Iowa teen Peiper Lewis, who was a victim of human trafficking, was sentenced on Tuesday (September 13) after she pleaded to involuntary manslaughter and willful injury in connection with the June 2020 killing of 37-year-old Zachary Brooks. Lewis, now 17, was just 15 when she stabbed Brooks to death in his Des Moines apartment.
Lewis was sentenced to five years of supervised probation and ordered to pay $150,000 for killing Brooks, who took the teen in and began trafficking her after she was a runaway who was sleeping in the halls of an apartment building.
Lewis faced up to ten years in prison, and Polk County District judge David M. Porter deferred the sentences. However, if Lewis violates her probation, she could be forced to serve up to 20 years in prison. Judge Porter also pointed out that Lewis paying Brooks is mandatory under Iowa law.
In a statement following her sentencing, Lewis told the courtroom, "My spirit has been burned, but still glows through the flames. Hear me roar, see me glow, and watch me grow. I am a survivor."
