A professional rock climber was convicted of repeatedly raping a 19-year-old woman in Yosemite National Park and sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday, prosecutors said.
Charles Barrett, 40, was convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact that occurred over a weekend at the park in August 2016, U.S. Attorney Philip A. Talbert announced. Announced in press release.
The teenage victim had gone to Yosemite to hike and was assaulted three times by Barrett, who was living and working in the park at the time.
During the trial, three more women came forward to say they were sexually assaulted by Barrett.
“These assaults were not prosecuted because they were outside federal jurisdiction, but were found at trial to be related to the assaults that were charged,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California said.
In 2017, seven years after Barrett allegedly assaulted one of the victims who testified, prosecutors said Barrett “intentionally climbed at a rock climbing gym the victim attended.”
After the victim reported the incident to the gym’s owner, Barrett continued to “harass and intimidate her for several years,” authorities said.
He was convicted in August 2022 of intimidation in connection with the incident.
Prosecutors said Barrett made hundreds of phone calls while in custody in connection with the case and showed “no remorse or regret.”
“Instead, he alleged that his victims had hatched a conspiracy to ruin his life and threatened violence and retaliatory legal action,” prosecutors said.
“Barrett’s long history of sexual violence warrants a life sentence,” Talbert said. “He used his status as a prominent climber to assault women in the rock climbing community, and when his victims began to come forward, Barrett responded publicly with threats and intimidation.”
“This case is a testament to the bravery of the victims who reported these crimes,” the prosecutors continued. “The United States Attorney’s Office will continue to investigate and prosecute violent crimes in national parks like Yosemite.”
Yosemite National Park Superintendent Cicely Muldoon said the sentence “sends a clear message about the consequences of this criminal conduct.”
“This will make Yosemite a safer place for the climbing community, park visitors and our employees,” she said in a press release from the prosecutor’s office.
Barrett’s lawyer Said In a statement, The New York Times The court ruled that the life sentence was excessive and indicated it would appeal.
