1 00:00:04,255 --> 00:00:08,050 What’s going on in Amish communities is horrific. 2 00:00:08,092 --> 00:00:10,427 There is sexual violence, domestic violence, 3 00:00:10,469 --> 00:00:12,805 child abuse, child sexual abuse. 4 00:00:12,847 --> 00:00:15,724 Incest rates are just staggering. 5 00:00:15,766 --> 00:00:19,895 It’s just been generations and generations and generations of abuse. 6 00:00:19,937 --> 00:00:24,525 Misty: This is not happening to one just Amish child or one Amish woman. 7 00:00:24,567 --> 00:00:29,738 This is happening in Amish communities across the United States. 8 00:00:29,780 --> 00:00:33,075 I remember not being safe in my room from my own fucking brother. 9 00:00:33,117 --> 00:00:37,538 If I made it to my room before he caught me and got the door locked, 10 00:00:37,580 --> 00:00:40,457 he would take the door off by the hinges. 11 00:00:40,499 --> 00:00:43,002 I called the sheriff’s department and reported it. 12 00:00:43,043 --> 00:00:46,088 Don Henry: We had put a wire on Mary, 13 00:00:46,130 --> 00:00:49,258 and she talked to Johnny about the abuse. 14 00:00:49,300 --> 00:00:52,261 And Johnny didn’t deny it to her either. 15 00:00:59,310 --> 00:01:03,272 Tim Gaskell: Amish will come in droves to the courtroom 16 00:01:03,314 --> 00:01:07,735 when they have somebody involved in a court proceeding. 17 00:01:07,776 --> 00:01:10,946 Mary: They literally paraded them up on the witness stand 18 00:01:10,988 --> 00:01:14,450 to testify as to what a good Amish man he is, 19 00:01:14,492 --> 00:01:19,121 and people practically cried on demand. 20 00:01:19,163 --> 00:01:22,750 It’s not that it’s awful that he’s a rapist. 21 00:01:22,791 --> 00:01:27,463 It’s that it’s awful that I am unforgiving and reported it. 22 00:01:27,505 --> 00:01:32,134 The judge, as he was sentencing, I can remember him saying, 23 00:01:32,176 --> 00:01:36,430 "I see all you people here in support of the defendant." 24 00:01:41,268 --> 00:01:43,187 That was a very small triumph. 25 00:01:43,229 --> 00:01:44,980 It was like, "Oh, my God. This is unheard of. 26 00:01:45,022 --> 00:01:47,733 He’s going to actually do the right thing." 27 00:01:47,775 --> 00:01:49,777 I thought he’d get 20 years. 28 00:01:54,573 --> 00:01:55,491 I hoped. 29 00:01:57,993 --> 00:01:59,161 Henry: I mean, there’s not just 30 00:01:59,203 --> 00:02:01,372 the Mary Byler case out there. 31 00:02:04,041 --> 00:02:05,709 Woman: My child came to me and she said, 32 00:02:05,751 --> 00:02:09,338 "Mommy, does a daddy put his hands up your dress?" 33 00:02:09,380 --> 00:02:13,592 He told me it wasn’t a bad thing, but that it was just a secret. 34 00:02:13,634 --> 00:02:17,429 And I can’t tell you what it feels like as a mother 35 00:02:17,471 --> 00:02:21,517 to sit there beside your child and listen to them tell you 36 00:02:21,559 --> 00:02:23,644 what was done to them by their own father. 37 00:02:23,686 --> 00:02:27,189 I reached out to a friend, and I said, "What do I do?" 38 00:02:27,231 --> 00:02:29,233 And she said, "Audrey, you have to report it." 39 00:03:01,724 --> 00:03:04,518 These cases involving Plain community defendants 40 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:06,395 are a little bit unusual in the sense 41 00:03:06,437 --> 00:03:09,148 that these defendants never go to trial. 42 00:03:09,190 --> 00:03:14,737 They generally admit to what they have done and accept the consequences. 43 00:03:14,778 --> 00:03:18,407 A plea agreement is where the sentence is agreed to 44 00:03:18,449 --> 00:03:20,409 by the commonwealth and the defendant in advance, 45 00:03:20,451 --> 00:03:22,828 but they don’t go to trial. 46 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:30,920 Eli got eight years. He got probably a little more because he had a prior record. 47 00:03:30,961 --> 00:03:33,088 David got four years. 48 00:03:33,130 --> 00:03:38,093 And Johnny was by far the worst of them three 49 00:03:38,135 --> 00:03:41,430 between Johnny, Eli, and David. 50 00:03:41,472 --> 00:03:42,765 By far. 51 00:03:49,271 --> 00:03:51,607 The courtroom is completely packed 52 00:03:51,649 --> 00:03:53,108 with Amish people, 53 00:03:53,150 --> 00:03:56,111 who made a mockery out of that courtroom. 54 00:03:56,153 --> 00:03:58,739 They bussed in four busloads of Amish people, 55 00:03:58,781 --> 00:04:01,450 and the thing that was craziest about that 56 00:04:01,492 --> 00:04:06,163 is that not a single one of them was there in court for me. 57 00:04:30,229 --> 00:04:31,856 I thought justice was going to be served. 58 00:04:40,197 --> 00:04:42,992 Gaskell: The judge sentenced Johnny 59 00:04:43,033 --> 00:04:45,828 to ten years of probation 60 00:04:45,870 --> 00:04:50,291 and one year in our county jail. 61 00:04:52,710 --> 00:04:54,879 We were dumbfounded. 62 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:57,423 We were angry. 63 00:04:59,133 --> 00:05:02,845 We were literally in shock 64 00:05:02,887 --> 00:05:04,805 as to what had just happened, 65 00:05:04,847 --> 00:05:08,559 how somebody that would go to the extent, 66 00:05:08,601 --> 00:05:12,146 who removed door hinges to get inside a room 67 00:05:12,188 --> 00:05:15,733 to sexually assault his own sister 68 00:05:15,774 --> 00:05:21,655 could be walking away without a significant prison sentence. 69 00:05:25,242 --> 00:05:26,494 I was numb. 70 00:05:28,787 --> 00:05:32,208 I don’t even think it really sank in. 71 00:05:32,249 --> 00:05:36,545 I could’ve been knocked off my chair with a feather. I could not believe it. 72 00:05:36,587 --> 00:05:41,258 He should’ve been sent to prison for a number of years. 73 00:05:42,801 --> 00:05:45,638 There’s no justification for a year in the county jail 74 00:05:45,679 --> 00:05:49,433 for as many times as he sexually assaulted Mary, in my opinion. 75 00:05:54,605 --> 00:05:57,566 He was also given Huber privileges 76 00:05:57,608 --> 00:06:03,572 which means that he was able to go out and work during the day, 77 00:06:03,614 --> 00:06:07,827 and then he’d come back to jail and basically spend the night. 78 00:06:09,954 --> 00:06:13,415 Mary: How is it justice to allow an Amish perpetrator 79 00:06:13,457 --> 00:06:18,587 to go to jail for one year in county with Huber, 80 00:06:18,629 --> 00:06:23,092 and then allow him to continue going to church 81 00:06:23,133 --> 00:06:25,886 where he has access to more victims? 82 00:06:25,928 --> 00:06:29,598 How do you get perpetrator saying in court to a judge, 83 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:33,936 "I raped her close 75 times"? 84 00:06:33,978 --> 00:06:40,109 How do you get that and one year in the county jail with a work release, 85 00:06:40,150 --> 00:06:42,361 and ten years supervision 86 00:06:42,403 --> 00:06:47,158 and a $16,000 restitution fee to pay for therapy? 87 00:06:47,199 --> 00:06:48,492 I still don’t see 88 00:06:48,534 --> 00:06:53,455 how that’s actually rehabilitating somebody 89 00:06:53,497 --> 00:06:56,834 or preventing somebody from reoffending. 90 00:07:07,845 --> 00:07:11,432 We’ll be coming up to where Mary Byler’s place was. 91 00:07:13,225 --> 00:07:15,477 That’s the big house right there. 92 00:07:15,519 --> 00:07:18,189 Doesn’t look like much a place anymore. 93 00:07:18,230 --> 00:07:21,317 Mary told me yesterday on the phone 94 00:07:21,358 --> 00:07:23,068 that Eli is still here. 95 00:07:27,031 --> 00:07:28,491 That might be Eli right there. 96 00:07:28,532 --> 00:07:31,660 He’s gonna come and beat us with his fishing pole. 97 00:07:35,539 --> 00:07:37,541 - What’s up? - What are you doing? 98 00:07:37,583 --> 00:07:39,668 - Driving along. - Take that camera and shove it 99 00:07:39,710 --> 00:07:41,337 - somewhere the sun don’t shine. - Okay. 100 00:07:41,378 --> 00:07:43,964 I hate them stupid things, and I don’t want my picture taken. 