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Ruling on fate of teen rapist gets delayed
By DONG-PHUONG NGUYEN
© St. Petersburg Times, TAMPA -- His godmother called him a quiet boy in need of a father figure. His kindergarten teacher remembered him as stubborn, but never violent. And his psychologist said the child should be rehabilitated, not imprisoned. But the woman Tavaris Knight raped wants to see the 13-year-old incarcerated for the rest of his life. The crime has left her a damaged person, she wrote in a letter, and her life has been changed forever. After four hours of testimony at the sentencing of the Tampa teen Monday, Circuit Judge Jack Espinosa Jr. postponed his decision, saying he needs more time. "You've offered me great insight and much to consider," Espinosa said. "I don't feel I can do that at this time." Knight, who raped the woman at gunpoint at Copeland Park last year at age 12, will learn his fate at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. He could face from 121/2 years to life in prison. A handful of people testified Monday on Knight's behalf, including his godmother, kindergarten teacher and psychologist, all of whom expressed anguish at the thought of the boy being committed to adult prison for the rest of his life. His kindergarten teacher, Kathryn Noriega, said Knight struggled with his studies and would give up completely whenever he had trouble. She said he was always solemn and often stubborn, but never violent. "I treat (my students) like my own," Noriega said, crying. "I see a child going to prison ... I hope he goes someplace where they can help him, educate him. He's a child. He has hope. He's still young. I want him to know I'm thinking of him, someone still cares about him." Psychologist Dr. Ted Shaw told Espinosa that he would like to see Knight, who functions at a second-grade level, committed to a facility for youthful sexual offenders. "I really don't believe that prison is the right environment for him," Shaw said. However, the victim was adamant that Knight be sent to prison for the rest of his life. Prosecutor Michael Sinacore read a letter from the woman, who was not in court. She talked about the effects the crime has had on her and her four young daughters. They were with their mother in the park that day and saw Knight put a gun to her head and order her into the woods. She will not return to Copeland Park with the girls, 4-year-old twins, 2 and 1 at the time. They are afraid to walk too far from her and tend to cluster. And she suffers from headaches and anxiety. "I always look back around my shoulder and behind me," she wrote. "I don't like being alone . . . myself and my family have suffered and do continue to suffer."
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