Maddesyn George Sentenced for Killing Her Rapist

Maddesyn George, a 27-year-old native woman, was found guilty of murdering her rapist just two days before Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of murder using a self-defense claim. Although Graber attacked George the day after the initial rape, prosecutors blocked her from claiming self-defense in the murder. A member of the Colville Confederated Tribes, George admitted to shooting Kristopher Graber in July 2020 to the Tribal Court.

Major Crimes Act

Because the shooting occurred on a reservation and falls under the Major Crimes Act, a law that grants federal jurisdiction over certain major crimes committed by Native people on Native territory, George was prosecuted on the federal level.

Graber and George had been friends for a long time. On this particular evening, she and Graber scratched lottery tickers at his house when he suddenly raped her with a vibrator. She objected, at which time he pulled out a gun.

Graber Confronts George

Some time passed and Graber fell asleep. As he slept, George took his gun, drugs, and cash, then fled the home. Graber went out looking for George on the Colville Reservation. When he found the girl, he grabbed and began to strike the girl. George fired the weapon through the car window, fatally wounding Graber.

“I was like panicking cause I was like, ‘Oh, fuck, the window’s open this much, like he’s going to fucking, he is going to get me,” George told the tribal detective shortly after the shooting. “So then I got the gun off the floor.”

Despite giving a detailed account of a sexual assault, police did not provide George with a rape kit. They also jailed and questioned the woman without an attorney present. Her family says that investigators went as far as to say they did not believe the girl had been raped.

Prosecutors Block Self-Defense

Federal prosecutors filed a motion blocking George from arguing self-defense at trial, claiming she was the “initial aggressor,” meaning the shooting would not be justifiable under self-defense laws.

The Model Penal Code § 3.04(1) defines self-defense as “justifiable when the actor believes that such force is immediately necessary for the purpose of protecting himself against the use of unlawful force by such other person on the present occasion.”

A defendant must prove four elements to claim self-defense. First, they must prove there was a confrontation with an unprovoked attack. Next, the defendant must prove that the threat of injury or death was imminent had the not retaliated with deadly force. Third, the defendant must prove the degree of force used in self-defense was reasonable for the circumstances. Fourth and final, the defendant must prove that he or she had a reasonable fear of injury or death unless deadly force was used.

Jody George, Maddesyn’s mother, claimed to Emerald magazine that Graber had previously assaulted her oldest daughter and stolen items from the family.

George Accepts Plea Deal

Prosecutors used George’s past drug history against her in court. Facing up to 45-years in prison, most stemming from charges of possession of methamphetamines, George took a plea deal for voluntary manslaughter and drug possession. US District Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson sentenced her to spend six and a half years in federal prison. This equals a longer than average sentence range, but much more lenient than the 17-year-sentence prosecutors asked for.

Petition to Free Maddesyn

If you think Maddesyn acted in self-defense and should not be in prison, sign this petition to show your support. Share with your friends as well.

You can also register for #FreeMaddesynMondays to receive a link for a Zoom meeting with weekly case updates and information.

More Information About This Case:

https://southseattleemerald.com/2021/11/16/free-maddesyn-george-native-mother-and-survivor-faces-hearing/