PROVO — A 22-year-old Orem man was sentenced Friday to serve up to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a fellow Brigham Young University student.
Calling it a "heinous crime," 4th District Judge James Taylor said the actions of Matthew Holman in July 2000 ruined the innocence of a 17-year-old freshman. "This was a very inexperienced, very naive, very tender victim," Taylor said.
Speaking after the sentencing, the victim said she encourages other young women who have been assaulted to come forward. "I'm just glad that everyone knows who he is and what he did because it's terrible," said the victim, now 19. "It's been very hard on our whole family. It's been hard to find myself and to become faithful and who I want to become."
The woman, who is from Iowa, said she knew Holman at BYU through church activities and friends. Family members said she was excited at the time because she had finished high school a year early and was starting her first semester of college. In July 2000, Holman asked her on a date. "He invited me to his parents' house for dinner and to watch a movie. When I got there, there was no one there," she said.
According to Orem police reports, Holman sexually assaulted her at his parents' house. After the attack, police records say, Holman took the victim in a car to the Provo Temple where he dumped her half-dressed and bruised on the lawn.
Pointing to the temple, "he just dropped me off and told me that I'd never go into there again," the victim said.
Police say the two met at Deseret Towers, a student housing complex, where Holman, also a student, worked as a campus security guard.
Holman was originally charged with first-degree felony counts of rape, aggravated sexual assault and second-degree forcible sex abuse. Those charges were reduced to two second-degree felony counts of attempted rape and attempted forcible sex abuse as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.
In court, Holman offered an apology to the victim and her family. "I understand that what I did was very wrong and the hardest part has been trying to accept that myself," he said.
Holman's attorney, Fred Metos, in court denied that Holman dropped the girl off at the Provo Temple, saying dream therapy and influence by family members had confused her.
But Orem police detectives said the girl managed to give her details about the temple, such as the time the sprinklers came on.
"This appears, for lack of a better description, a date rape," Metos said. Pointing out that Holman had strong family support and a good job, Metos asked that he be given jail time and probation with counseling.
Taylor said despite Holman's apology, he was not convinced that Holman had truly realized the weight of his actions. The judge sentenced Holman to serve one year and up to 15 years in prison for both counts.
The victim's father said he wanted to see that Holman stays behind bars until his daughter's nightmares go away and her concerns turn back to everyday things.
E-mail: gfattah@desnews.com