A man who sent a Facebook message that read, “So I raped you,” to a woman he later pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting has been sentenced to two to four years in prison. Ian Cleary's sentencing took place recently in Pennsylvania, following his guilty plea for the 2013 assault on Shannon Keeler at Gettysburg College.
The judge, acknowledging Cleary's remorse and his documented mental health issues, provided a sentence that fell below the state guidelines, which could have imposed 10 years at maximum. During the court proceedings, Cleary, now 32, indicated that he sent the messages in an attempt to come to terms with his actions as part of a 12-step program.
However, victim Shannon Keeler confronted him in her powerful 10-minute statement, articulating the pain caused by those messages, which only reopened long-healed wounds from the assault that was not pursued for years.
“The system meant to protect me protected you instead,” Keeler stated, shedding light on her arduous journey of seeking justice in a system that often hesitates to prosecute campus sexual assault cases.
In her remarks, Keeler reiterated that her ordeal was not just personal, but emblematic of many women's struggles against sexual violence. Legal representatives indicated that the agreed-upon sentence was below their expectations and deserved consequences for Cleary.
With the incident stemming from a time when fewer students were on campus, the legal process took years to catch up to Cleary. After the incident, he moved to California, obtained a graduate degree, and worked with Tesla before drifting overseas.
Years later, after sending the blunt message to Keeler and her renewed efforts with authorities, charges were eventually filed. Cleary was finally indicted in 2021 and arrested in France on unrelated charges before being extradited back to the United States.
At the sentencing, Cleary was present to apologize, expressing intentions for ongoing mental health treatment. Keeler, reflecting on her decade-long struggle for justice, expressed a sense of relief and the opportunity to finally move forward with her life.
