From the 60 Minutes Archive: "Know My Name," Chanel Miller's story
Summary
TLDRChanel Miller, previously known as Emily Doe, recounts her experience of being sexually assaulted by Stanford athlete Brock Turner in 2015. The case gained international attention due to the powerful victim impact statement she delivered, which went viral and became a manifesto for assault survivors. Miller, a literature major, shares her story in her new book 'Know My Name,' detailing the trauma and legal process she endured. The case led to significant changes in California law and the recall of Judge Aaron Persky, demonstrating the impact of her resilience and advocacy.
Takeaways
- 📚 Chanel Miller, previously known as Emily Doe, is the author of a powerful victim impact statement that went viral after she was sexually assaulted by a Stanford athlete, Brock Turner, in 2015.
- 🎓 Miller, a literature major at UC Santa Barbara, decided to write her own story to ensure her experience was told accurately, as she felt misrepresented by the media and the courtroom proceedings.
- 🚑 Chanel was found unconscious with severe abrasions and her belongings scattered, but she was not informed of the full extent of the assault until she read an online article about the case.
- 👥 Two Swedish grad students, Peter Johnson and Carl Arndt, witnessed and stopped the assault, playing a crucial role in the case by providing eyewitness accounts.
- 🏊♂️ Turner, a Stanford swimmer and Olympic hopeful, was charged with three felony sex crimes, with rape charges dropped due to the lack of evidence of intercourse.
- 👩⚖️ The trial was challenging for Miller as she had no memory of the assault, and Turner's defense attorney attempted to discredit her by focusing on her intoxication rather than his actions.
- 📖 Miller's victim impact statement, which she wrote for Turner's sentencing, became a manifesto for assault survivors, highlighting the emotional trauma and the legal process she endured.
- 😢 The statement resonated globally, receiving millions of views and leading to an outpouring of support from survivors around the world.
- 🏆 Despite Turner being found guilty, Judge Aaron Persky sentenced him to only six months in jail, a decision that sparked national outrage and led to Persky being recalled, a rare event in California.
- 📈 The case prompted changes in California law, including mandatory prison sentences for those convicted of assaulting unconscious or intoxicated persons and an expanded definition of rape.
- 🌟 Miller's bravery and the impact of her statement led to significant legal and societal changes, demonstrating the power of one person's story to effect real-world improvements.
Q & A
Who is Chanel Miller and what is her connection to the Brock Turner case?
-Chanel Miller is the woman who was sexually assaulted by Brock Turner, a Stanford University athlete, in 2015. She was known as Emily Doe during the trial to protect her identity and became a symbol for sexual assault survivors worldwide.
What was the significance of Chanel Miller's victim impact statement?
-Chanel Miller's victim impact statement was significant because it detailed the emotional trauma she experienced from the assault and the legal process. It went viral, becoming a manifesto for assault survivors and leading to widespread changes in public perception and legal practices.
How did Chanel Miller learn about the details of her assault?
-Chanel Miller first learned about the details of her assault by reading an online article about the case, where she discovered that she had been penetrated with fingers at the very least.
What role did the two Swedish graduate students play in the case?
-The two Swedish graduate students, Peter Johnson and Carl Arndt, witnessed the assault, stopped it, and held Brock Turner down until the police arrived. Their actions were crucial in identifying Turner and preventing further harm to Chanel Miller.
How did the media's portrayal of Brock Turner affect Chanel Miller?
-The media's portrayal of Brock Turner as a champion swimmer and Olympic hopeful affected Chanel Miller by shifting the narrative to focus on what Turner had to lose, rather than the harm he had caused her.
What was the public's reaction to Chanel Miller's case after her impact statement went viral?
-The public's reaction was overwhelmingly supportive, with millions of views and shares of her statement. It led to an international outcry, prompting changes in California law and the recall of Judge Aaron Persky.
What changes did Chanel Miller's case bring about in California law?
-Chanel Miller's case led to the signing of two bills into law by California Governor Jerry Brown, which mandated prison sentences for anyone convicted of assaulting a person who is unconscious or intoxicated and expanded the definition of rape.
