In brief
Ian Cleary, 32, was sentenced to two to four years in prison for sexually assaulting Shannon Keeler on a Pennsylvania college campus. The judge leniently sentenced him due to Cleary's guilty plea, remorse, and mental health history. Keeler, who fought for years for prosecution, was emotionally affected by a Facebook message Cleary sent claiming 'So I raped you', prompting her to reignite her legal battle. Despite the judge's acknowledgment of the crime's severity, the sentence fell below state guidelines. Cleary's family attended the sentencing, during which he apologized to Keeler and expressed a commitment to mental health treatment.
A man who sent a Facebook message that said, “So I raped you,” to a woman he later pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting on a Pennsylvania college campus was sentenced to two to four years in prison on Monday.
The judge took into account Ian Cleary’s guilty plea, his remorse, and his long history of mental illness in giving a sentence below state guidelines. Cleary, 32, said he sent the messages as part of a 12-step program, hoping for atonement.
However, victim Shannon Keeler told the court on Monday that the messages only reopened wounds she had long carried over the assault, which went years without prosecution.
“The system meant to protect me protected you instead,” said Keeler, detailing in a powerful impact statement the years she spent pursuing charges, which prosecutors are often reluctant to do in campus sexual assault cases.
“This isn’t just my story, it’s the story of countless women,” she added.
Cleary faced a maximum of 10 years in prison for the 2013 attack at Gettysburg College, with a proposed sentence of four to eight years initially discussed.
Andrea Levy, Keeler’s lawyer, said the sentence was “less than what we expected and certainly less than he deserves.”
Judge Kevin Hess emphasized that anyone with daughters or granddaughters in college would find the crime “horrifying,” yet he acknowledged Cleary’s acknowledgment of guilt and contrition. Keeler noted that Cleary had sneaked into her first-year dorm before the assault.
Years later, Cleary sent the Facebook message to Keeler, prompting her to advocate for charges against him, leading to his indictment.
Cleary, having lived abroad after the assault, was eventually arrested in 2024. At the sentencing, Cleary apologized to both Keeler and his family, expressing his commitment to mental health treatment.
Keeler expressed a long journey of seeking justice and, following the court proceedings, felt a sense of relief and hope for healing.