101 00:07:44,006 --> 00:07:46,300 - Okay. - Point that stupid thing somewhere else. 102 00:07:46,342 --> 00:07:47,760 - Are you Eli? - Yes, I am. 103 00:07:47,801 --> 00:07:50,095 I thought you were. Have a good day, Eli. 104 00:07:56,393 --> 00:07:58,521 Jasper: There’s a lot of evilness 105 00:07:58,562 --> 00:08:00,898 and a lot of terrible things that happen 106 00:08:00,940 --> 00:08:05,069 behind the essence of what America loves to see, which is beauty. 107 00:08:13,869 --> 00:08:18,165 When you go down the road and it’s quilts and they have hotels, 108 00:08:18,207 --> 00:08:21,001 and people want to take buggy rides and things like that, 109 00:08:21,043 --> 00:08:25,214 and I think it’s just because they are stuck in that time period, 110 00:08:25,256 --> 00:08:26,715 that 1800s kind of time period, 111 00:08:26,757 --> 00:08:28,884 with the horse and the buggy and no electricity. 112 00:08:28,926 --> 00:08:31,387 That fascinates people. 113 00:08:31,428 --> 00:08:33,973 See the gentle people. See the kind Amish. 114 00:08:34,014 --> 00:08:36,141 They are just pretty much angelic. 115 00:08:36,183 --> 00:08:38,477 You know, that’s the message that’s given out, 116 00:08:38,519 --> 00:08:40,688 and people buy into it. 117 00:08:40,729 --> 00:08:42,898 Why are people so fascinated 118 00:08:42,940 --> 00:08:46,569 that they’re getting on double-decker buses 119 00:08:46,610 --> 00:08:48,404 to drive by farms 120 00:08:48,445 --> 00:08:53,450 that are filled with abusers? 121 00:08:53,492 --> 00:08:56,579 Misty: This lie just keeps perpetuating, 122 00:08:56,620 --> 00:08:59,748 and it’s a shame because, you know, 123 00:08:59,790 --> 00:09:02,251 if people really knew what the Amish were, 124 00:09:02,293 --> 00:09:03,961 there would be no Amish tours. 125 00:09:06,380 --> 00:09:08,591 We have Amish and Mennonite everywhere. 126 00:09:08,632 --> 00:09:12,178 You look around, and kids are playing and they look happy. 127 00:09:12,219 --> 00:09:14,013 And they don’t bother anybody. 128 00:09:14,054 --> 00:09:16,056 They have their cute little horse and buggies that go down the road, 129 00:09:16,098 --> 00:09:18,642 and the kids are always waving when you go by. 130 00:09:18,684 --> 00:09:23,022 That’s our view. That’s our perception of people in the Plain community. 131 00:09:23,063 --> 00:09:26,942 As long as the facade is able to be maintained, 132 00:09:26,984 --> 00:09:29,945 abusers will always have an upper hand. 133 00:09:29,987 --> 00:09:31,697 Jasper: They even sold this idea that 134 00:09:31,739 --> 00:09:34,450 somehow it is this idealistic life 135 00:09:34,492 --> 00:09:36,243 that they want to live. 136 00:09:36,285 --> 00:09:38,704 Challenging that is very difficult 137 00:09:38,746 --> 00:09:42,666 because there’s a lot of money on the line. 138 00:09:42,708 --> 00:09:45,628 They silence victims, they protect perpetrators, 139 00:09:45,669 --> 00:09:49,632 because it’s more important to protect the branding. 140 00:09:49,673 --> 00:09:52,134 And when you have a religion that also is a brand, 141 00:09:52,176 --> 00:09:54,803 people get it confused as to what they really are. 142 00:10:01,977 --> 00:10:07,775 If you meet an Amish buggy and you see a little girl 143 00:10:07,816 --> 00:10:10,778 sitting in there in their Amish outfits, 144 00:10:10,819 --> 00:10:13,656 and they’re so innocent-- I can’t help it, 145 00:10:13,697 --> 00:10:17,159 I think, "Is that little girl being abused? 146 00:10:17,201 --> 00:10:19,119 Is she going to be abused?" 147 00:10:19,161 --> 00:10:21,121 I look at them little boys, 148 00:10:21,163 --> 00:10:24,166 and are they gonna grow up and abuse their sisters? 149 00:10:24,208 --> 00:10:25,960 And I worry about it. 150 00:10:26,001 --> 00:10:29,046 I mean, there’s not just the Mary Byler case out there. 151 00:10:48,899 --> 00:10:52,319 I was born in Lafayette, Indiana, 152 00:10:52,361 --> 00:10:55,531 on February 9th, 1978. 153 00:10:55,573 --> 00:10:58,117 My parents started migrating through churches 154 00:10:58,159 --> 00:11:02,037 getting more and more and more conservative until we ended up in one 155 00:11:02,079 --> 00:11:05,207 of the most conservative Amish groups in the country. 156 00:11:10,004 --> 00:11:13,674 I wanted a beautiful home. I wanted a peaceful home. 157 00:11:18,888 --> 00:11:22,808 I thought staying Amish was the way to do that, 158 00:11:22,850 --> 00:11:27,938 and I threw everything into it that I had. Everything. 159 00:11:29,565 --> 00:11:30,858 In communities that I was in, 160 00:11:30,900 --> 00:11:33,110 a woman wasn’t allowed to just be single. 161 00:11:35,237 --> 00:11:38,532 You always have to be under a male figure of some kind. 162 00:11:38,574 --> 00:11:40,993 Mike and I dated for several months, 163 00:11:41,035 --> 00:11:44,038 and then we were married in the summer of 2001. 164 00:11:44,079 --> 00:11:46,957 It was a really big deal when Mike started dating me 165 00:11:46,999 --> 00:11:51,545 because his father was a minister who later became a bishop. 166 00:11:51,587 --> 00:11:56,550 His family held a lot of political clout in the community, 167 00:11:56,592 --> 00:11:58,177 and so it was a big deal. 168 00:11:58,219 --> 00:11:59,845 I mean, that’s what everybody wants. 169 00:11:59,887 --> 00:12:02,598 You want to marry up. 170 00:12:04,308 --> 00:12:06,477 I had no sex education. 171 00:12:06,519 --> 00:12:09,897 I had zero knowledge of my body, 172 00:12:09,939 --> 00:12:13,234 of men, of relationships, of sex, nothing. 173 00:12:13,275 --> 00:12:16,153 They shove a couple books at you and say, "Read this," 174 00:12:16,195 --> 00:12:18,197 the last week right before you get married. 175 00:12:18,239 --> 00:12:20,366 "Read this, but don’t talk about it." 176 00:12:20,407 --> 00:12:22,535 And you’re ready for marriage. You’re ready for sex. 177 00:12:22,576 --> 00:12:25,287 You’re ready for raising kids. You’re ready for all of it. 178 00:12:27,289 --> 00:12:29,625 I had no clue. No clue. 179 00:12:31,085 --> 00:12:33,754 I was pregnant within the first month, 180 00:12:33,796 --> 00:12:35,631 and nine months later we had a baby. 181 00:12:37,132 --> 00:12:40,928 By all standards, we had a perfect Amish life, 182 00:12:40,970 --> 00:12:43,973 and our family started growing and everything was idyllic. 183 00:12:46,725 --> 00:12:50,980 But slowly, something started to feel off. 184 00:12:52,314 --> 00:12:54,108 I now have five children, 185 00:12:54,149 --> 00:12:59,780 and I’m extremely busy, I’m homeschooling all of them. 186 00:12:59,822 --> 00:13:03,409 But at that point, I was overwhelmed, I was tired. 187 00:13:03,450 --> 00:13:07,955 We were taught that it was a woman’s job to please her husband 188 00:13:07,997 --> 00:13:10,958 and then the children came next. 189 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:14,128 And if you do that, you’re fulfilling your Biblical role 190 00:13:14,170 --> 00:13:18,007 and you should be happy. 191 00:13:19,842 --> 00:13:22,595 We were taught to take a nap in the afternoon 192 00:13:22,636 --> 00:13:27,141 so that we were sexually ready for our husbands when they got home. 193 00:13:27,183 --> 00:13:31,187 You know, he needed sex every three days, because after 72 hours, 194 00:13:31,228 --> 00:13:34,190 a man’s gonna go looking somewhere else if you don’t give him what he needs. 195 00:13:42,323 --> 00:13:46,452 The children were physically abused by him from the beginning. 196 00:13:46,494 --> 00:13:51,165 We were taught that you start disciplining by six months. 197 00:13:53,334 --> 00:13:57,254 The children were expected to sit through a three hour service and make no noise. 198 00:13:57,296 --> 00:14:01,175 The oldest was always her wild, crazy self. 199 00:14:01,217 --> 00:14:04,762 He would take her out of church and beat her and beat her. 200 00:14:04,803 --> 00:14:09,016 I was brainwashed into believing that it wasn’t abuse, it was discipline, 201 00:14:09,058 --> 00:14:11,018 and it’s what God wanted him to do 202 00:14:11,060 --> 00:14:13,479 because that was his place in the home. 203 00:14:13,521 --> 00:14:16,899 With time, I started to see the effects on the children 204 00:14:16,941 --> 00:14:19,693 and especially my two oldest girls. 