A 16-year-old Montana boy was sentenced to 75 years in prison for raping an 11-year-old girl.
According to USA Today, Kaleb Kuebler pleaded guilty to the rape of a young girl. He reportedly lured her into an alley when she was walking home from school. Kuebler also threatened her not to go to the authorities, demanding her address so he could inflict harm on her if she did no cooperate.
The girl told her grandparents what happened, sparking a daylong manhunt for Kuebler. The now 12-year-old victim testified at Kuebler's hearing on Wednesday.
"I felt like I was going to die," the victim told her attacker in the courtroom. "We never thought this was going to happen to me. We thought I was safe...I want him to go away for a long time."
The plea agreement was signed by Kuebler in September, but was hospitalized shortly after. The 16-year-old reportedly jumped over a railing on the third floor of the Cascade County Courthouse, according to USA Today.
He fell 30 feet and was hospitalized for "some time" before returning to prison. Kuebler also was reportedly beaten up by another inmate while awaiting trial.
"Kaleb is a broken boy," Betty Carlson, his public defender, said after the sentencing. "He's a poster child for a kid who fell through the cracks in the system."
Kuebler also spoke to the courtroom on Wednesday during his hearing. As a part of his plea agreement, he must also pay his victim $135,000 in restitutions. He must also complete sex-offender treatment before becoming eligible for parole, USA Today reports.
"In a weird way my, my attempt at suicide was trying to make up for what I did," Kuebler said Wednesday, adding he accepts "whatever sentence you give me without complaint."
The mother of the victim had her turn to speark during Kuebler's hearing as well.
"You won't take her spirit from her. She's a strong little girl," the woman said. "God forgive me, but you deserve everything and need a lot of help."
