The enraged father of three daughters sexually abused by Larry Nassar lunged at the former USA Gymnastics national team doctor during a sentencing hearing in a Michigan courtroom on Friday. Court guards pinned him to the ground before he could attack Nassar.
A father of three victims tried to attack Larry Nassar in the courtroom before being restrained by police. pic.twitter.com/pyjtjXHlr7
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“I would ask you as part of the sentencing to grant me five minutes in a locked room with this demon,” he said, gesturing toward Nassar, who has already been sentenced to up to 175 years in prison at an earlier hearing after pleading guilty to molesting young women under the guise of medical treatment.
Father of three victims attempts to attack Larry Nassar during hearing
?: https://t.co/5xQHzb7mpm pic.twitter.com/gIMoBSxQEx
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Margraves then bolted towards Nassar, seated in an orange jump suit nearby. Gasps, cries and shouts filled the courtroom as Margraves was wrestled to the ground and put in handcuffs while Nassar was taken out to safety.
“What if this happened to you guys?” he implored of the court officers as they pulled him out the room.
Looking distressed, the lead prosecutor, Angela Povilaitis, turned to the victims and relatives in the courtroom and tried to restore calm.
“I understand Mr. Margraves’ frustration but you cannot do this,” she said. “This is not helping your children.”
The hearing resumed after a short break, with the judge addressing what she called a “scary” scene.
“My heart started beating fast and my legs started shaking,” Cunningham said. “We cannot react by using physical violence,” she said, noting she could not imagine Margraves’ pain as a father.
Nassar is also serving a 60-year federal term for child pornography convictions.
The enraged father of three daughters sexually abused by former USA Gymnastics national team doctor Larry Nassar lunged at him in the courtroom https://t.co/4qHBKBk66E pic.twitter.com/KGXdYAHnLj
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His case has sparked broader outrage after numerous victims accused USA Gymnastics, the sport’s governing body, and Michigan State University, where Nassar worked, of failing to investigate complaints about him going back years. U.S. Olympic officials have also been criticized by some of the sport’s biggest stars, including gold medalists Aly Raisman, Simone Biles and McKayla Maroney.
On Thursday, the police department in Meridian, Michigan, apologized publicly to one victim for declining to press charges against Nassar in 2004 when she reported that he abused her. The Wall Street Journal also said on Thursday that U.S. Olympic officials did not intervene after being told in 2015 that USA Gymnastics had uncovered possible abuse by Nassar.
USA Gymnastics’ board of directors agreed to a demand by the U.S. Olympic Committee that they all resign in the wake of Nassar’s sentencing, as did the president and athletic director of Michigan State. The scandal has prompted several investigations into those institutions.
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