In a first of its kind punishment in the United States, a Louisiana man will have his testicles removed as part of his criminal sentence for raping a young teenage girl.
Louisiana man forfeits testicles
Authorities were alerted to Glenn Sullivan Sr.’s horrific crimes when a young woman walked into the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office in July 2022.
She reported Sullivan, 54, had sexually assaulted repeatedly when she was only 14-years old and had become pregnant as a result of the attacks.
The girl ended up giving birth to the child, with subsequent DNA testing confirming Sullivan as the biological father.
Further digging into the matter exposed Sullivan for grooming the teenager before assaulting her and then menacingly silencing her and her family with threats of violence.
Sullivan entered a plea of guilty to four counts of second-degree rape last week.
Louisiana is known for imposing some of the harshest sentences on offenders who are convicted of raping minors, including chemical or surgical castration which was passed into law in 2008.
Assistant District Attorney Brad Cascio told WBRZ that he advocated for castration.
“I felt that this case was a strong enough case and warranted such action,” he remarked.
The judge presiding over Sullivan’s case apparently agreed and deemed castration an appropriate punishment when he mandated the order.
Oddly, the way he is to be castrated was up to the convict, who opted to go the surgical route.
Louisiana man wants castration surgery
“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 noted.
The timeline for Sullivan’s surgical procedure remains uncertain, with such enforcement typically under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Corrections, which hasn’t issued further comments but noted the rarity of surgical castrations.
Sullivan’s choice might be a gamble to delay the procedure until it’s too late to matter.
“It has to be done no later than one week prior to his release, so they could do it immediately or they could wait,” Cascio told the outlet.
Sullivan was sentenced to 50 years in prison, and at 54-years-old, he’s unlikely to serve out the entirety of the term. If the Department of Corrections chooses to hold off on the procedure, the convicted rapist may keep his testicles in the long run.
Regardless of the surgery’s timing, District Attorney Scott M. Perrilloux is reassured knowing Sullivan cannot pose further danger to their community.
Perrilloux lauded the bravery of the young woman who fought for justice after enduring sexual assault and the threats that followed.
“So many of these types of cases go unreported because of fear,” he remarked.
“The strength it must have taken for this young woman to tell the truth in the face of threats and adversity is truly incredible.”
In addition to Louisiana, only eight states other states – California, Florida, Iowa, Georgia, Montana, Oregon, Texas, Wisconsin, and Alabama – have castration laws.