205 00:14:19,735 --> 00:14:22,029 They started to struggle with depression, 206 00:14:22,071 --> 00:14:25,032 and the day came when I discovered that Marlena, 207 00:14:25,074 --> 00:14:28,536 my oldest one, was cutting herself. 208 00:14:28,577 --> 00:14:32,081 And I’m like, "Why? What’s wrong?" 209 00:14:36,043 --> 00:14:39,547 I automatically assumed it was the physical abuse from her father 210 00:14:39,588 --> 00:14:43,300 and just the emotional trauma of where our marriage was. 211 00:14:47,596 --> 00:14:49,598 I thought it was just his anger, 212 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:50,933 and I told him that over and over. 213 00:14:50,975 --> 00:14:53,686 "We need space and we need to feel safe, 214 00:14:53,727 --> 00:14:56,856 and you need to go get help." 215 00:14:56,897 --> 00:15:01,443 The only way I knew to fix it at that point was for him to leave. 216 00:15:01,485 --> 00:15:03,863 And so I filed for the divorce to force him out of the house 217 00:15:03,904 --> 00:15:05,865 so that we could have peace and safety. 218 00:15:08,117 --> 00:15:11,579 The church excommunicated me for filing for divorce. 219 00:15:11,620 --> 00:15:13,414 It was so backwards, 220 00:15:13,455 --> 00:15:17,084 me filing for divorce to protect us from him 221 00:15:17,126 --> 00:15:20,129 was a greater sin than his abuse. 222 00:15:23,507 --> 00:15:26,635 Hinton: Plain community people, Amish and Mennonite, 223 00:15:26,677 --> 00:15:28,929 they talk about mistakes, 224 00:15:28,971 --> 00:15:31,307 they talk about moral misgivings, things like that, 225 00:15:31,348 --> 00:15:34,393 but for the person who has been excommunicated 226 00:15:34,435 --> 00:15:37,771 and kicked out of the Amish community permanently, 227 00:15:37,813 --> 00:15:38,939 "They’re defiant. 228 00:15:38,981 --> 00:15:41,275 They were wild. 229 00:15:41,317 --> 00:15:43,235 They were sinful." 230 00:15:43,277 --> 00:15:45,946 And their only sin is that they couldn’t forgive their abuser 231 00:15:45,988 --> 00:15:47,990 or that they spoke up about the abuse. 232 00:15:49,867 --> 00:15:53,120 Audrey: I was suddenly adrift. 233 00:15:53,162 --> 00:15:56,123 At this point, my oldest one’s still cutting, 234 00:15:56,165 --> 00:16:00,461 and my second one, Dorthea, 235 00:16:00,503 --> 00:16:02,254 starts attempting suicide. 236 00:16:02,296 --> 00:16:04,381 She starts trying to hang herself. 237 00:16:07,176 --> 00:16:10,930 A little bit before I was 12, I got incredible depressed, 238 00:16:10,971 --> 00:16:15,142 and I went to a hospital because I tried to kill myself, 239 00:16:15,184 --> 00:16:18,896 and I just knew that I had to find a way to protect myself. 240 00:16:18,938 --> 00:16:21,607 And at some points if, you know, 241 00:16:21,649 --> 00:16:23,150 taking myself out of this world 242 00:16:23,192 --> 00:16:24,360 meant that it wouldn’t happen to me, 243 00:16:24,401 --> 00:16:26,403 then that’s just how it was gonna be. 244 00:16:30,533 --> 00:16:33,786 Audrey: I begged her to talk to me, but she was so locked down. 245 00:16:33,828 --> 00:16:37,373 It was really hard for me because I was like, "What are they not telling me?" 246 00:16:39,208 --> 00:16:40,835 I knew something deeper was wrong, 247 00:16:40,876 --> 00:16:42,127 but I didn’t know what. 248 00:16:45,422 --> 00:16:48,551 I had no idea that my whole world was about to change. 249 00:16:48,592 --> 00:16:53,180 My oldest daughter Marlena came to me first. 250 00:16:53,222 --> 00:16:56,892 When I finally opened up to my mom about what was happening, 251 00:16:56,934 --> 00:16:59,186 it was because I had heard her 252 00:16:59,228 --> 00:17:01,730 telling some of my siblings around a campfire 253 00:17:01,772 --> 00:17:04,441 the usual thing that a mother would tell their children. 254 00:17:04,483 --> 00:17:07,194 "If somebody ever touches you in this place, 255 00:17:07,236 --> 00:17:09,530 that’s a no-no, and you need to tell an adult." 256 00:17:09,572 --> 00:17:12,074 That was the moment that I realized that it wasn’t normal. 257 00:17:12,116 --> 00:17:13,325 It was sexual assault. 258 00:17:16,203 --> 00:17:19,206 Audrey: She opened up and asked me if it was normal 259 00:17:19,248 --> 00:17:22,376 for dads to touch their daughter’s butts. 260 00:17:22,418 --> 00:17:26,881 And I remember sitting there frozen, all of a sudden understanding 261 00:17:26,922 --> 00:17:30,134 that this picture was a whole lot bigger than I even imagined. 262 00:17:34,138 --> 00:17:36,515 As she proceed to tell me the different things 263 00:17:36,557 --> 00:17:39,560 that he had been doing to her and places he was touching her, 264 00:17:39,602 --> 00:17:44,940 I wasn’t even sure if I had enough information for it to be reportable. 265 00:17:47,943 --> 00:17:51,238 I reached out to a friend who had a lot of experience in that area. 266 00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:53,115 I told her what my daughter told me. 267 00:17:53,157 --> 00:17:54,909 I said, "What do I do?" 268 00:17:54,950 --> 00:17:56,702 And she said, "Audrey, you have to report it." 269 00:17:58,245 --> 00:18:01,707 And I knew with his powerful family, 270 00:18:01,749 --> 00:18:05,294 if I would report this and make this kind of an accusation, 271 00:18:05,336 --> 00:18:08,088 it could set the wheels in motion for a huge court battle 272 00:18:08,130 --> 00:18:10,090 and for me to possibly lose my kids. 273 00:18:10,132 --> 00:18:13,552 All these things are racing through their mind. 274 00:18:13,594 --> 00:18:16,055 "Is my child gonna be taken away? I don’t know the system." 275 00:18:16,096 --> 00:18:20,935 What do they do know about it has told to them by the leaders or the men, 276 00:18:20,976 --> 00:18:23,145 and so it’s not correct information. 277 00:18:25,147 --> 00:18:28,526 It was terrifying for me to get the authorities involved 278 00:18:28,567 --> 00:18:31,779 because my ex-husband straight out told me 279 00:18:31,820 --> 00:18:33,489 that if I went to the law 280 00:18:33,531 --> 00:18:36,116 that he would get custody of the children. 281 00:18:36,158 --> 00:18:39,453 And biggest fear was losing my children, 282 00:18:39,495 --> 00:18:41,080 the very thing I was fighting for. 283 00:18:41,121 --> 00:18:45,000 I filed for a restraining order 284 00:18:45,042 --> 00:18:47,169 the same day I made the report 285 00:18:47,211 --> 00:18:48,629 because I knew the first thing he was gonna do 286 00:18:48,671 --> 00:18:50,172 was come after the kids. 287 00:19:02,476 --> 00:19:05,437 Ahh! 288 00:19:05,479 --> 00:19:07,439 I’m gonna cry... 289 00:19:07,481 --> 00:19:09,108 ( laughing ) 290 00:19:09,149 --> 00:19:11,819 - ( muffled chatter ) - What? 291 00:19:11,861 --> 00:19:13,988 It’s so good to see you. 292 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:27,835 - But you’ll be okay, right? - I always am. 293 00:19:27,877 --> 00:19:32,923 - One day. - Within this group of survivors that I put together, 294 00:19:32,965 --> 00:19:34,842 we all come from different communities, 295 00:19:34,884 --> 00:19:37,052 from different parts of the country, 296 00:19:37,094 --> 00:19:40,472 from different levels of Amish, strict to liberal, 297 00:19:40,514 --> 00:19:43,392 but shockingly, all of our stories are the same. 298 00:19:44,602 --> 00:19:46,478 Gosh, I can’t believe you’re here. 299 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:48,647 Audrey: When you’ve walked through this kind of hell, 300 00:19:48,689 --> 00:19:52,443 and you can connect with people from the same cultural background, 301 00:19:52,484 --> 00:19:56,113 you form a deep bond even if you don’t even know each other that well. 302 00:19:57,490 --> 00:20:02,161 Mine was 17 years ago. Yours was, what, 16, 15? 303 00:20:02,203 --> 00:20:03,579 - 16. 16 years. - Yeah. 304 00:20:03,621 --> 00:20:06,499 I can’t begin to describe how momentous it is 305 00:20:06,540 --> 00:20:10,252 to have multiple survivors gather together 306 00:20:10,294 --> 00:20:12,129 and doing things together 307 00:20:12,171 --> 00:20:15,883 for the betterment of future generations of Amish people. 