What was the outcome of Brock Turner's trial and sentencing?
-Brock Turner was found guilty of three felony counts but was sentenced to only six months in jail, with the possibility of being released after 90 days for good behavior, which was met with public outrage.
How did Chanel Miller cope with the aftermath of the assault and trial?
-Chanel Miller experienced anger, withdrawal, and deep depression. She found solace in writing her memoir, 'Know My Name,' which allowed her to process her feelings and experiences.
What was the role of Deputy District Attorney Alaleh Kianerci in the case?
-Deputy District Attorney Alaleh Kianerci was the prosecutor who charged Brock Turner with three felony sex crimes and guided Chanel Miller through the legal process, ultimately presenting her victim impact statement to the court.
How did Chanel Miller's memoir 'Know My Name' contribute to her healing process?
-Chanel Miller's memoir 'Know My Name' contributed to her healing process by providing her with a platform to share her story in her own words, challenge the narrative surrounding her case, and advocate for herself and other sexual assault survivors.
Outlines
📖 Chanel Miller's Journey to Reclaim Her Identity
Chanel Miller, previously known as Emily Doe, shares her story publicly for the first time. She was sexually assaulted in 2015 by Brock Turner, a Stanford University athlete. Miller delivers a powerful victim impact statement during his sentencing, which goes viral and becomes a manifesto for assault survivors worldwide. She has written a book titled 'Know My Name,' detailing her experience and the aftermath of the assault, including the media's portrayal and the legal process.
🚨 The Assault and Public Reaction
Chanel Miller recounts the night of the assault and the days following, where she remained unaware of the full extent of what had happened to her. She discovered the details of her assault through an online news article, which led to a flood of victim-blaming comments. Despite the emotional trauma, Miller is determined to challenge the narrative and the culture that excuses sexual assault due to alcohol consumption.
🏊♂️ The Trial and Media Bias
The case gains international attention, with the media focusing on Brock Turner's achievements as a swimmer and downplaying the severity of the crime. This narrative shift puts Chanel on the defensive, forcing her to explain her actions rather than focusing on Turner's guilt. The trial becomes a high-profile event, highlighting the challenges faced by sexual assault victims in the courtroom.
⚖️ The Courtroom Experience and Sentencing
Chanel Miller describes the dread and preparation leading up to the trial, as well as the adversarial atmosphere within the courtroom. Despite the presence of two key eyewitnesses, the case is difficult to prosecute due to Miller's lack of memory of the event. The sentencing phase is particularly distressing, with Turner receiving a lenient sentence that does not reflect the gravity of his crimes.
📝 The Impact Statement and Global Reach
Following the verdict, Chanel Miller is asked to write a victim impact statement to inform the judge's sentencing decision. She crafts a powerful and personal narrative that resonates with millions when it is published by BuzzFeed. Her statement sparks a global conversation and becomes a symbol of strength for survivors of sexual assault.
🌐 Legal Reforms and Turner's Consequences
The public outcry following the lenient sentence leads to the recall of Judge Aaron Persky and significant changes in California law, including mandatory prison sentences for those convicted of assaulting intoxicated or unconscious individuals. Chanel Miller's impact statement catalyzes legal reforms and contributes to a broader conversation about justice and accountability in sexual assault cases.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Sexual Assault
💡Victim Impact Statement
💡Chanel Miller
💡Brock Turner
💡Cultural Mindset
💡Trauma
💡Legal Process
💡Witnesses
💡Adversarial System
💡Public Outcry
💡Survivors
Highlights
Chanel Miller, previously known as Emily Doe, shares her story publicly for the first time.
Miller was sexually assaulted in 2015 by Stanford athlete Brock Turner.
Her powerful victim impact statement went viral, becoming a manifesto for assault survivors worldwide.
Miller majored in literature and has been writing her story for the past three years.
She attended a party at Stanford where the assault occurred, despite not being a student there.
Miller woke up in a hospital with no memory of the assault.
