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Pieper Lewis in court this week in Iowa after raising $390,000 in donations
Photo: Zach Boyden-Holmes/AP
In life, Pieper Lewis has had a hard time up until now.
The 2020 Iowa girl ran away from home when she was 15, a former teacher and local media reported.
A man then took her in, allegedly raped her and forced her into prostitution.
One night, the young woman stabbed the 37-year-old while he was sleeping.
The 17-year-old now has to pay $150,000 to the family of the deceased.
She was also sentenced to a suspended sentence of five years and 1,200 hours of community service.
The teenager was initially charged with murder and pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
If convicted, she would have faced 20 years in prison.
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"My story changed me," Lewis had said at her hearing.
“What happened on that horrible day cannot be changed, much as I would like it to be.”
The police and prosecutors did not deny that Pieper Lewis was a victim of sexual exploitation.
The responsible judge declared that he wanted to give the young woman a "second chance" with the suspended sentence.
He had to impose the fine in view of the applicable legal situation.
A law in Iowa provides that relatives of murder victims must be compensated.
The teens' former high school math teacher called the law "morally unjustifiable" and started a fundraiser for the young woman.
"Under no circumstances should a child who has been raped owe money to the rapist's family."
Many people made donations for the young woman on the Internet: the fundraiser on the “Gofundme” website had raised almost $390,000 by Thursday.
In addition to paying the fine, the money should also be used for Pieper Lewis' education.
Apr/AFP/Reuters