308 00:20:15,925 --> 00:20:20,179 For me, it’s validating and empowering, 309 00:20:20,221 --> 00:20:22,014 and it’s comforting to my younger self 310 00:20:22,056 --> 00:20:26,352 to know that even though I didn’t know each of you, I wasn’t alone. 311 00:20:26,393 --> 00:20:30,439 So to sit here and have this conversation with a group of women 312 00:20:30,481 --> 00:20:34,485 who have all walked away, who found their voice, who told their stories 313 00:20:34,527 --> 00:20:37,238 it’s validating, it’s empowering, 314 00:20:37,279 --> 00:20:42,910 and it’s just comforting to that younger part of me that was never believed. 315 00:20:42,952 --> 00:20:45,204 I’d be a millionaire if I had a dollar 316 00:20:45,246 --> 00:20:49,291 for every single time somebody’s looked at me and said, 317 00:20:49,333 --> 00:20:52,169 "But are you sure he would really do something like that?" 318 00:20:52,211 --> 00:20:56,131 - Right, right. - "I mean, isn’t this just a case of he said, she said?" 319 00:20:56,173 --> 00:20:57,550 Do you know how many times I’ve heard that? 320 00:20:57,591 --> 00:20:59,760 Where did that come from, "he said, she said"? 321 00:20:59,802 --> 00:21:04,390 Because so many of the cases, sexual assault cases, that’s all you have. 322 00:21:04,431 --> 00:21:06,725 Parents have to believe the child no matter what. 323 00:21:06,767 --> 00:21:12,314 I mean, there were times that even though I just could hardly believe it was possible, 324 00:21:12,356 --> 00:21:14,567 I still always believed my children. 325 00:21:14,608 --> 00:21:17,862 I’ve heard them tell countless people, "Mom always believed me." 326 00:21:17,903 --> 00:21:19,864 And they’d be like, "How did you have the courage to tell?" 327 00:21:19,905 --> 00:21:22,491 And they were like, "Mommy believed me. She always believed me." 328 00:21:26,745 --> 00:21:30,207 I still sometimes can’t really process it all. 329 00:21:30,249 --> 00:21:34,170 It still kind of feels like that was another life, another person, another world. 330 00:21:50,436 --> 00:21:52,188 Mom, do you need help with anything? 331 00:21:52,229 --> 00:21:55,441 I don’t think so. I think we’ve almost got it, like, literally. 332 00:21:58,402 --> 00:22:01,280 - How’s you? - Good. 333 00:22:01,322 --> 00:22:03,115 Audrey: She said, "I’ll never forget the night 334 00:22:03,157 --> 00:22:04,617 I sat straight up in bed and said, 335 00:22:04,658 --> 00:22:05,826 "What the fuck? 336 00:22:05,868 --> 00:22:07,620 I’ve been sexually abused my whole life 337 00:22:07,661 --> 00:22:09,788 and I didn’t even know that’s what it was." 338 00:22:09,830 --> 00:22:13,292 ’Cause it started when she was so small, it’s all she ever knew. 339 00:22:17,505 --> 00:22:23,469 Then I said, "How did you not know to tell me?" 340 00:22:23,511 --> 00:22:26,639 And she said, "Mike would tell me that if I told, 341 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:28,474 he would do it to the other children." 342 00:22:28,516 --> 00:22:30,142 And so she said, 343 00:22:30,184 --> 00:22:32,770 "In order to spare my siblings, I didn’t tell." 344 00:22:47,535 --> 00:22:50,329 Right before they went in for interviews, 345 00:22:50,371 --> 00:22:52,498 my other two daughters came to me, 346 00:22:52,540 --> 00:22:56,126 and my second oldest, Dorthea, said, 347 00:22:56,168 --> 00:23:01,632 "Mom, I know I’m gonna have to tell them what Dad did to me, 348 00:23:01,674 --> 00:23:03,384 so I guess I might as well tell you." 349 00:23:03,425 --> 00:23:07,513 There’s a lot of challenges for interviewers 350 00:23:07,555 --> 00:23:12,017 in communicating with Amish children when they do present. 351 00:23:12,059 --> 00:23:14,562 I personally can’t imagine what they’re going through, 352 00:23:14,603 --> 00:23:17,439 the sadness in their heart to know that someone they love, 353 00:23:17,481 --> 00:23:20,526 trusted, can do these horrific things to them? 354 00:23:20,568 --> 00:23:23,863 When they become aware that it is wrong, 355 00:23:23,904 --> 00:23:25,531 it’s devastating. 356 00:23:28,242 --> 00:23:30,536 Audrey: My youngest daughter came to me. 357 00:23:30,578 --> 00:23:32,371 Angie remembers graphic details. 358 00:23:32,413 --> 00:23:34,582 Her story was one of the most graphic. 359 00:23:37,585 --> 00:23:40,379 She said from the age of about four or five 360 00:23:40,421 --> 00:23:45,050 until she was between seven and nine, he raped her. 361 00:23:45,092 --> 00:23:48,387 And I think her story cut me the most 362 00:23:48,429 --> 00:23:53,559 realizing that my ex-husband was raping a five-year-old child 363 00:23:53,601 --> 00:23:56,353 and she’s bleeding and begging him to stop. 364 00:23:56,395 --> 00:24:01,775 And he says, "Just wait a little bit longer. It’ll all be over soon." 365 00:24:01,817 --> 00:24:06,739 And I can’t tell you what it feels like as a mother 366 00:24:06,780 --> 00:24:10,743 to sit there beside your child and listen to them tell you 367 00:24:10,784 --> 00:24:13,704 what was done to them by their own father. 368 00:24:15,623 --> 00:24:18,250 Farrell: For those naysayers the don’t believe kids 369 00:24:18,292 --> 00:24:19,919 or say it’s a he said, she said case, 370 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:22,588 when a child gives me details or tells me 371 00:24:22,630 --> 00:24:25,090 it felt like a tree trunk was going into their body, 372 00:24:25,132 --> 00:24:30,971 the detailed pattern print of her dad’s boxer shorts, 373 00:24:31,013 --> 00:24:32,932 the smells around, 374 00:24:32,973 --> 00:24:36,310 those are the things kids don’t just make up. 375 00:24:36,352 --> 00:24:38,604 Usually children tell me, 376 00:24:38,646 --> 00:24:40,731 you know, "I’ve never told this much 377 00:24:40,773 --> 00:24:44,610 because I don’t want anyone to know about how it felt. 378 00:24:44,652 --> 00:24:48,906 I don’t want anyone to know the shame and guilt I have." 379 00:25:00,835 --> 00:25:02,670 Audrey: The trooper filed the charges. 380 00:25:04,296 --> 00:25:06,715 32 counts, 381 00:25:06,757 --> 00:25:08,968 19 felonies, 382 00:25:09,009 --> 00:25:12,930 9 first-degree. 383 00:25:14,348 --> 00:25:17,059 He was arrested a day or two later, 384 00:25:17,101 --> 00:25:20,354 and the community supported him from the get go. 385 00:25:20,396 --> 00:25:23,482 The community put the bail money together. 386 00:25:23,524 --> 00:25:25,651 The community excommunicated me. 387 00:25:25,693 --> 00:25:29,572 The community has sheltered him and harbored him 388 00:25:29,613 --> 00:25:31,490 and paid for his attorney. 389 00:25:31,532 --> 00:25:34,160 From the very get go, they have coddled him 390 00:25:34,201 --> 00:25:36,871 and they left me to fend for myself. 391 00:25:46,130 --> 00:25:47,673 How does it make you feel 392 00:25:47,715 --> 00:25:50,426 to see Audrey fighting for her kids? 393 00:25:52,887 --> 00:25:54,054 It’s okay to cry. 394 00:25:56,515 --> 00:26:01,061 It’s almost unfathomable to think that any parent 395 00:26:01,103 --> 00:26:04,648 inside of an Amish home could ever, 396 00:26:04,690 --> 00:26:08,068 ever even begin to fight for their kids. 397 00:26:10,654 --> 00:26:13,699 Misty: It’s just so structured over the years 398 00:26:13,741 --> 00:26:16,118 that you just push it aside, you make them be quiet, 399 00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:21,499 and forgive and move on, and that’s just how it’s done. 400 00:26:21,540 --> 00:26:24,168 I can remember the first time I called the police 401 00:26:24,210 --> 00:26:26,504 I was terrified out of my mind. 402 00:26:26,545 --> 00:26:28,506 I didn’t even know how to do it, 403 00:26:28,547 --> 00:26:30,966 and I was afraid there would be some type of repercussions. 404 00:26:31,008 --> 00:26:34,845 I was terrified of what would happen when Mike found out 405 00:26:34,887 --> 00:26:37,348 that I called the cops 406 00:26:37,389 --> 00:26:39,099 because there’s always repercussions. 407 00:26:39,141 --> 00:26:40,559 You don’t do that. 408 00:26:52,571 --> 00:26:54,782 You’ve got neighbors that spy on you, right? 