end you see that he just leaves 0:18:11.920 --> 0:18:13.840 the camera on while she's unconscious. 0:18:13.880 --> 0:18:14.640 In that bad. 0:18:17.000 --> 0:18:20.800 There is no doubt that over the course of the year, 0:18:21.440 --> 0:18:26.639 the defendant waited till she was unconscious to get online 0:18:27.240 --> 0:18:31.320 and chat and exchange pornographic videos for tokens or coins 0:18:31.400 --> 0:18:36.800 or payment of some sort. He perpetrated every woman's fear 0:18:38.240 --> 0:18:42.159 by taking her voice, her choice in the matter, and 0:18:42.200 --> 0:18:44.840 he left her powerless to protect herself. 0:18:46.280 --> 0:18:50.480 Finally, Rebecca brought up the psych evaluation, the one given 0:18:50.480 --> 0:18:53.359 to Mike, where the psychologist concluded that he was a 0:18:53.400 --> 0:18:57.400 low risk to society. She said there was one thing 0:18:57.520 --> 0:18:58.879 missing from that assessment. 0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:03.080 Deem and his sex offender evaluation was actually never given 0:19:03.080 --> 0:19:06.280 a copy of these videos. He was given descriptions by 0:19:06.359 --> 0:19:11.359 the defense as to what these videos entail. It is 0:19:11.480 --> 0:19:15.040 a dramatic difference from reading the words on the statement 0:19:15.080 --> 0:19:20.320 of charges to watching that betrayal, that abuse, and the 0:19:20.400 --> 0:19:23.520 disturbing act that the defendant chose to record. 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:31.560 And with that, the prosecutor concluded her argument. She asked 0:19:31.560 --> 0:19:34.840 the judge for the maximum possible sentence under the Plea 0:19:34.880 --> 0:19:38.919 agreement for Saskia. The speech was validating. 0:19:40.040 --> 0:19:42.560 It was like, yes, we've had to go through this 0:19:43.200 --> 0:19:48.800 painful process, but we didn't doubt that he was guilty. 0:19:48.880 --> 0:19:52.480 The prosecutor sat back at her desk, but before Judge 0:19:52.480 --> 0:19:55.720 Cummins could make her set dancing decision. There was still 0:19:55.800 --> 0:19:57.680 two people left to hear from. 0:19:58.240 --> 0:20:00.600 Her sister would like to speak, and then this would like. 0:20:00.640 --> 0:20:01.639 To be heard absolutely. 0:20:03.320 --> 0:20:06.960 Saskia and her sister Marisa had prepared victim impact statements. 0:20:07.680 --> 0:20:10.880 It would be Saskia's one chance to address Mike on 0:20:10.920 --> 0:20:14.159 the record, and it would be her only opportunity to 0:20:14.200 --> 0:20:19.879 show the judge who Mike Levinngood really was. Marisa stood 0:20:19.960 --> 0:20:21.720 up and addressed the court. 0:20:22.160 --> 0:20:24.240 Michael leaving good. You have no shame. 0:20:25.280 --> 0:20:27.639 You sit here and deny your wrongdoing in the face 0:20:27.680 --> 0:20:32.679 of irrefutable evidence that you're a rapist. We her family 0:20:32.720 --> 0:20:34.640 and friends, we know what you did. 0:20:36.720 --> 0:20:37.760 She truth clearly. 0:20:38.880 --> 0:20:41.120 I know when it all started, even before the date 0:20:41.240 --> 0:20:45.040 was shared today, because she was deteriorating mentally visibly right 0:20:45.040 --> 0:20:47.520 before our eyes. And we have no explanation as to 0:20:47.600 --> 0:20:51.320 why I went with her with you sometimes to multiple 0:20:51.359 --> 0:20:54.200 doctors and hospitals trying to find out what was wrong 0:20:54.240 --> 0:20:57.600 with her. No one could answer how she could get well. 0:20:58.920 --> 0:21:01.920 I recall vividly one night shortly after her mother died, 0:21:01.960 --> 0:21:04.200 which I will share the That date was September thirtieth, 0:21:04.240 --> 0:21:08.880 twenty seventeen, right before the videos began. 0:21:10.240 --> 0:21:13.600 When, despite drinking no more than anyone else, she was. 0:21:13.520 --> 0:21:16.679 Suddenly and surprisingly so incapacitated that she could not walk. 0:21:17.440 --> 0:21:20.080 Everyone was so concerned what had happened. She was signed 0:21:20.119 --> 0:21:23.720 one minute and then not the next. We thought about 0:21:23.720 --> 0:21:27.439 taking her to the hospital, but he was so calm, 0:21:27.640 --> 0:21:31.159 always in charge, always in control, less concerned than others, 0:21:31.200 --> 0:21:33.720 and reassured me personally that she would be fine, that 0:21:33.800 --> 0:21:36.960 he was there to take care of her. And now 0:21:37.040 --> 0:21:40.240 I have to wonder, based on that date, did you 0:21:40.320 --> 0:21:43.520 drug her that night or did you just encourage her 0:21:43.520 --> 0:21:46.800 to drink. Did you set up your cameras and final 0:21:46.880 --> 0:21:49.000 and manipulate her body while she was not aware and 0:21:49.040 --> 0:21:53.520 could not physically resist you. I know on my bones 0:21:53.720 --> 0:21:57.800 that you did. What affects me most is your cockiness 0:21:57.800 --> 0:21:59.320 in those videos. 