Two Swedish grad students witnessed and stopped the assault, leading to Turner's arrest.
Miller found out about the extent of the assault through an online news article.
Hateful comments online blamed Miller for the assault due to her intoxication.
Deputy District Attorney Alei Kia Narasi highlighted the case's challenges, including Turner's privileged background.
The trial received international attention, focusing on Turner's swimming achievements rather than the assault.
Miller felt alone and struggled with anger, withdrawal, and depression during the trial.
She was deeply affected by the courtroom experience and the adversarial atmosphere.
Turner's defense attorney's narrative and Turner's own testimony were challenged by Miller.
Miller's memoir, 'Know My Name,' recounts her experiences with humor and anguish.
She wrote a victim impact statement that became a viral sensation, influencing law and public opinion.
Judge Aaron Persky's lenient sentencing of Turner sparked national outrage and led to his recall.
California law was changed to set mandatory prison sentences for assaulting unconscious or intoxicated individuals.
Miller's case led to significant legal reforms and a shift in public perception about sexual assault.
Transcripts
60 minutes rewind
you probably don't know the name chanel miller but chances are you have heard of her court
case and the name used to protect her identity emily doe she was sexually assaulted in 2015 by
a stanford university athlete named brock turner who was found guilty of three felonies including
assault with intent to rape before his sentencing emily doe stood in the courtroom and delivered
a powerful victim impact statement detailing the emotional trauma the assault and the legal process
had put her through it instantly went viral becoming a kind of manifesto for assault survivors
all over the world tonight chanel miller reclaims her identity as the author of that statement
and shares her story for the first time as you're about to see she chooses her words carefully when
she speaks just as she did when she put them to paper for her new book aptly titled know my name
so this is where you write for the last three years chanel miller has been writing her own
story here are some of the drafts the 27 year old majored in literature at uc santa barbara and has
wanted to be a writer since she was a child police reports she decided to relive the most painful
experience of her life because she believes her story filtered through the glare of the media
and restrictive lens of the courtroom remains untold i'm sure it wasn't your top choice to write
a book about this it's not the topic i would have chosen but it was the topic i was given so start
at the top and uh let him have it we were there when she recorded her audio book in january 2015
i was 22 living and working in my hometown of palo alto california i attended a party at stanford she
didn't attend stanford university but she grew up in its shadow why did you decide to go to a
fraternity party you were out of college at that time my sister was home for the weekend and it was
my way of spending time with her so people were drinking yes a lot of red cups like a typical
fraternity scene do you remember having fun at the party what were you doing i was dancing on
top of a chair and my sister was sort of coaxing me down to stop embarrassing her chanel has never
denied she drank a combination of whiskey vodka and champagne you drank until you blacked out
she came to about four hours later in a hospital surrounded by nurses and a police deputy she had
abrasions all over her body her hair was tangled with pine needles i had no idea how to put those
pieces together how did they tell you what they thought had happened all they said was that i
had been found and that somebody had been arrested and that he had been chased down
because he had been acting hinky hinky was the word the detective used did they tell you where
you were found behind a dumpster what they didn't tell her was that her underwear and
cell phone were found on the ground by her body they also didn't tell her there were witnesses
two of them who not only saw the attack they stopped it swedish grad students peter johnson and
carl arndt were riding their bikes to the party that night when they saw something disturbing
behind the dumpster outside the frat house we see a couple lying on the ground with one person
on top of the other p was moving a lot but we just saw her lying there completely still they realized
the woman was unconscious johnson says when he approached them the man later identified as brock
turner got up and ran i didn't really have time to think so i just chased after him i remember quite
vividly like i was on his left side and i got my right leg in front of him and then i took my body
my upper body and threw him over my leg and down on the ground so carl you go over to help peter
hold brock turner down yes he was trying to get loose he was he was squirming trying to
get away yeah did he seem drunk not super drunk like he could talk and he clearly could run
they held him until police arrived they also checked on chanel she was completely
unconscious i was trying to like shake her and nothing happened chanel was taken by ambulance
to the hospital in san jose early that morning she was examined and told she may have been sexually
assaulted the deputy asked if she'd be willing to undergo a rape kit test she agreed did it
