Glenn Sullivan Sr. chose to be castrated after he pleaded guilty to raping and impregnating a 14-year-old girl. He was also sentenced to 50 years in prison. (Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office)
A Louisiana man will undergo physical castration and was sentenced to 50 years behind bars for raping and impregnating a 14-year-old girl.
Glenn Sullivan, Sr., 54, pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree rape, according to 21st Judicial District Attorney Scott M. Perrilloux. The case began in July 2022 when the victim told the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office that Sullivan had raped her several times when she was 14. She became pregnant and DNA tests proved Sullivan was the father.
Detectives learned that Sullivan “groomed” the victim and threatened violence against the girl and her family to prevent her from coming forward. Perrilloux applauded the young victim, who came forward to file the charges.
“So many of these types of cases go unreported because of fear. The strength it must have taken for this young woman to tell the truth in the face of threats and adversity is truly incredible,” Perrilloux said in a statement.
A 2008 law in Louisiana allows for chemical castration as a punishment for certain sex crimes. The law also allows offenders to choose physical castration, which is the route Sullivan choose. The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections must assign a doctor to complete the procedure no later than a week before release. Sullivan likely will never get out of prison as he would be over 100 before his prison sentence ends so it’s possible he is never actually castrated.
Other states such as Alabama, Florida and California have similar laws. Critics say it’s inhumane and ineffective. The ACLU of Alabama told Vox when the state passed the law in 2019 that castration violates the Eighth Amendment which bans cruel and unusual punishment. The procedure could also have negative side affects such as bone loss, diabetes and breast growth, doctors told Vox.
Assistant District Attorney Brad Cascio, who handled the Sullivan case, said castration sentences are rare.
“I want to say I’ve had three people ordered to be chemically castrated but, to my knowledge, this is the first physical castration to be ordered,” Cascio told Baton Rouge ABC affiliate WBRZ.
But the sentence was appropriate in this case, Cascio said.
“I felt that this case was a strong enough case and warranted such action,” he told the outlet.
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