0:22:00.119 --> 0:22:03.720 Well you felt how powerful to be able to do this. 0:22:05.920 --> 0:22:09.120 Without anyone knowing, to be able to pull it off 0:22:09.200 --> 0:22:12.200 time after time, and then put on your good husband 0:22:12.240 --> 0:22:15.359 mask during the day and rape the rewards of a 0:22:15.400 --> 0:22:18.840 beautiful home and a loving wife, your honor. Even now 0:22:18.880 --> 0:22:21.840 I feel my words are probably lost on him. He 0:22:21.880 --> 0:22:25.320 has only been concerned about himself and his consequences and 0:22:25.400 --> 0:22:30.560 his future life. Don't let him displaced lame onto his victim. 0:22:30.800 --> 0:22:32.840 Don't let other husbands or wives think they can do 0:22:32.920 --> 0:22:34.639 whatever they want to their spouses. 0:22:36.640 --> 0:22:39.240 Ensure that all people know having effect with an unconscious 0:22:39.280 --> 0:22:42.000 person is called rape, even when you're married to them. 0:22:42.320 --> 0:22:47.800 Thank you, Rol, Thank you Mam. 0:22:47.880 --> 0:22:52.560 Then after Marisa, it was finally Saskia's turn. With her 0:22:52.600 --> 0:22:55.520 paper shaking in her hand, she walked up to a 0:22:55.520 --> 0:22:59.760 table between the prosecution and the defense. Her body was 0:23:00.280 --> 0:23:04.280 towards the judge, but really she wanted to deliver the 0:23:04.320 --> 0:23:05.400 speech to Mike. 0:23:06.520 --> 0:23:09.280 I knew not to expect any empathy or remorse, and 0:23:09.320 --> 0:23:12.600 I think that drove me even more. The only thing 0:23:12.640 --> 0:23:14.840 that I can get is for him to have to 0:23:14.840 --> 0:23:17.119 sit with what he did to me. 0:23:22.600 --> 0:23:25.399 Let me start by shame. There's not enough jail time 0:23:26.040 --> 0:23:28.840 for you that will make me feel safe or give 0:23:28.920 --> 0:23:32.200 me back what I had before you. Victim, ximy, you 0:23:32.320 --> 0:23:36.240 deserved a maximum possible sentence. He pretended to be a 0:23:36.280 --> 0:23:38.640 loving husband, and yet you were my attacker. 0:23:40.680 --> 0:23:44.400 I posted pictures and videos of your crimes against my body. 0:23:44.080 --> 0:23:45.600 On the Internet for people to watch. 0:23:46.400 --> 0:23:50.160 I suffered embarrassment and a shame that I don't deserve. 0:23:50.320 --> 0:23:51.440 I never deserve it. 0:23:52.520 --> 0:23:54.720 What makes you stick to my stubmach to think about 0:23:54.720 --> 0:23:59.119 the hours and hours those images being launched by strangers. 0:24:01.560 --> 0:24:02.760 Maybe the worst part. 0:24:02.640 --> 0:24:04.480 Was when I woke up to catch and filming me, 0:24:05.160 --> 0:24:07.200 and then to finally see evil in your eyes. 0:24:07.320 --> 0:24:12.200 And that's exactly what I saw. No remorse, no caring, 0:24:12.480 --> 0:24:17.479 no sympathy, a cold and empty man. And at that 0:24:17.520 --> 0:24:20.280 point I knew and no amount of money, a. 0:24:20.119 --> 0:24:22.800 Personal discomfort which stopped me from pursuing justice. 0:24:22.920 --> 0:24:24.439 So if you were not able to pray on other 0:24:24.520 --> 0:24:27.440 vulnerable women, you pretended to support me through my ups 0:24:27.480 --> 0:24:30.119 and downs. Number one flitting on that you were using me. 0:24:31.960 --> 0:24:34.120 I had no idea that the cause of my misgy 0:24:34.200 --> 0:24:35.280 was lying in the bed. 0:24:35.080 --> 0:24:35.560 Next to me. 0:24:37.400 --> 0:24:39.800 You deserve to go to jail with the people who 0:24:39.840 --> 0:24:42.840 are real dangerous to society. You're a dangerous person who 0:24:42.840 --> 0:24:44.679 prays on vulnerable and trusting people. 0:24:45.400 --> 0:24:47.200 Your sexual predator, Michael Loving Good. 0:24:49.080 --> 0:24:51.119 You took away my ability to feel shape and to 0:24:51.200 --> 0:24:52.720 trust mebody moholeheartedly. 0:24:53.640 --> 0:24:55.920 It took away from me my happiness and I'll never 0:24:55.960 --> 0:24:57.520 be the same because of the able. 0:25:02.440 --> 0:25:03.359 Thank you. Misson one. 0:25:06.119 --> 0:25:10.960 After Saskia Mike was offered the last word. This would 0:25:10.960 --> 0:25:15.120 have been the moment to take accountability or to apologize. 0:25:16.200 --> 0:25:21.639 He chose to say nothing. At last, it came time 0:25:21.760 --> 0:25:24.960 for Judge Jill Cummins to deliver Mike's sentence. 0:25:27.520 --> 0:25:31.159 As very familiar with the statement of charges, knew what 0:25:31.320 --> 0:25:34.119 you were accused of. I'm very familiar with the facts 0:25:34.160 --> 0:25:38.840 of the case, but intellectually knowing the facts of the 0:25:38.880 --> 0:25:43.600 case is very different from watching those videos. 0:26:08.200 --> 0:26:11.639 Judge Jill Cummins had been prepared for a full criminal trial. 0:26:12.440 --> 0:26:15.800 She'd presided over the case for months, hearing all kinds 0:26:15.840 --> 0:26:20.080 of motions and pre trial arguments. At this point, she 0:26:20.160 --> 0:26:24.200 knew the case well. Much of the time, at sentencing hearings, 0:26:24.680 --> 0:26:29.680