sink in the gravity of your situation absolutely not i just thought i had passed out somewhere and
that there was a suspicious man at the party who had been behaving in an odd way and i had no idea
that he was connected directly to me in any way chanelle's sister who had left the party early
and had been frantically calling and looking for her got a call from chanel at the hospital
and came to pick her up the sisters agreed not to tell anyone not even their parents until chanel
knew more for ten long days she heard nothing not from the hospital police a counselor nobody
what's going through your head in order to survive you just shut everything down you have to function
you have to go to work in the morning so it was much easier to just repress everything of course i
had questions i woke up and didn't have underwear why is that no one tells me where it went but you
just have to keep living then one morning at her job at a small tech startup in silicon valley
this item popped up on her news feed the words stanford rape and intoxicated unconscious woman
leapt off the screen she knew it was her and she learned for the first time that her assailant had
penetrated her with his fingers at the very least that's how you found out what happened to you
yes reading an article online yes it was surreal having the news broken to me by the internet i was
alone sitting at my desk surrounded by co-workers reading about how i was stripped and then
penetrated and discarded in a bed of pine needles behind a dumpster and that's how i figured out
all of those elements and they all added up and i finally understood the name brock turner
was mentioned in the article had you heard his name before never the first thing i did after
reading the article was read the comments and there were many hateful words what were some
of the comments what was she doing at a frat party this isn't really rape why was she alone
she's the predator because she's older why would you ever get that drunk
it was endless so what do you say to those critics people who say you did drink until you blacked out
you did make yourself vulnerable what do you say to those people rape is not a punishment
for getting drunk we have this really sick mindset in our culture as if you deserve
rape if you drink to excess you deserve a hangover a really bad
hangover but you don't deserve to have somebody insert their body parts inside of you
the day the news broke she received a call it was deputy district attorney alei kiyanersi
who told chanel she would be handling the case were there specific elements of this case that
stood out to you i mean the entirety of it the fact that it was a stanford swimmer who was an
olympic hopeful really a privileged athlete and student so that stood out the fact that it was
so very clear to anyone who encountered chanel that evening that she was not conscious that she
was super intoxicated so she was in no position to consent what did his privilege and stanford
have to do with making this more difficult to prosecute a lot of people were looking at
what brock turner had to lose versus what he did to chanel and so the narrative changed we were
almost on the defense explaining why chanel got too intoxicated instead of focusing the attention
on why did he think it was okay why did he think that he could take advantage of her when she was
in such a vulnerable state the case received international attention the media couldn't
resist the story of the fallen athlete from one of america's most prestigious schools to protect her
identity chanel was dubbed emily doe turner was almost always identified by his accomplishments
in the pool when you saw the description of him as a champion swimmer on the stanford swim team
what did you think of that i didn't understand why it was relevant when you're also reporting
that my lower half was completely exposed that my necklace was wrapped around my neck that my
hair was disheveled that my bra was only covering one breast and the rest was pulled out of my dress
i don't understand why it is relevant how quickly he can move across a body of water in the context
of that article did you feel that that description of him as a championship swimmer sort of changed
the narrative yes they were framing it like he had so much to lose and were not focusing on
what had already been lost for me by then she had told her boyfriend and parents but despite their
love and support she felt alone chanelle told us she became angry withdrawn and deeply depressed
i would just sit it work and do nothing i would stare at the screen and then i would come home
and i wouldn't sleep and so physically i began breaking down she didn't want anyone to know
she was emily doe the woman in the news four years later the trauma remains just below the surface
i felt if anyone ever found out that that was me that it would be absolutely humiliating i felt
dirty and embarrassed i my dream is to write children's books i felt no parent is going to
want me as a role model if i'm just discarded drunk half-naked
body behind a dumpster nobody wants to be that
how did you carry on when i was reliving all of this i thought well the same night the assault
happened a miracle also happened which was that i was saved and thinking of the two swedes who
knew to do the right thing and who wanted me really to be okay always gave me hope so
