SPOKANE, Wash. — A judge praised as an advocate for victims of sexual abuse will serve as the keynote speaker at YWCA Spokane's 37th annual Women of Achievement awards luncheon on Friday.
The luncheon will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Spokane Convention Center.
In January 2018, Judge Rosemarie Aquilina sentenced former sports doctor Larry Nassar to 40 to 175 years in prison after he admitted to molesting some of the nation’s top gymnasts.
“I just signed your death warrant,” she said after her sentencing.
Aquilina said Nassar’s “decision to assault was precise, calculated, manipulative, devious, despicable.”
"It is my honor and privilege to sentence you. You do not deserve to walk outside a prison ever again,” she said. “You have done nothing to control those urges and anywhere you walk, destruction will occur to those most vulnerable."
"I wouldn't send my dogs to you, sir," she added.
“By allowing every woman who said they had been sexually assaulted by Nassar face him in court, despite his guilty plea, many say Judge Aquilina empowered these young women and redefined victim testimony,” the YWCA said.
Last year’s luncheon was the biggest YWCA event of the year, with 1,000 guests and 50 organizations who raised $315,000.
Registration and more information about the luncheon can be found on the YWCA Spokane website.
