A Stillwater sexual-assault victim is asking a Payne County judge to rip up Jesse Butler’s no-contest deal, arguing prosecutors cut the agreement without following victims’ rights protections in Oklahoma law. The court filing leans on Marsy’s Law and, if a judge agrees those constitutional safeguards were ignored, the case could be pushed back toward adult prosecution. The closely watched matter was back in district court yesterday for a scheduling hearing.
The victim’s attorney told the court they plan to ask the judge to void Butler’s plea, saying the state negotiated the agreement without meaningful consultation and denied the victim the Marsy’s Law promises of being informed and heard before a plea is finalized, as reported by KOCO.
Public records on the Oklahoma State Courts Network list 11 felony counts in the case, including attempted first-degree rape, rape by instrumentation, sexual battery, forcible oral sodomy and domestic assault by strangulation, and show Butler entered no-contest pleas. The docket reflects an Aug. 25, 2025 sentencing entry that imposed multi-year terms on several counts while placing Butler with the Office of Juvenile Affairs as a youthful offender. It also shows a verified Marsy’s Law motion filed in December, written responses from both the state and the defense, and a reply by the movant in late last month, according to filings on the Oklahoma State Courts Network.
What the Marsy’s Law motion says
The motion asks the court for a corrective hearing and a change to the youthful-offender disposition, arguing that victims were not adequately consulted before prosecutors accepted the plea agreement. Supporters of Marsy’s Law say it gives crime victims the right to be treated with dignity, to be kept informed about key decisions and to speak up before a plea is set in stone. Those points are front and center in the filing and in local discussion of the case, and KOCO reports the victim’s attorney will ask the court to throw out the agreement on that basis.
Prosecutor’s response
Payne County District Attorney Laura Austin Thomas has defended how her office handled the prosecution, saying the case was initially filed in adult court to keep the allegations in the public record and that a youthful-offender outcome was the most likely legal result because of Butler’s age at the time of the alleged offenses. Her statement also says Butler must complete a strict rehabilitation plan, and that failure to comply could lead to him being treated as an adult and facing a penitentiary sentence, according to reporting by the USA TODAY Network and The Spokesman-Review. The district attorney’s office says victims and their families were consulted about how the case was filed.
Community reaction and background
The case has triggered national scrutiny and street protests in Stillwater, fueled by Butler’s family ties to the local university and graphic allegations described in arrest affidavits. Victim impact statements quoted in coverage describe severe physical and psychological trauma. One victim wrote, “You didn’t just strangle me with your hands, you strangled my voice, my joy, my ability to feel safe in my own body,” a line that has echoed in national reporting on the case. News outlets have followed the protests, the public anger and the families’ frustration as the legal fight over the plea plays out, according to People.
For now, the next move belongs to the Payne County bench. The docket shows the case was set for a Tuesday hearing and lists an additional review date of April 24, while the Marsy’s Law motion remains pending. If the court finds victims’ rights were violated and grants a corrective hearing, the youthful-offender disposition could be reexamined. That decision would determine whether Butler’s existing plea deal stands or whether the case is sent back to adult court for resentencing, according to entries on the Oklahoma State Courts Network.
