A professional rock climber named Charles Barrett was sentenced to life in prison for sexually assaulting a woman named K.G. at Yosemite National Park in August 2016. The assaults occurred twice, once in the forest and once in a communal shower facility.
Barrett, who was 40 years old at the time of his arrest, had a history of sexual violence and intimidation towards women. He used his status as a prominent climber to lure victims into isolated areas and assault them.
Three other women testified during Barrett's trial that they too were sexually assaulted by him, but charges were not brought against Barrett for those incidents due to jurisdiction issues.
Barrett was living and working at Yosemite National Park when he met K.G., who visited the park for a weekend of hiking. He raped and sexually assaulted her multiple times during their visit.
The victims in this case showed great courage by reporting these crimes, despite Barrett's attempts to intimidate and silence them.
Barrett was charged with two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact. He was also convicted for criminal threats he made earlier that year towards one of his victims.
Despite his claims of mental health issues, Barrett's history of violence and intimidation towards women supports the imposition of a life sentence.
Barrett's attorneys, Timothy P. Hennessy and David Torres, plan to appeal the case.
