Man Who Strangled Woman Unconscious Won't Serve Jail Time Because Judge Thinks It Won't Happen Again

An Anchorage man who strangled a woman unconscious on the side of a road, all while threatening to kill her, and then masturbated on her, walked out of court on Wednesday with no future jail time under his belt.

KTVA reports that Justin Schneider, 34, was indicted on four felony charges including kidnapping, assault, and one misdemeanor count of offensive contact with fluids. But he ended up striking a plea deal with the state by pleading guilty to a single felony assault, for which he got two years of jail time with one suspended. He then also received credit for wearing an ankle bracelet and staying at home. Oh! And, he’s not even going to be labeled a sex offender, because apparently the details of his crime don’t meet the standards. After Schneider’s victim woke up, he reportedly told her “that he wasn’t really going to kill her, that he needed her to believe she was going to die so that he could be sexually fulfilled.”

But apparently a slap on the wrist is all Schneider needs. Assistant District Attorney Andrew Grannik told KTVA that Schneider losing his job was basically “a life sentence” and that he “hope it doesn’t happen again.” The Judge presiding over the case was similarly optimistic, noting that he’s a member of the community. “This can never happen again,” he told Schneider.

Well, that’ll sure do it, don’t you think! Although I’d argue that it’s better to hear “it won’t” and “it will not” happen again as opposed to “I hope it doesn’t” or “it can never” happen again. But what do I know? I’m just a woman who doesn’t want to be strangled and assaulted, and who lives in constant fear all the time of the sometimes covert and widely unbelieved violent behavior men love to inflict on women.

To make matters worse, Schneider doesn’t seem that remorseful. “I would just like to emphasize how grateful I am for this process,” Schneider said. “It has given me a year to really work on myself and become a better person, and a better husband, and a better father, and I’m very eager to continue that journey.”