409 00:26:54,824 --> 00:26:56,492 Yeah, that’s why I built that fence. 410 00:26:56,534 --> 00:26:58,118 They would stand in those windows 411 00:26:58,160 --> 00:26:59,703 and watch everything we did. 412 00:26:59,745 --> 00:27:01,872 They’d stand in there and watch us swimming on Sundays. 413 00:27:01,914 --> 00:27:03,374 Meg: So they are on Mike’s side or... 414 00:27:03,415 --> 00:27:04,583 - Oh, yeah. - ...they’re just nosy? 415 00:27:04,625 --> 00:27:07,753 Audrey: No, they’re on Mike’s side. 416 00:27:09,755 --> 00:27:15,052 February of 2020 was when the physical harassment started. 417 00:27:17,638 --> 00:27:20,349 That was when they first broke into my home. 418 00:27:20,391 --> 00:27:22,768 They were looking for dirt on me. 419 00:27:22,810 --> 00:27:25,020 In the Amish world, it’s a social game 420 00:27:25,062 --> 00:27:27,565 of whoever can make the other person look worse. 421 00:27:27,606 --> 00:27:32,152 So it became this cycle of them breaking into my house. 422 00:27:32,194 --> 00:27:35,197 And they would stand down there by my children’s beds 423 00:27:35,239 --> 00:27:36,907 in the dark in the doorways. 424 00:27:36,949 --> 00:27:38,993 Dorthea: I used to not be able to sleep at night, 425 00:27:39,034 --> 00:27:42,913 and I would just lay there, and it felt like any minute 426 00:27:42,955 --> 00:27:45,833 someone was gonna come into my room with a gun. 427 00:27:45,875 --> 00:27:50,129 Or it felt like anytime was home by myself, you know, 428 00:27:50,171 --> 00:27:53,257 I was gonna hear somebody and they were gonna hurt me. 429 00:27:53,299 --> 00:27:57,386 It’s, like, every time I came home, it felt like somebody was gonna be here. 430 00:27:57,428 --> 00:28:00,598 Audrey: There’s something that it does to you psychologically 431 00:28:00,639 --> 00:28:04,101 when your last safe place on the face of the Earth 432 00:28:04,143 --> 00:28:05,603 is no longer safe. 433 00:28:05,644 --> 00:28:07,938 That’s the kind of stuff that they do 434 00:28:07,980 --> 00:28:10,691 to try to destroy the people who speak up. 435 00:28:14,153 --> 00:28:17,615 Sometimes pressure is put on victims by the Amish community 436 00:28:17,656 --> 00:28:19,617 to not cooperate with law enforcement, 437 00:28:19,658 --> 00:28:22,786 or various things to prevent them from engaging 438 00:28:22,828 --> 00:28:25,080 in the criminal justice system like anyone else would. 439 00:28:25,122 --> 00:28:29,502 Woman: There’s a lot of emphasis on, 440 00:28:29,543 --> 00:28:32,087 "We deal with problems as a church. 441 00:28:32,129 --> 00:28:35,508 We do not go world, as they term it, for help. 442 00:28:35,549 --> 00:28:39,470 There’s this very strong expectation 443 00:28:39,512 --> 00:28:42,473 that even if there is an abuse case, 444 00:28:42,515 --> 00:28:46,060 you just quietly suffer for the sake of the Lord. 445 00:28:46,101 --> 00:28:51,941 In their desire to try to exonerate the offender or minimize what he’s done 446 00:28:51,982 --> 00:28:55,819 and make it not be quite so horrible and evil and terrible, 447 00:28:55,861 --> 00:28:58,239 they’re willing to assign blame to the victim. 448 00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:01,826 Hinton: Every bit of their theology is twisted. 449 00:29:01,867 --> 00:29:04,495 There’s this theology that rape happens, 450 00:29:04,537 --> 00:29:07,832 abuse happens, people fall into temptation, 451 00:29:07,873 --> 00:29:10,751 and that’s okay because God is a very giving God. 452 00:29:10,793 --> 00:29:12,837 grace can wipe all of that out, 453 00:29:12,878 --> 00:29:16,006 and we’re all gonna be in heaven singing together 454 00:29:16,048 --> 00:29:18,175 and, you know, praying together, 455 00:29:18,217 --> 00:29:21,011 except for those who spoke out about abuse. 456 00:29:21,053 --> 00:29:24,682 Reinaker: They can be subjected to a lot of pressure 457 00:29:24,723 --> 00:29:27,560 and ostracization from the rest of the community. 458 00:29:27,601 --> 00:29:29,311 They can be shunned by the community. 459 00:29:29,353 --> 00:29:33,858 They can basically be removed from the Amish community, 460 00:29:33,899 --> 00:29:36,277 and that’s the only life they’ve known. 461 00:29:38,696 --> 00:29:41,532 At first they just started following me to work, 462 00:29:41,574 --> 00:29:43,492 and parking and watching me around town. 463 00:29:43,534 --> 00:29:46,162 And then they would drive back and forth past the house real slow, 464 00:29:46,203 --> 00:29:47,913 and of course terrify my kids out of their minds. 465 00:29:47,955 --> 00:29:50,166 The cops were like, "We’ll put up a trail camera 466 00:29:50,207 --> 00:29:52,334 and we’ll get license plates." It wasn’t enough. 467 00:29:52,376 --> 00:29:54,253 They were watching everything we did. 468 00:29:54,295 --> 00:29:57,923 They knew exactly when we came and went for every single thing. 469 00:29:57,965 --> 00:29:59,884 I know they’re trying to push me out of my home. 470 00:29:59,925 --> 00:30:02,720 They’re trying to force me away. I won’t leave. 471 00:30:02,761 --> 00:30:06,056 It’s my home and I’m not going anywhere. 472 00:30:06,098 --> 00:30:09,351 And it’s like the cops told me multiple times, 473 00:30:09,393 --> 00:30:12,563 "You do what you have to do and we’ll clean up the mess when we get there." 474 00:30:12,605 --> 00:30:15,232 I’m armed all the time and I don’t mess around. 475 00:30:15,274 --> 00:30:18,068 I was working, and I was trying to take care of children 476 00:30:18,110 --> 00:30:20,070 - who were suicidal and who weren’t okay. - Yeah. 477 00:30:20,112 --> 00:30:22,364 And so it was, like, dealing with all 478 00:30:22,406 --> 00:30:25,910 the constant trauma of my children and their needs, 479 00:30:25,951 --> 00:30:28,579 and then trying to deal with all the trauma of not knowing 480 00:30:28,621 --> 00:30:30,915 - what’s gonna happen next or what they could do. - Yeah. 481 00:30:30,956 --> 00:30:33,292 You and I both know what they’re capable of. 482 00:30:33,334 --> 00:30:36,003 Yep. That we do. 483 00:30:52,269 --> 00:30:55,231 Audrey: "Dear Audrey, we write this letter with heavy hearts 484 00:30:55,272 --> 00:30:59,109 and a longing to see you return to God’s way. 485 00:30:59,151 --> 00:31:01,904 However, you continue to choose a selfish and sinful path 486 00:31:01,946 --> 00:31:04,114 at the expense of your children’s security, 487 00:31:04,156 --> 00:31:06,742 your husband’s heart, and your own soul. 488 00:31:06,784 --> 00:31:08,244 We long for you to find rest again. 489 00:31:08,285 --> 00:31:10,496 I know life has dealt you some hard blows, 490 00:31:10,538 --> 00:31:13,249 but it’s only the beginning unless you get rid of the bitterness. 491 00:31:13,290 --> 00:31:15,501 We don’t want that for you and the children. 492 00:31:15,543 --> 00:31:18,879 We want peace and rest for you all. 493 00:31:18,921 --> 00:31:22,132 With love and prayers, Leroy Kauffman and Irving Kauffman." 494 00:31:33,978 --> 00:31:37,940 Since I left the DA’s office in January of 2017, 495 00:31:37,982 --> 00:31:40,234 I’ve had a lot of Amish cases since then. 496 00:31:40,276 --> 00:31:43,737 I would say a majority of the times that I have a defendant who’s Amish, 497 00:31:43,779 --> 00:31:45,948 they typically admit it right away. 498 00:31:45,990 --> 00:31:48,534 They say they’ve done it, so it’s less of, you know, 499 00:31:48,576 --> 00:31:50,119 this whole thing of defending. 500 00:31:50,161 --> 00:31:52,746 It’s more of just trying to mitigate their sentence. 501 00:32:02,715 --> 00:32:06,427 Now working with the defendant, I have to, first of all, 502 00:32:06,468 --> 00:32:09,138 show them that they’re going to lose, show them the evidence and say, 503 00:32:09,180 --> 00:32:11,515 "There’s no way that a jury’s gonna find you not guilty 504 00:32:11,557 --> 00:32:12,808 based on what we have here," 505 00:32:12,850 --> 00:32:14,810 then give them the best advice I can 506 00:32:14,852 --> 00:32:16,645 as to what they should do going forward. 