An assistant prosecutor has it right. It took astounding courage for two East Naples sisters to come forward yet again and testify against a man convicted of raping them as children for years more than two decades ago.
These sisters believed their courtroom ordeals were over last year when they first testified against Jerry Wayne Brown, 44. They decided to come forward after hearing that he had also approached another relative.
Still, the life sentence he received did not hold up, and an appeals court sent the case back to Collier for resentencing. Even to secure a 15-year sentence, the sisters, now in their 30s, had to come back to court and relive some of the pain — which they say will never be totally erased.
They helped to protect the entire community by deciding to do so. As one of them put it, “I am helping protect other children.”
This newspaper is not publishing their names due to the sexual nature of the case. In anonymity, may they take some comfort in knowing their profile in courage is recognized and appreciated.
Marco Island Code Compliance Board
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
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