ATLANTA — Several victims attacked by a well-known comedian are not happy with the punishment he received in their case.
Katt Williams won’t be going to prison, and they said that is not justice.
“We cannot ignore that this man has not only traumatized not only us. Several other people,” said Lutisha Martinez, one of the victims.
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She is one of the several women police said Katt Williams attacked.
They are speaking out after learning Williams accepted an agreement that keeps him a free man.
“We felt very ignored throughout this entire wait,” said Salena Boston.
They think Williams’ celebrity played a role.
“His celebrity just took us out. It made it look like we were I guess making this up,” said Lanette Washington, one of four victims who spoke to Channel 2′s Tom Jones.
Williams faced aggravated assault, aggravated battery, sexual battery, theft by taking and other charges after police say he attacked the women after they asked to take a picture with him outside a club in midtown Atlanta in 2016.
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The women said they found out the case was dismissed Monday.
They say they also learned the comedian agreed to Pretrial Intervention and virtual mental health evaluations. That didn’t sit well with them.
“And for you to just slap him on the wrist and just say you want another mental health assessment. How many do you need?” Martinez said.
The women said they weren’t included in discussions about the deal. “I didn’t know anything about it. And it’s not right,“Jalisa Rhodes explained.
They said Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis promised them they would get justice.
Willis’ office sent Jones a statement that said Williams entered into the agreement years ago, and his attorney asked for the courts to enforce it. The statement also says emails show the victims were kept informed about the resolution of the case.
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The victims’ attorney say the agreement was proposed in 2017.
Loletha Hale says she never heard anything else about it until now. She said she had never seen anything like this in more than 2 decades practicing law.
“There’s really no legal procedural justification for this,” Hale said.
The DA’s office says it also had to consider what could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
Drew Findling, Katt Williams’ attorney, says he was prepared to go to trial, then the resolution was reached. He said Willis was fair.
The victims don’t see it that way. They say the justice system failed them. They are planning a civil suit.
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