Daughter Says Oklahoma Rapist Deserves Life Sentence

By Jennifer Loren, The News On 6

UNDATED -- The daughter of a convicted rapist speaks out, saying he deserves more than one year behind bars.  She says her father deserves a life sentence.  David Earls' rape conviction made national headlines this month after a Pittsburg County judge sentenced him to only one year in prison.

His own daughter says Earls is a monster and needs to be put away forever.

David Harold Earls is a convicted rapist.  Earlier this month, he pleaded no contest to charges he raped and sodomized a 5-year-old girl.  Pittsburg County District Judge Thomas Bartheld accepted a plea deal of 20 years in prison, 19 of them suspended, meaning Earls will only spend one year in prison.

The story infuriated cable news audiences across the country and led some state legislators to call for the judge to be kicked off the bench.

"In Oklahoma, when somebody commits this crime on a 5 or 6 year old and only give them a year, it really needs to be looked into. What are we doing in our court system?" said Representative Mike Ritze of Broken Arrow.

Now, Earls own daughter, Denise, is calling for action.

"My father is a monster and he needs to stay, he needs to stay in prison," said Denise Earls.

Denise Earls says when she was young Earls raped her.  She hoped he was finally going to get the punishment he deserved.

"Well I was completely outraged because it brought back all the memories that I went through as a child and just to know that he only got a year when I have a life sentence to deal with this," said Denise Earls.

But, Denise Earls' plea for justice may be too little too late. The prosecutor on David Earls' case says they didn't know his daughter existed until after the plea deal. But, even if they had known about her, they couldn't use her testimony because the crimes she accused him of happened so long ago.

"He will definitely do this again. The man does not need to get out. That's why I'm speaking out today because this must be stopped. This man has to be in prison for the rest of his life," said Denise Earls.

Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmonson has promised to look into the facts behind Earls' case to see if he can take any action.  On Friday, one of his staff members said they are still in the middle of that process.

Judge Bartheld continues to stand behind his ruling.