they changed the story they changed the story they changed the entire trajectory of my life
when we come back the trial the sentencing and chanel miller's compelling courtroom address
to her assailant that would reverberate around the world the story will continue after this
chanel miller was at the center of one of the most high profile and consequential trials in recent
memory she was sexually assaulted in 2015 by brock turner a former stanford university athlete now a
convicted felon known during the contentious trial as emily doe a name used to protect her identity
chanel miller would become an anonymous icon for assault survivors the world over tonight in her
first television interview chanel miller takes us back to 2016 as the trial approached for the
then 23 year old what was it like when you finally realized that you were going to have to face brock
turner in court it was absolute dread and i went to a therapist almost like a personal trainer
and said you have three weeks to get me mentally ready but until then i thought you have to drag me
into the courtroom because i'm not going to go the case would become a media maelstrom
chanel miller told us that as bad as the previous 14 months had been nothing prepared her for the
cold adversarial and intimidating atmosphere inside the courtroom i remember standing outside
the courtroom doors and there's a very thin sliver of window in the door where you can look
in and i remember seeing the back of rock's head in his neck and i thought wow this is this is him
it is incredibly difficult for a victim of sexual assault to walk into court in front
of their perpetrator and recount the worst thing that happened to them in a room full of strangers
deputy district attorney alei kia narasi had charged brock turner with three felony sex crimes
rape charges were dropped because there was no evidence of intercourse
which was required in california at the time but she was convinced she had a strong case
because of the two swedish eyewitnesses they were integral without them we would not know the
identity of brock turner they chased him down and they physically held him down until police arrived
he's an athlete this is somebody got into school because of you know physical prowess
and these are two engineering grad students and they're really the most
important reason why chanel didn't suffer a more devastating sexual assault because
i believe and i argue this to the jury that had they not stopped him he would have completed the
the rape so what was the hardest part about making your case to the jury chanel had no
memory she was completely unconscious or too intoxicated to remember the immediate
moments before so we had a perpetrator who was able to write the script turner's first draft of
that script was his police interrogation conducted just hours after the attack he told a detective he
met chanel outside the frat house they started kissing and that he followed her holding hands
behind the dumpster he said he placed his hand between her legs and she seemed to enjoy it
he also told police he didn't recall running when the swedish grad students interrupted them
but when turner got on the witness stand 14 months later his story changed
now he said he recalled meeting and dancing with chanel inside the fraternity asking her to go back
to his dorm room leaving together slipping and falling and laughing then he said he specifically
asked her if he could touch her intimately and she said yes and now he admitted running
from the swedish grad students who he claimed attacked him i thought you are bound by the truth
i thought those are the rules that's how court works you wrote that this version of events
sounded like a poorly written young adult novel yes there was a lot of tumbling and laughing
sounds at great odds with what he said shortly after having been arrested it was all completely
new he had written a new narrative so in this new narrative you're in agreement the new narrative
was extremely convenient because he needed consent he needed the word yes turner would add one more
lurid detail he claimed under oath that she had climaxed i was livid i didn't understand why
it had been allowed to go that far i think you told us before that you felt as though you
had been assaulted a second time i felt like i was assaulted multiple times every time you're
reliving this like this is the list of body parts submitted as evidence the trial took its toll the
barrage of questions the mortifying photos of her half-naked and unconscious body shown
in open court and worst she says turner's defense attorney constantly objecting and cutting her off
to make her words fit his narrative i remember in court the defense attorney always said chanel has
no memory chanel has no memory and i remember sitting there and thinking i will remember
everything i will remember every remark i will remember the lighting inside this courtroom i will
remember the texture of the defense attorney's hair i will remember the depth of the pain you
made me feel i will remember it and i will record it and i will write it so that it will not be lost
chanel poured all of those memories feelings and frustrations into her memoir know my name with
anguish and humor she takes on a criminal justice system she says fails the most vulnerable i want
to read something you wrote this was not a quest for justice but a test of endurance
