Richardson County District Judge Daniel Bryan, in sentencing Matthew Koso, 23, of Falls City, Nebraska, said the criminal law in the case was "very plain and direct."Koso's wife Crystal is only 15 years of age and though the marriage was legal in Kansas with her mother's consent Nebraska law forbids sexual relations between adults 19 and older and children under 16. The chief piece of evidence was the couple's daughter.
I'm troubled by this especially considering that they started their relationship when she was allegedly only 12 years old and clearly a child in comparison to his age which at that time would have been 20.
He crossed a line that he shouldn't have but when her mother gave consent for the marriage then his transgression was ratified by the family and subsequently by Kansas law. Even so I have to wonder if anything is served by imprisoning him, perhaps only as an example for others. What the outcome of this should be is changes to Kansas law to make it clear that such relationships are wrong.
Labels: Sex