507 00:32:16,687 --> 00:32:19,398 I have to keep explaining to them, 508 00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:22,651 you know, what they did, and why that’s a crime, 509 00:32:22,693 --> 00:32:24,486 and what they’re looking at for punishment. 510 00:32:24,528 --> 00:32:26,447 And they feel as though they’ve corrected it within their community. 511 00:32:26,489 --> 00:32:29,825 This person’s been remorseful, has admitted to the sin, 512 00:32:29,867 --> 00:32:32,203 has done whatever their bishop has told them to do, 513 00:32:32,244 --> 00:32:35,164 and for them that’s it. 514 00:32:35,206 --> 00:32:38,000 But then here we come from outside telling them, 515 00:32:38,042 --> 00:32:39,585 "Oh, no, you’re going to state prison," 516 00:32:39,627 --> 00:32:40,961 and they don’t like that at all. 517 00:32:43,380 --> 00:32:45,674 They never wanna have the victim testify. 518 00:32:45,716 --> 00:32:49,011 The victims sometimes are very inarticulate either because they’re young 519 00:32:49,053 --> 00:32:51,013 or because they’re just not experienced in this area. 520 00:32:51,055 --> 00:32:52,348 So they don’t even know how to describe 521 00:32:52,389 --> 00:32:53,641 certain parts of their body. 522 00:32:53,682 --> 00:32:56,894 And when they talk to the police, 523 00:32:56,936 --> 00:32:59,813 they’re descriptions sometimes are really, really difficult 524 00:32:59,855 --> 00:33:01,357 to understand what may have happened. 525 00:33:01,398 --> 00:33:04,235 And the person I represent will say, you know, 526 00:33:04,276 --> 00:33:08,364 "I did molest this person, but I didn’t do these things," 527 00:33:08,405 --> 00:33:10,866 And that’s usually the worst of it, is figuring out, 528 00:33:10,908 --> 00:33:12,868 "Well, he said he did this but not quite this, 529 00:33:12,910 --> 00:33:14,328 and can we drop these charges?" 530 00:33:14,370 --> 00:33:17,248 That’s usually it. 531 00:33:17,289 --> 00:33:19,500 You have this Amish defendant who has all this support 532 00:33:19,542 --> 00:33:22,711 from the community and the family. 533 00:33:22,753 --> 00:33:24,713 I think that the English person may come out of it 534 00:33:24,755 --> 00:33:27,967 with a worse sentence than the Amish. 535 00:33:48,654 --> 00:33:51,240 Audrey: Today I’m meeting with the DA and the prosecution team 536 00:33:51,282 --> 00:33:54,910 to discuss plea bargain versus trial, 537 00:33:54,952 --> 00:33:58,205 what types of safety measures can be put in place, 538 00:33:58,247 --> 00:34:03,419 whether they incarcerate him upon agreeing to a guilty plea 539 00:34:03,460 --> 00:34:06,422 rather than waiting for a separate date to turn himself in. 540 00:34:06,463 --> 00:34:09,758 We’re hoping for a million dollar cash bond. 541 00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:12,011 We really don’t want him walking the streets. 542 00:34:35,993 --> 00:34:38,120 I’m not really sure that they changed a whole lot 543 00:34:38,162 --> 00:34:40,331 because I went into the meeting pretty open ended. 544 00:34:45,211 --> 00:34:47,963 I would say with everything considered 545 00:34:48,005 --> 00:34:51,133 and all the different topics we discussed today, 546 00:34:51,175 --> 00:34:54,637 a plea is going to be a guarantee. 547 00:34:54,678 --> 00:34:55,554 A trial might not be. 548 00:35:02,436 --> 00:35:05,439 The first question the older ones are probably gonna have is, 549 00:35:05,481 --> 00:35:08,817 "Well, so give me numbers. Like, how long are we talking?" 550 00:35:08,859 --> 00:35:10,611 And they’re gonna be disappointed. 551 00:35:14,281 --> 00:35:15,324 So... 552 00:35:16,826 --> 00:35:18,244 As I learned today, 553 00:35:18,285 --> 00:35:21,163 Cumberland County is one of the most lenient counties 554 00:35:21,205 --> 00:35:23,582 for offenders in Pennsylvania. 555 00:35:26,544 --> 00:35:29,338 But his defense attorney says, 556 00:35:29,380 --> 00:35:33,008 "We recognize he’s gonna have to plead guilty to some felonies. 557 00:35:33,050 --> 00:35:36,178 We’re willing to accept Megan’s Law 558 00:35:36,220 --> 00:35:37,888 and sexually violent predator. 559 00:35:37,930 --> 00:35:40,850 My client is thinking 560 00:35:40,891 --> 00:35:43,936 two years in county work release 561 00:35:43,978 --> 00:35:47,857 because he has a lot of family members 562 00:35:47,898 --> 00:35:50,067 that depend on him for financial support. 563 00:35:50,109 --> 00:35:52,194 And if they don’t have that support, 564 00:35:52,236 --> 00:35:53,988 they’re just not gonna be able to make it." 565 00:35:54,029 --> 00:35:56,866 So he wants two years and then work release 566 00:35:56,907 --> 00:35:58,534 and only sexually violent predator? 567 00:35:58,576 --> 00:36:00,202 He’s a fucking pedophile! 568 00:36:00,244 --> 00:36:03,330 He wants two years on work release. 569 00:36:03,372 --> 00:36:06,542 - Wait, meaning what? - No incarceration. 570 00:36:06,584 --> 00:36:08,502 - No! - Yes, exactly. 571 00:36:08,544 --> 00:36:11,505 - No! What the fuck? - No, he’s not gonna get that, 572 00:36:11,547 --> 00:36:14,091 but that’s the bargain they came with. 573 00:36:14,133 --> 00:36:18,304 Most times they won’t even accept Megan’s Law 574 00:36:18,345 --> 00:36:20,514 - or a sexually violent predator. - What’s Megan’s Law? 575 00:36:20,556 --> 00:36:23,517 Okay, so Megan’s Law means he’s going to have to sign up 576 00:36:23,559 --> 00:36:26,896 for the rest of his life, register everywhere he lives. 577 00:36:26,937 --> 00:36:28,564 - As a sex offender. - As a sex offender. 578 00:36:28,606 --> 00:36:31,400 He’s not a fucking sex offender. He’s a pedophile! 579 00:36:31,442 --> 00:36:34,069 - I understand that. - He’s a child predator. 580 00:36:34,111 --> 00:36:36,197 He’s not just a sexual offender. 581 00:36:37,781 --> 00:36:40,075 - I know. - What the fuck? 582 00:36:40,117 --> 00:36:42,912 Does the rape of a six-year-old not mean anything? 583 00:36:42,953 --> 00:36:44,246 This isn’t fair. 584 00:36:44,288 --> 00:36:46,749 It’s not fair. It’s not. 585 00:36:46,790 --> 00:36:49,460 And he just gets off with all of this? 586 00:36:49,502 --> 00:36:52,213 It’s not going to be fair. I understand. 587 00:36:52,254 --> 00:36:54,590 So, we can insist on taking this to trial, 588 00:36:54,632 --> 00:36:58,427 but you must understand this is what trial could look like. 589 00:36:58,469 --> 00:37:01,931 But if they’re willing to do a plea bargain, 590 00:37:01,972 --> 00:37:03,641 then we should exhaust those options first. 591 00:37:03,682 --> 00:37:07,978 Maybe we can get ten years servable 592 00:37:08,020 --> 00:37:10,272 and ten years probation. 593 00:37:11,649 --> 00:37:13,901 At this point, 594 00:37:13,943 --> 00:37:17,446 it’s probably gonna be about the best we’re gonna get. 595 00:37:17,488 --> 00:37:20,115 So it’s a lose-lose. It really doesn’t matter. 596 00:37:20,157 --> 00:37:21,742 We’re not gonna get anything that we want. 597 00:37:24,161 --> 00:37:28,249 We’re not going to get the level that we wanted, no. 598 00:37:34,713 --> 00:37:36,423 I’m sorry. 599 00:37:46,684 --> 00:37:48,727 When I see the big picture, 600 00:37:48,769 --> 00:37:51,313 I see that an Amish man 601 00:37:51,355 --> 00:37:53,774 can rape a child and have a reduced sentence. 602 00:37:53,816 --> 00:37:56,068 You can get longer for burglary, 603 00:37:56,110 --> 00:38:00,447 for possession of a small amount of whatever, 604 00:38:00,489 --> 00:38:04,285 than you do for raping a child for 15 years. 605 00:38:04,326 --> 00:38:05,995 Audrey: Just take for example, 606 00:38:06,036 --> 00:38:10,332 Mike’s charges carry a minimum of five and a maximum of ten. 607 00:38:10,374 --> 00:38:12,001 - How is that even possible? - How is that possible? 608 00:38:12,042 --> 00:38:13,669 And he’s raped three of his kids. 609 00:38:13,711 --> 00:38:15,379 That’s fucked up. 610 00:38:15,421 --> 00:38:18,716 Misty: Torturing a child for so many years 611 00:38:18,757 --> 00:38:21,343 and that’s okay to let them out after five or ten years? 612 00:38:21,385 --> 00:38:25,139 Does our justice system really believe that is justice? 