Christopher Belter, now 20, raped several younger teens and was convicted in 2018. This week Niagara County Judge Matthew Murphy, sympathising with his plight from the bench, told him he would not be going to jail.
"It seems to me that a sentence that involves incarceration or partial incarceration isn't appropriate, so I am going to sentence you to probation."
The judge issued a lengthy list of probation rules for Belter, who now lives in the City of Lockport. He also had a stern warning about following the rules.
This despite the judge admitting Belter failed to follow those already placed upon him and presents an "above average risk" to reoffend.
Judge Murphy said of Belter "we now know from his documented failure to to follow the rules imposed by the Court about abstinence from pornography that this defendant does not hesitate to ignore the rules when they compete with his own carnal appetites."
Judge Murphy recently went as far as to order local media not to publish Belter's name, despite the fact he is now an adult.
From this reportage it isn't even clear just how many girls Belter raped. This story in the Buffalo News says four. He plead guilty to two counts of second degree sex abuse, third degree attempted abuse and third degree rape.
Local news coverage implies local support for Belter, including from his fancy school and his affluent community. This item from 2018 reports the original allegations of booze-on-tap parties thrown at his parents' vast McMansion—and outrage among their rich friends that he (and they) would even be charged.
The charges against the teenage son and the detailed allegations listed in the criminal complaint against his guardians have rocked the affluent community where they live, as well as Canisius High School, the elite private boys school he attended.
The now-former student's friends were stunned when news of the charges came out on November 7th , according to a Canisius staff member who spoke to 7 Eyewitness News on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from school officials.
"No boy knows where the hammer might fall next," the staffer said.
The blithe admission that rape is business as usual for the rich kids of Lewiston, N.Y. notwithstanding, what hammer? Here's the lawyer of one of Belter's victims:
Cohen represents one of the victims and is outraged with the sentence. Cohen says there were "zero consequences" for violating his previous probation.
"He is privileged. He comes from money. He is white. He was sentenced as an adult, appropriately — for an adult to get away with these crimes is unjust," Cohen remarked.
Cohen noted how difficult it was for his client to hear Belter will not go to jail.
"I believe she's in the bathroom throwing up, right now"
Judge Murphy said he "agonized" and prayed over the sentence. So you can consider its leniency God's will.
