A Tulsa man, Denzil Austin Berryman, was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison for aggravated sexual abuse and assault by strangulation in Indian country. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill, who also ordered 10 years of supervised release after imprisonment and required Berryman to register as a sex offender. In addition, Berryman must pay $5,375 in restitution.
The conviction stems from an incident in June 2023. According to trial testimony, Berryman became angry when he saw gummy bears that he believed were a gift from someone else in the victim’s apartment. He screamed at the victim, slapped her, forced gummy bears down her throat, damaged property in the apartment, and threatened to harm her cat.
The victim called 911 during the altercation. Although officers responded and Berryman initially agreed to leave, he did not follow through. He apologized and was allowed back into the apartment by the victim. Once inside, Berryman forced the victim into her bedroom where he sexually assaulted her. When she asked him to stop, he strangled her until she lost consciousness and then continued to rape her after she regained consciousness.
Berryman is identified as a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and will remain in custody until his transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The case was investigated by the FBI and Tulsa Police Department. Prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Ihler and Stephen Scaife.
“The Office on Violence Against Women has resources for survivors of domestic violence. You can find information here.”
