Prosecutors Worry Judge Will Shorten Tulsa Rapist's Sentence

By Lori Fullbright, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- A jury recently sentenced a rapist to 26 years in prison, but prosecutors are worried the judge is going to cut that sentence in half.

Marvell Norton not only raped a woman while her children were sleeping upstairs, but also told her if she called police, her eyes and tongue would be cut out.

The jury gave Norton two, 13 year sentences.

One of the jurors told The News On 6, they wanted him to spend 26 years in prison because they wanted to make sure he was older than 50 when he got out or they feared he would rape again.

Now there's a chance he could get out when he's 37.

Before Marvell Norton ever went into the victim's apartment, he'd already been to prison for a violent crime, attempted armed robbery and when he raped her, he was out on bond for another crime, being a felon with a gun.

Norton knocked on her door and asked to use the phone, but when she handed it out to him, he pushed inside, tried to strangle her and brutally raped her twice.

"As soon as he shoved that door open, I knew I was in a bad place. I knew something bad was going to happen," said "Tracie," a rape victim.

The jury gave him 13 years for each count, or 26 years total. He must serve 85 percent before being eligible for parole, which would be 22 years, which would make Norton 48-years-old upon release.

But, prosecutors are worried the judge is going to order those sentences to run at the same time, concurrent, rather than back to back, consecutive.

So, Norton would have a 13 year sentence.

85 percent of that is 11 years, so he could be 37 when released.

"I can see now why victims don't come out, because of everything I've been through and to get the results I may be getting, it's devastating," said "Tracie."

What makes the prosecutors think the judge might do this?

First, the same judge ordered a child molester's sentence to run concurrent, which chopped 40 years off a 67 year sentence.

Second, an appeals judge recently said he disagreed with Tulsa County making sentences run consecutive when given by a jury, which might make judges worry about being overturned on appeal.

"Tracie" just wants Norton behind bars as long as possible.

"That will at least show him this is serious. It's not okay what you did and let other people know, other rapists and victims know, this is not to be taken lightly," said "Tracie."

The juror The News On 6 talked with said she and others would be very angry if the sentence is shortened, because some of them wanted to put him away for life.

No one knows what the judge is going to do until the sentencing, which will be Thursday morning.

The News On 6 will have an update to this story after the sentencing.