Former Idaho lawmaker Aaron von Ehlinger gets

BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Former Idaho lawmaker Aaron von Ehlinger has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping a legislative intern.

He'll have to serve a minimum of eight years before he's eligible for parole. Once released, he's been ordered to register as a sex offender.

After von Ehlinger gave a statement in the courtroom Wednesday, Judge Reardon said, "I have to come to the conclusion that your denial, your demonstrated lack of empathy for the victim, your propensity to blame the victim. When I listened to you today, I wrote down two words - victim and hero. That you see yourself as a victim and you see yourself as a hero, and frankly, I don’t see you as either one of those things."

Jane Doe, in an audio-recorded victim impact statement, said her autonomy had been violently ripped away from her.

"I have never felt more ashamed, belittled, powerless, and dehumanized," she said. "How can I recount the terror my body was going through that evening? Have you ever tasted the blood from biting the inside of your lips because you couldn't say no loud enough? Have you ever felt buried alive in your own flesh that your screams stay trapped on the tip of your tongue?"

Even in her own home, with an alarm system and cameras, she said she has little sense of security.

"I will never forget the strength and force of his grip," she said.

Ada County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Katelyn Farley said von Ehlinger not only violated the woman's soul and sense of security, but also her dreams and aspirations of working in politics.

Farley added the victim did nothing to facilitate this crime, "the only person who acted with greed and evil was the defendant."

Mr. Cox, the attorney representing von Ehlinger said he disagreed with the state's portrayal of von Ehlinger as a 'monster.' Cox said whatever the judge determines, von Ehlinger is willing to do what the court asks, including treatment, and take it seriously.

Von Ehlinger recounted a time when he received a reckless driving misdemeanor, how he was 'scared straight,' and made a pledge to be a law-abiding citizen.

During his statement, he also mentioned before his trial, he went on a pilgrimage to Israel and was baptized in the Jordan River, "before the priest would allow the baptism, your honor, I was required to confess all of my sins. And I went before the priest, we sat down. It was a lengthy process... I confessed a lot of sins, your honor. I'm not a perfect ma, but rape was not one of the sins I could confess to. It would be a sin to confess to something I did not commit."

In April, von Ehlinger was found guilty Friday of raping a 19-year-old legislative intern. He was found not guilty of sexual penetration with a foreign object.

"I hope he rots in pieces behind those cold metal bars," the victim said in court.

He'll need to serve a minimum of eight years in prison before he's eligible for parole.

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