613 00:38:50,247 --> 00:38:53,667 The day of the plea hearing was... 614 00:38:55,252 --> 00:38:58,339 ...hard for all of us in different ways. 615 00:38:58,380 --> 00:39:02,676 The prior agreement was that he would plead guilty. 616 00:39:04,470 --> 00:39:07,848 And like I told the DA beforehand, 617 00:39:07,890 --> 00:39:10,226 I said, "They always have an ace up their sleeve." 618 00:39:10,267 --> 00:39:13,145 So I said, "We’ll wait to see what this one is." 619 00:39:13,187 --> 00:39:16,357 He had two rape charges, rape and forcible rape. 620 00:39:16,398 --> 00:39:18,734 They wanted us to drop the rape charge 621 00:39:18,776 --> 00:39:22,571 because without that word, 622 00:39:22,613 --> 00:39:24,573 he can spin the narrative to his community, 623 00:39:24,615 --> 00:39:27,493 "Well, you know, he didn’t rape them." 624 00:39:27,535 --> 00:39:32,456 But to us, the word wasn’t as important as closure. 625 00:39:34,291 --> 00:39:37,586 Taking it to trial would’ve probably gotten him 626 00:39:37,628 --> 00:39:39,046 a heavier sentence. 627 00:39:39,088 --> 00:39:41,799 It could’ve dragged on for another whole year. 628 00:39:41,841 --> 00:39:44,760 And that was-- it was time to wrap it up for the kids’ sake. 629 00:39:44,802 --> 00:39:48,430 And so we agreed to it with the understanding 630 00:39:48,472 --> 00:39:52,768 with the DA that she would specifically spell out 631 00:39:52,810 --> 00:39:55,604 during the hearing 632 00:39:55,646 --> 00:39:59,692 the specific acts that he did on each child. 633 00:39:59,733 --> 00:40:04,280 She spelled out in detail how he raped them. 634 00:40:04,321 --> 00:40:06,198 The judge asked him if he did it, 635 00:40:06,240 --> 00:40:08,367 and he said yes. 636 00:40:08,409 --> 00:40:13,247 And she asked him if he believes that the court could prove him guilty 637 00:40:13,289 --> 00:40:15,958 beyond all reasonable doubt, and he said yes. 638 00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:18,961 And she asked him how he pleads, 639 00:40:19,003 --> 00:40:20,838 and he said, "No contest." 640 00:40:26,635 --> 00:40:30,973 He admitted that he knows you can prove it, 641 00:40:31,015 --> 00:40:34,226 but he won’t admit it. 642 00:40:34,268 --> 00:40:37,730 The agreement was he would plead guilty. 643 00:40:37,771 --> 00:40:39,815 If I would’ve known he wasn’t gonna plead guilty, 644 00:40:39,857 --> 00:40:42,359 I probably wouldn’t have agreed to dropping the rape charge. 645 00:40:52,870 --> 00:40:56,373 - Misty: The sentencing is finally almost here and... - Audrey: Almost. 646 00:40:56,415 --> 00:41:00,753 ...we’re just here to support you and let you know that you’re not alone. 647 00:41:00,794 --> 00:41:04,256 It’s, you know, the last leg of the journey hopefully. 648 00:41:04,298 --> 00:41:08,344 We’re kind of here to hold up your arms when their getting tired, right? 649 00:41:13,349 --> 00:41:15,476 Just realizing that people care enough 650 00:41:15,518 --> 00:41:19,813 to sit there and listen and then respond is huge. 651 00:41:19,855 --> 00:41:21,524 We want to do that for you. 652 00:41:21,565 --> 00:41:25,402 And hopefully it will not be a repeat situation 653 00:41:25,444 --> 00:41:27,863 of what happened in my court sentencing. 654 00:41:27,905 --> 00:41:32,451 I hope they send him away for a long, long time, 655 00:41:32,493 --> 00:41:35,162 so that your children can feel safe in their own beds, 656 00:41:35,204 --> 00:41:37,248 so you can feel safe in your own home. 657 00:41:37,289 --> 00:41:42,044 I deserve to be able to go to sleep at night 658 00:41:42,086 --> 00:41:46,590 and not have to be afraid of who’s gonna break into my home. 659 00:41:46,632 --> 00:41:50,344 I shouldn’t have to carry a gun with me ready to shoot at any moment. 660 00:41:50,386 --> 00:41:52,054 I shouldn’t have to do that all the time. 661 00:41:52,096 --> 00:41:54,223 It’s time for that to end. 662 00:42:00,729 --> 00:42:03,691 My darkest moment was when I realized 663 00:42:03,732 --> 00:42:06,902 that the man that I married was a monster. 664 00:42:08,404 --> 00:42:10,364 All of the dreams that I had 665 00:42:10,406 --> 00:42:12,867 for a normal healthy family have been shattered. 666 00:42:12,908 --> 00:42:17,538 Even though we will come out of this stronger in some ways, 667 00:42:17,580 --> 00:42:20,374 we will never know what normal is. 668 00:42:20,416 --> 00:42:22,543 We’re gonna park in the parking garage. 669 00:42:22,585 --> 00:42:26,255 The rape crisis advocate is gonna meet us outside the courthouse. 670 00:42:36,599 --> 00:42:39,560 As a mother, realizing that I didn’t know 671 00:42:39,602 --> 00:42:41,854 that the person that was supposed to be 672 00:42:41,896 --> 00:42:46,734 the safest and the closest to my children and to me 673 00:42:46,775 --> 00:42:51,739 was committing such evil crimes against them is life-altering. 674 00:42:51,780 --> 00:42:54,575 Is there a way to be ready for a day like this? I don’t know. 675 00:42:54,617 --> 00:42:57,328 - No, not really. - I don’t think there is. 676 00:43:02,458 --> 00:43:04,418 I don’t know if this road really ever ends, 677 00:43:04,460 --> 00:43:09,423 but at least safety should begin after today, 678 00:43:09,465 --> 00:43:12,801 a small measure of justice maybe. 679 00:43:15,679 --> 00:43:16,972 Yes. 680 00:43:18,933 --> 00:43:19,975 Yeah. 681 00:43:35,533 --> 00:43:39,620 First of all, Judge Peck, I, Audrey Kauffman, 682 00:43:39,662 --> 00:43:42,748 the mother of the victims and the ex-wife of the perpetrator, 683 00:43:42,790 --> 00:43:45,042 want to thank you for the opportunity to be heard 684 00:43:45,084 --> 00:43:47,628 and to tell my truth. 685 00:43:47,670 --> 00:43:50,297 How does a father use the power 686 00:43:50,339 --> 00:43:53,092 he inherently possesses for love and protection 687 00:43:53,133 --> 00:43:55,469 to rape and abuse, dehumanize, 688 00:43:55,511 --> 00:43:57,137 intimidate his own blood? 689 00:43:57,179 --> 00:43:59,640 And how do I describe a culture 690 00:43:59,682 --> 00:44:03,811 where sexual abuse is completely normal? 691 00:44:03,853 --> 00:44:05,646 A culture that not only hides abuse, 692 00:44:05,688 --> 00:44:08,816 but rallies to protect the evil perpetrators. 693 00:44:08,858 --> 00:44:12,820 A culture that people support, romanticize, and enable 694 00:44:12,862 --> 00:44:14,446 because they don’t want to believe 695 00:44:14,488 --> 00:44:16,157 it is anything more than harmless, 696 00:44:16,198 --> 00:44:18,492 peaceful people, strong work ethic, 697 00:44:18,534 --> 00:44:20,327 and delicious baked goods. 698 00:44:20,369 --> 00:44:23,289 Each of my children are Michael’s victims, 699 00:44:23,330 --> 00:44:24,957 each one in a different way. 700 00:44:24,999 --> 00:44:26,333 They will spend the rest of their lives 701 00:44:26,375 --> 00:44:28,169 fighting demons and battles 702 00:44:28,210 --> 00:44:30,045 that no one should ever have to, 703 00:44:30,087 --> 00:44:31,672 much less a child. 704 00:44:31,714 --> 00:44:35,009 Michael Kauffman chose to violate his children 705 00:44:35,050 --> 00:44:36,719 in the worst of possible ways. 706 00:44:36,760 --> 00:44:39,805 He chose to rape and assault and destroy 707 00:44:39,847 --> 00:44:42,850 the very beings he helped create. 708 00:44:42,892 --> 00:44:46,312 He is no father. He is a monster. 709 00:44:46,353 --> 00:44:51,066 He stood in the pulpit publically leading devotions and congregational prayer 710 00:44:51,108 --> 00:44:55,029 and then raped and assaulted his children behind closed doors. 