WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – Michigan’s attorney general is fighting the decision to grant parole to a man convicted of kidnapping and raping a 13-year-old girl more than 20 years ago.
John Robert Lee, 44, pleaded no contest to kidnapping and first-degree sexual assault charges in 1999. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Prosecutors said the 13-year-old girl was riding her bicycle near her home when Lee ordered her into his truck at gunpoint. He drove the child to his mother’s house and sexually assaulted her in the garage.
In December, the parole board granted Lee a 48-month term of parole. He was expected to be released on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed an emergency parole appeal on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, in Washtenaw County. A judge granted the motion to stay parole. Lee will remain in prison until the argument is heard in court.
“Lee is obviously not a suitable candidate for parole, and the Parole Board plainly made the wrong decision,” Nessel said. “It is clear from records of his incarceration and attempted treatment that he does not exhibit an appropriate understanding of the devastation his kidnap and rape of a child caused. There is not sufficient evidence of rehabilitation or meaningful remorse, and he should remain in prison. My office is taking immediate action to protect public safety, and potential future victims, by keeping Lee behind bars.”
The Michigan Department of Corrections classifies Lee as a “priority risk” of reoffending. The attorney general’s department said Lee has “exhibited behavior not compatible with release.” The department said Lee has expressed hurt and anger towards women and has scored in assessment tests as having an “above average risk” of reoffending.
The victim spoke at the public hearing on Lee’s parole. According to the attorney general’s department, she told the parole board the following:
“This one single afternoon completely changed the trajectory of my life and ruined any semblance of a happy childhood. I had never kissed a boy before, had only started my period a year prior and thought I had five years before my first gynecologist visit. Instead, my first sexual experience with a man was a violent rape, and instead of a first visit with an OB/GYN, I was subjected to an invasive rape kit in the ER. Every part of my naked body was examined and photographed. Every item I was wearing was sealed in an evidence bag, never to be returned to me. I was 13 years old.
“The physical trauma didn’t stop there, though, as I was given Plan B to prevent an extremely unwanted pregnancy, an emergency antiviral medication in case of HIV exposure. This cocktail of medications was very strong and made me quite ill. I fainted that first night and hit my head hard on the wall on the way down. This was how I spent my 8th grade spring break.”
The victim also told the parole board this, “I have looked this person in the eyes, and I truly believe that something in him is broken. His heart is cold. He does not have the capacity for empathy or love. If given the chance, he will do it again. His mistake was letting me live, and I don’t think he’d make that mistake again with his next victim.”
Judge Carol Kuhnke granted the motion to stay Lee’s parole pending the Attorney General’s appeal. Lee will remain in prison while the appeal is heard. A status conference is scheduled for Jan. 30, 2024.