Pieper, 21, was convicted of two counts of sexual assault and one count of unlawful sexual contact, the Boulder County District Attorney's Office announced on Tuesday, August 6. He will be sentenced in October and is permitted to remain out of custody on bond until then, says Shannon Carbone, spokesperson for the office.
The verdict comes nearly two years after the assault occurred on the night of September 26, 2022. Pieper and the victim were both freshmen at CU Boulder when they studied in a friend's dorm room together and eventually went to Kittredge Field to hang out. After sharing a consensual kiss, Pieper grabbed the victim's wrist and pulled her into a dark corner of the field, where he held her down, forced her to perform oral sex and digitally penetrated her, according to the District Attorney's Office.
“We are grateful to the jury for coming to this verdict and holding the defendant accountable for his actions," Deputy DAs Taylor Suta and Nevene Hullender said in a statement. "The victim showed tremendous courage throughout this entire process — from reporting to police to testifying at trial almost two years later."
Though the victim reported the assault shortly after it occurred, Pieper went on to secure a spot on the prestigious handler team for the university's bison mascot, Ralphie. He was added to the team in late November 2022 — weeks after the assault was reported and days before he was arrested on December 2, 2022, as reported by the university's student news publication.
Pieper remained a Ralphie handler until April 19 of this year, according to Nicole Mueksch, spokesperson for the university. That's nearly a year and a half after his arrest, and nine days after the CU Independent article exposed that Pieper was still on the team while awaiting his sexual-assault trial.
Members of the handling team run across the field with Ralphie during a football game.
smoddelm at Flickr
Pieper is no longer enrolled at CU Boulder as of June 6, Mueksch says. She declined to reveal whether Pieper dropped out or was expelled from the university, or whether he resigned or was removed from the handling team, citing "privacy laws."
"CU Boulder’s Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance conducted an investigation. While we cannot discuss specific incidents due to privacy laws, sexual-misconduct allegations are thoroughly investigated, and those found responsible are held accountable," Mueksch says.
CU Boulder has a history of sexual misconduct within its athletics department. The issue was brought to national attention when two women claimed they had been gang-raped by a group of CU football players and high school recruits in 2001. The university ultimately paid the victims a total of $2.85 million, but the trouble has continued.
Just last year, CU signed (and then dismissed) a football player who had been accused of sexually assaulting or harassing over a dozen women, according to a CU Independent investigation. Head football coach Deion Sanders celebrated the player even as he left the team over the misconduct allegations, calling him a "good young man."
Another Ralphie handler, Austin Wilkerson, was convicted in 2016 of raping a fellow student. He was sentenced to just two years of work release, of which he served only one year.
Pieper faces a minimum of four years in prison and a maximum of 36 years to life — a mandatory four to twelve years for the one count of unlawful sexual contact and a possible four to twelve years for each of the two counts of sexual assault, according to Carbone. His sentencing is scheduled for October 4 at 3 p.m.
“We appreciate the jury’s service," Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a statement. "These guilty verdicts are the right outcome and a direct result of the victim’s strength, the outstanding investigation by the CU Police Department, and the hard work of our team.”
