St. Titus Church in Aliquippa, PAThe 85 year-old nun who was brutally raped by a teenage boy behind a church in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania last year, has issued a moving statement in which she calls the attack "a thoroughly unwarranted, undeserved, unfair assault upon a defenseless 85 year-old woman" but reassures him that he is indeed forgiven for the crime.
WTAI is reporting on the sentencing of Andrew Bullock, 19, who was sentenced to 18 to 37 years in state prison for raping the nun behind St. Titus Church in Aliquippa last December 13. During the proceedings, Judge Harry Knafelc said he had not seen such depravity in all of his 42 years in the criminal court system.
According to the victim, who testified at a preliminary hearing, she was grabbed, punched, choked and ultimately raped, and said she thought she was going to die.
But she survived and although she chose not to appear at the sentencing, she wrote a statement that was read aloud by a fellow sister from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Baden.
"Whether or not you realize it, Andrew, or are even concerned, your attack upon me was a thoroughly unwarranted, undeserved, unfair assault upon a defenseless 85 year-old woman. I now know the meaning of the word 'terror' which has left a permanent mark upon my psyche and my memory. To this day my sleep is often interrupted with restlessness that is difficult to describe but certainly a carry-over from December 13. And even to this day, when someone unexpectedly approaches me, a single second of cold fear rips through my body. . . ."
She goes on to say that the question people most often ask of her is whether or not she can forgive him for what he did. "Of course he is forgiven," she tells them.
"You, Andrew, are my brother, and like me, are a beloved child of our Father God. And our Father asks of his children to love one another and forgive one another. And this I do, Andrew, by God's merciful grace."
She goes on to say that "my profound and permanent prayer for you, Andrew, is that you wholeheartedly take advantage of the educational, uplifting, socially positive opportunities that may be available during your prison time."
Perhaps one day they will be able to look back on the incident and better understand how "All things work together unto good for those who love God," she said in closing.
Her remarkable sentiments moved everyone in the courtroom, including Bullock's family who expressed their sorrow to the elderly victim.
"We feel bad for her and her family, and that maybe now she can find some closure," said Nadine Toliver, Bullock’s stepsister. “But, I do want to apologize to her about what happened."
"I can’t even begin to wonder why or how he done it," said Marjorie Jackson, Bullock’s stepsister. "That’s not the brother that I knew."
However, assistant district attorney Jennifer Popovich reminded that "While they speak of forgiveness, there is still a place for punishment and that is what I believe we’ve seen here today in court.”
Bullock will be required to register as a sexually violent predator under Pennsylvania law after his release from prison and will be required to undergo monthly sexual offender counseling for the rest of his life.
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