swearing under oath was just a made-up promise honesty was for children that's
what the courtroom experience felt like to you yes after brock's testimony it felt like all
rules had been abandoned he will go to any end to come out of this without a guilty conviction
and for me it felt like how many times can we make her relive this after all those traumatic days
you get the verdict tell me about the verdict my heart was beating extremely loud
it was deafening it was really hard for me to focus and i was just waiting for the sound of
guilty and she heard it all 12 jurors found brock turner guilty of all three felony counts but it
wasn't over the sentencing was two months away and chanel was asked by the deputy d.a
to write a victim impact statement a letter to the judge to inform his decision it's basically
documentation of your thoughts and feelings throughout this process and i majored in
literature which was basically four years of talking about my feelings and reading
about other people's feelings so i thought wow there's an assignment that exists in the world
that i was made to do she had been keeping notes on her iphone throughout the process
and in one impassioned all-nighter she wove them into a defiant first-person narrative
a few days before the sentencing she gave it to the prosecutor when i first read her
letter i immediately shared it with people because i thought this is so good this is what we
see victims go through what we know that they go through but it's never been summarized in such an
articulate and profound way chanel recently read those words for her audio book your honor if it
is all right for the majority of this statement i would like to address the defendant directly
you don't know me but you've been inside me and that's why we're here today chanel spoke
directly to her assailant in court she says she noticed people crying brock turner wouldn't look
at her your damage was concrete stripped of titles degrees enrollment my damage was internal unseen
i carry it with me you took away my worth my privacy my energy my time
my safety my intimacy my confidence my own voice until today as he handed down his sentence
judge aaron persky acknowledged chanel's words but also cited the defendant's good character
the fact that he'd been drinking and the impact prison would have on his life
judge persky sentenced turner to six months in jail a sentence at the low end of state guidelines
with good behavior he'd walk free in 90 days your prosecutor had been asking for six years yes
how did that hit you i was in shock so you're saying i just put aside
a year and a half of my life so he could go to county jail for three months
there are young men particularly young men of color serving longer sentences for non-violent
crimes for having a teeny weeny bit of marijuana in their pockets and he's just been convicted of
three felonies and he's going to serve one month for each felony how can you explain that to me
chanel didn't think her voice had been heard but it had the news website buzzfeed asked to
publish her impact statement in its entirety without giving it much thought she agreed i
didn't think it would take off anywhere and i actually felt really vulnerable again thinking
why am i putting myself out there one last time you know who's going to sit and read through this
entire thing but then the view started trickling in and soon it was a hundred thousand and five
hundred thousand and by the end of the day it was a million within four days it hit 11 million
by then her statement had been shared globally published by newspapers and read aloud in its
entirety on tv members of congress staged readings in the capitol you have dragged me through this
hell with you and so did people all over the world you don't know me but you've been inside of me and
thousands of emails and letters addressed to emily doe flooded the courthouse eventually making their
way to her kitchen table these started coming in the next day the next day and it was really like
medicine reading these was like feeling the shame dissolve you know bringing all the light
in you heard from a number of survivors so many survivors and sometimes they would say you are the
first person i'm telling this to or this is the first time i've been able to speak in six years
in the wake of the sentencing there was a national uproar and after a contentious special election
judge aaron persky became the first judge to be recalled from california's bench in more than 80
years the case also led to significant changes in california law setting mandatory prison
sentences for anyone convicted of assaulting a person who is unconscious or intoxicated
and expanding the definition of rape to include non-consensual sexual penetration i mean that's
democracy in action within 90 days the law was changed all because of her words and her strength
what do you think of that i'm extremely proud of that i'll take the defeat of a light sentence for
a change in the law two bills were signed into law by california governor jerry brown allele
mailed me a copy of the signed document like a certificate that granted me the right to sleep
peacefully knowing this botched sentencing would not be repeated i began to believe again injustice
after the trial brock turner was required to register as a sex offender
his appeal of his felony convictions was unanimously rejected by three judges last year
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