After man is sentenced for assault, woman has message for others: 'There is beauty on other side of grief'
She had waited more than five years for this.
The man who had abused her and another person when they were minors — she a teenager, the other person just 5 years old — was finally being sentenced.
And while Christopher Negrete was given a lesser sentence under a plea deal, the woman still spoke of hope in her statement to the judge.
Addressing “those who have never been heard or believed,” she assured them that “above all else, there is such beauty on the other side of all the grief and misery that has been placed at our feet by the people who only wish to hurt us.”
The woman – who asked only to be referred to by her first name, Bee – said her journey these last few years has been one of “radical acceptance.”
It was in spring 2019 that Negrete, now 48, was charged with multiple counts of criminal sexual assault and possession of child pornography.
He could have been sentenced to over four decades in prison. Instead, Negrete accepted a plea deal this fall and was sentenced to 28 years.
While it was not the sentence she expected, Bee said she has found solace in the fact that Negrete will not be able to harm anyone else.
“None of this is great, and nothing's gonna make anyone feel any better,” Bee told the Sun-Times. “It's not gonna take away any of the harm that's been caused.”
In March 2019, Negrete’s girlfriend discovered at least five images of child porn on his phone — including some depicting children younger than 5. She turned Negrete in to police, and he was charged with possession of child pornography of a person under the age of 13.
Bee read the coverage of the charges and went to the police with her own story: Negrete had taken pornographic images and sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager almost 20 years ago.
During this time, Negrete’s former girlfriend also learned he had sexually assaulted her 5-year-old daughter.
A month later, Negrete was charged with two counts of criminal sexual assault and an additional count of child pornography. He was ordered held without bail.
Bee and the others would have to wait five years to see Negrete held accountable.
At one point, Bee believed they were going to trial, then she said she was told a plea deal had been offered but rejected.
In August 2024, Bee said an assistant state’s attorney called and informed her the plea deal was back on the table, and it appeared Negrete was going to accept.
Bee decided to write a victim's statement to read in court on the day of the sentencing. The other victims in the case provided statements as well.
Leading up to sentencing day, she said she was both terrified and excited; “I had no idea what to expect.”
“For me, personally, I felt it was going to be important for myself and my healing closure to be there on that day, look him in the eye and read this,” Bee said. “On the other side of it, (I’m) so grateful I was able to do that.”
In her statement, Bee spoke directly to Negrete and addressed not only how he harmed her as a teenager but also the continued pain she’d experienced over the last five years.
“For over five years now, you have attempted to skirt all accountability and have only deepened the wounds of your survivors and their loved ones,” she wrote. “I know that I have been so angry and grief stricken over the time, energy, money, relationships etc. that you have taken from me. I have held onto the weight of the harm you’ve caused me for over 15 years now but today I am handing that weight over to you.”
On Sept. 11, Negrete pleaded guilty to a count of criminal sexual assault and two counts of possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to 17 years and 11 years in prison, to serve one after the other.
Negrete has to serve at least 85% of the first sentence and at least 50% of the second, which means, with the five and a half years of credit he already received, Negrete could potentially be out of prison in about 14 years.
Bee initially had mixed emotions about the plea deal but said given the circumstances and all the people involved, it was the easiest way to bring the case to a close.
“He’s still going to be off the street, he’s can't harm anyone else, so there is some comfort there,” Bee said.
Through it all, Bee said she has formed an empowering bond with the others involved in this case. She is also motivated to share her story in the hope that it helps other survivors of sexual violence.
As she wrote in her statement to the judge, speaking to fellow survivors; “There is more love and joy on the other side and I really hope you will join me there.”