Californian climber sentenced to life imprisonment for sexual assault in Yosemite National Park

Four women, at times holding hands tightly, could barely contain their cries of relief as a federal judge in Sacramento sentenced a prominent professional climber and travel guide author to life in prison for sexually assaulting women and abusing his authority to threaten victims if they identified themselves.

Charles Barrett, 40, has robbed women of their freedom and the opportunity to pursue happiness – a constitutional birthright of citizens – because his actions affect the entire life of each victim, a woman, KG, said Tuesday in downtown Sacramento.

A federal court jury found Barrett guilty on February 13 — what KG called “Freedom Day” — of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact, stemming from incidents that occurred in 2016. She said she was raped and sexually assaulted during a weekend of hiking in Yosemite National Park.

“It is time to finally end Barrett’s reign of terror,” the victim said in her testimony in court before the verdict was announced by U.S. District Judge John Mendez.

When Mendez offered Barrett the opportunity to address the court and his victims, she declined to comment. Bakersfield-based criminal defense attorney David Torres said he plans to appeal the ruling.

“I think the life sentence was pretty harsh under the circumstances … considering how much time it took to file the case” and bring charges to trial, Torres said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Arin Heinz listed alleged sexual assaults that began in 2008 and ended in 2016 while the four women lay leaning against each other, crying, in the packed auditorium.

The Sacramento Bee does not name any victims of sexual assault.

KG met Barrett at a local swimming lake and invited her to watch a meteor shower, court records show. He took her to a secluded location, forced her to the ground, raped her and strangled her, prosecutors said.

He also sexually abused her while they were swimming together in the Tuolumne River and raped her again in a communal shower, court documents say.

Three other women also testified during the trial about sexual assault. Prosecutors did not file charges for those alleged incidents because they occurred outside the jurisdiction of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, prosecutors said.

“This defendant used his reputation and presence as a climber to lure and intimidate victims from the climbing community,” U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert said in a statement after his sentencing. “His violent sexual assaults were devastating to the victims, whom he later threatened in the run-up to trial.”

Barrett was also convicted in 2017 of making threats against a woman he allegedly attacked, prosecutors said.

Hennessy, the defense attorney, told the judge that a life sentence was not appropriate because Barrett suffers from mental illness. There is more to Barrett than what was described in the courtroom, he said.

Barrett’s family and friends sent statements to the judge describing him as a friendly man who made no one feel unsafe.

But Mendez found that the defendant showed no remorse or respect for his criminal conduct. In phone calls from prison, Barrett portrayed himself as a victim, called KG a liar and claimed the National Park Service conspired to trap him.

“We are grateful for the tireless work of the National Park Service investigative team and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in bringing this case to trial,” Yosemite National Park Superintendent Cicely Muldoon said in a statement. “Today’s sentencing sends a clear message about the consequences of this criminal conduct. It makes Yosemite a safer place for the climbing community, park visitors and our employees.”

Heinz wiped tears from his face as the weeping victims embraced each other after the verdict was announced. The tears of one victim echoed throughout the courtroom.

“What Charlie (Barrett) did to me cannot be undone,” KG said.