711 00:44:55,070 --> 00:44:58,991 No matter what legal consequences he receives today, 712 00:44:59,033 --> 00:45:02,119 nothing in this life will ever bring back what he stole from us. 713 00:45:04,288 --> 00:45:07,875 But this sentence will keep him from violating more children, 714 00:45:07,917 --> 00:45:10,211 it will give his victims, including myself, 715 00:45:10,252 --> 00:45:12,379 space to heal without fear. 716 00:45:12,421 --> 00:45:14,590 This sentence will show the children 717 00:45:14,632 --> 00:45:16,550 that there are people and authorities in this world 718 00:45:16,592 --> 00:45:19,011 that believe them and want to keep them safe, 719 00:45:19,053 --> 00:45:21,055 that there is some level of justice 720 00:45:21,096 --> 00:45:22,765 not just on judgment day. 721 00:45:22,806 --> 00:45:25,726 Honorable Judge Peck, at this moment, 722 00:45:25,768 --> 00:45:28,729 you hold in your hands the opportunity to protect my children 723 00:45:28,771 --> 00:45:30,564 and show them how much a child is worth. 724 00:45:50,417 --> 00:45:51,418 Are you coming? 725 00:45:51,460 --> 00:45:53,921 ( indistinct chatter ) 726 00:45:53,963 --> 00:45:55,422 Are you taking Sunny? 727 00:45:55,464 --> 00:45:57,550 You’re good. 728 00:45:58,884 --> 00:46:00,719 I love you, baby. 729 00:46:05,808 --> 00:46:08,602 It went well, as far as well can go. 730 00:46:08,644 --> 00:46:11,939 I was impressed the judge called him out and called him what he was. 731 00:46:11,981 --> 00:46:15,025 He’s the epitome of a pedophile and a sex offender. 732 00:46:18,487 --> 00:46:19,822 They sentenced him to what we expected, 733 00:46:19,864 --> 00:46:23,242 5 to 20 years, mandatory 10 years probation, 734 00:46:23,284 --> 00:46:26,620 and he will be listed as a sexually violent predator. 735 00:46:26,662 --> 00:46:28,455 It looks like about ten years 736 00:46:28,497 --> 00:46:30,499 before he’s eligible for any release. 737 00:46:38,257 --> 00:46:40,801 Obviously I’d like to see him in there for life, 738 00:46:40,843 --> 00:46:42,928 but that’s not reasonable at this point. 739 00:46:46,015 --> 00:46:49,101 I don’t look at him anymore as a father or a husband. 740 00:46:49,143 --> 00:46:51,020 I look at him as a pedophile and a criminal. 741 00:46:51,061 --> 00:46:54,106 - Just let me give you a hug. - Okay. 742 00:47:04,366 --> 00:47:08,204 ( sobbing ) 743 00:47:16,962 --> 00:47:18,339 I guess through the whole process 744 00:47:18,380 --> 00:47:19,882 my biggest concern was our safety 745 00:47:19,924 --> 00:47:22,968 because the family harassment we’ve had. 746 00:47:23,010 --> 00:47:24,553 - I love you so much. - Love you, too. 747 00:47:24,595 --> 00:47:26,263 Thank you so much for coming. 748 00:47:28,224 --> 00:47:29,225 I know. 749 00:47:33,729 --> 00:47:36,649 Well, it’s here. We did it. It’s over. 750 00:47:38,067 --> 00:47:39,318 But there was a lot-- 751 00:47:39,360 --> 00:47:40,986 it took a lot to get to this point. 752 00:47:41,028 --> 00:47:43,155 I guess I just want to take this opportunity 753 00:47:43,197 --> 00:47:46,200 to thank each and every single person in this room 754 00:47:46,242 --> 00:47:47,701 for everything you’ve done. 755 00:47:47,743 --> 00:47:49,078 There’s just so much. 756 00:47:49,119 --> 00:47:51,705 There’s so much, I could never process it all. 757 00:47:53,249 --> 00:47:55,876 It’s going to be day by day for a while, 758 00:47:55,918 --> 00:47:57,878 but the process of healing, 759 00:47:57,920 --> 00:48:00,047 we’ve come so far just in the last year 760 00:48:00,089 --> 00:48:03,551 that another year is going to bring another whole level. 761 00:48:03,592 --> 00:48:06,887 So, you know, will I stay in the area? 762 00:48:06,929 --> 00:48:09,390 I don’t know. Probably not permanently. 763 00:48:09,431 --> 00:48:10,975 I’m here right now. 764 00:48:11,016 --> 00:48:14,186 And their goal was to run me out from the beginning. 765 00:48:14,228 --> 00:48:18,899 That’s what they do. And I refuse to run. 766 00:48:18,941 --> 00:48:23,279 It’s my home, so guess they got to put up with me. 767 00:48:28,951 --> 00:48:31,036 This is why I say there’s no justice. 768 00:48:31,078 --> 00:48:34,248 Justice is a myth. There is no justice. 769 00:48:34,290 --> 00:48:35,583 But you know what, Mary? 770 00:48:35,624 --> 00:48:37,918 It feels like there’s no justice 771 00:48:37,960 --> 00:48:40,921 and it can feel like there’s no hope. 772 00:48:40,963 --> 00:48:45,551 But if I think about how alone you were at your court hearing 773 00:48:45,593 --> 00:48:48,554 or how alone Audrey has been in her journey 774 00:48:48,596 --> 00:48:50,890 or how alone Misty has been 775 00:48:50,931 --> 00:48:54,894 or how alone that my mom was and I was in our story, 776 00:48:54,935 --> 00:48:58,606 the four of us are now sitting together 777 00:48:58,647 --> 00:49:00,107 and our stories are being heard. 778 00:49:00,149 --> 00:49:03,777 And your story won’t be for naught. 779 00:49:03,819 --> 00:49:06,780 It’ll give somebody else courage to come forward, 780 00:49:06,822 --> 00:49:10,951 and I could imagine a flood happening. 781 00:49:10,993 --> 00:49:14,288 We’re like the crack in the dam. 782 00:49:14,330 --> 00:49:17,124 But when that flood comes, 783 00:49:17,166 --> 00:49:19,752 justice has to follow. 784 00:49:19,793 --> 00:49:21,962 We will never get justice in this life 785 00:49:22,004 --> 00:49:24,673 for the crimes that have been committed against us. 786 00:49:24,715 --> 00:49:27,801 But I hope that our story 787 00:49:27,843 --> 00:49:30,429 will bring light and hope to other survivors. 788 00:49:30,471 --> 00:49:33,057 Even if they never have the strength to come forward, 789 00:49:33,098 --> 00:49:36,477 they need-- they deserve to know they’re not alone. 790 00:49:36,519 --> 00:49:38,979 A group put together-- we have the Civil Rights movement, 791 00:49:39,021 --> 00:49:41,232 we have the Women’s Rights movement. 792 00:49:41,273 --> 00:49:43,984 I mean those movements, they created change. 793 00:49:44,026 --> 00:49:48,155 So if people come on board and say, yes, we’re going to stand up 794 00:49:48,197 --> 00:49:49,657 and we’re going to say no to this, 795 00:49:49,698 --> 00:49:51,826 we’re going to change this scenario-- 796 00:49:51,867 --> 00:49:53,786 I mean, if enough people come together and do that, 797 00:49:53,828 --> 00:49:55,329 we can change it. 798 00:50:11,387 --> 00:50:16,684 The Amish and Mennonite children are America’s children, 799 00:50:16,725 --> 00:50:18,018 and they are the forgotten children. 800 00:50:18,060 --> 00:50:20,354 They are the invisible children. 801 00:50:20,396 --> 00:50:25,359 We need America to help us to create a change. 802 00:50:25,401 --> 00:50:27,945 We need the outside world. 803 00:50:27,987 --> 00:50:30,030 What is happening within the Amish communities 804 00:50:30,072 --> 00:50:32,199 cannot be ignored any longer, 805 00:50:32,241 --> 00:50:36,871 and it is our nation’s duty to protect these children 806 00:50:36,912 --> 00:50:38,622 and to start paying attention. 807 00:50:38,664 --> 00:50:41,167 I think there might be some tiny shift 808 00:50:41,208 --> 00:50:44,795 and some tiny change that is positive that is happening. 809 00:50:44,837 --> 00:50:48,549 Because law enforcement, in some cases, 810 00:50:48,591 --> 00:50:50,384 are making arrests 811 00:50:50,426 --> 00:50:53,804 and district attorneys are pressing charges 812 00:50:53,846 --> 00:50:57,391 against people who knew and failed to report. 813 00:50:59,393 --> 00:51:01,395 I think change within the Plain community 814 00:51:01,437 --> 00:51:05,274 has to come from people who are already inside of the Plain community, 815 00:51:05,316 --> 00:51:08,360 and they have to have the courage to stand up to evil. 816 00:51:08,402 --> 00:51:11,447 They have to stop going along with this broken system. 817 00:51:11,489 --> 00:51:15,493 This system is so powerful. It’s so corrupt. 818 00:51:15,534 --> 00:51:18,579 It’s so twisted. It’s so evil. 819 00:51:18,621 --> 00:51:21,081 It’s so private. 820 00:51:21,123 --> 00:51:23,250 Somebody from within that community 821 00:51:23,292 --> 00:51:25,461 has to stand up to evil and say enough is enough. 822 00:51:28,005 --> 00:51:30,841 Misty: This has to change. We are not going to be quiet. 823 00:51:30,883 --> 00:51:32,927 We’re not going to be brushed aside. 824 00:51:32,968 --> 00:51:35,596 You must do something to change this reality. 825 00:51:35,638 --> 00:51:37,097 This can no longer happen. 826 00:51:37,139 --> 00:51:39,350 And this is where it stops.