Charles Barrett: A Professional Climber and Rapist

Life of girls are not safe anywhere in this world. Charles Barrett, a professional climber from California has proved it. He is behind bars in the case of raping six women. He is a YouTuber who is popular for his climbing videos. His first case was reported in August 2022 by K.G. Charles, who has a history of violence, harassment, and intimidation. 

On 4 June 2024, U.S. District Court Judge John A. Mendez announced a life sentence for Barrett. Furthermore, he raped six different women and intimidated them by killing and destroying their image publicly. Hats off to the courage of K.G., who reported her rape case, which happened to her in Yosemite National Park. 

Furthermore, Berrett was found guilty of two sexual assaults and one abusive sexual contact.  After K.G., other victims, such as Stephanie Forté and Bonnie Hedlund, came forward. They shared their story and explained how they lived hell in hiding from the world. 

Who is Charles Barrett?

Charles Barrett is a climber from California and a guidebook writer. He is popular because of his climbing-related videos. Now, he is popular for his rape cases and living behind bars. At the age of 40, he is accused of raping women. He raped a climber whom he invited for a trip for three times. In 2024, the US government convicted him of rape and sentenced him to life in prison.

Charles Barrett Rape Victims and Their Stories 

Barrett had rape allegations but tried to deny it. But following K.G., more women came in support, and now he is proven guilty in the rape cases. Below are the heart-wrenching rape victims and their stories. 

1. K.G. 

K.G. is the victim who showed courage and came up forward and reported her rape case. In 2016, Berrett connected with K.G. through her Instagram handle and approached her for a hiking trip with his friends in Yosemite National Park. On August 13, 2016,  after completing her solo hiking, she joined Berrett and the team at Tuolumne Meadows. 

Berrett insisted she join him for the meteor shower, and K.G. agreed. But instead of joining friends, he led her to a remote area. He pushed her to the ground and forcibly raped her. Here is not the end; he again raped her the very next day in an employee housing shower. He raped her thrice forcefully. 

Furthermore, in her statement, she said that he had a thought grip and strangled her. She added that she was not able to breathe. If she did not cooperate, he ended up killing her with his bare hands. 

2. J.V.

J.V. is the other victim, who met Berrett on the same night. He strangled and raped her. She was nineteen years old at that time. When she goes against him, he says he will use climber popularity and destroy her image. J.V. also appeared in court and took a stand for herself during the case hearing. 

3. Stephanie Forté

Lonnie Kauk saw that Hedlund was lying on the ground and that Barrett was punching her head repeatedly. He rushed toward Hedlund as Barrett made his way back to the campfire. “Shit just got real,” Barrett said, according to a police report. “I hit Bonnie.”

Stephanie Forté became the rape victim in 2010. He continuously raped her for five years and threatened to kill her. She secretly petitioned management at her climbing gym in Las Vegas about banning Berrett for women’s safety and protection. He got the hint and planned to defame her. 

Furthermore, she did not get the support from the legal system. The authority did not believe her, and justice became unserved there, too. The same thing happened with K.G. when initially she asked for help. In return, they made Berrett the victim, and she was the accused.  

Besides, in 2018, Charles Berrett climber said to one of his male friends that he had decided to kill Forte. His friend did not report to police. Instead, he told National Park Service investigators that Berrett was unintentionally saying this. During her statement, she said he had destroyed her image on social media. He played the victim card and gained sympathy. He and his fans are not letting her live her life. 

4. Bonnie Hedlund

“When he stood up and looked at me, it was like he was a different person,” Bonnie Hedlund says of Barrett. “His eyes were glazed over and he started walking toward me, chanting gibberish.”

Berrett raped Bonnie Hedlund in 2008. When she reported this to the Inyo County justice system, they did nothing in her favour. However, the police charged him with a serious crime. However, the prosecutor did not help and tried to lessen his charges. 

Bonnie did not want the charge reduced and was scared for her safety. She drove a long way to talk to the prosecutor and convince them to keep the serious charge. However, it has zero impact on the prosecutor. In return, the prosecutor said ‘Well, I heard he is a great athlete.’ ‘He is a great climber.’ And ‘If you are so afraid [of him], then why are you here?’”

Bottom Line

Charles Barrett climber raped six women and gave them death threats and trolling on Instagram. The victims were scared of Berrett and the public. However, K.G. showed some courage and spoke up for her. She registered cases and took strict action against him. Watching her courage, more victims supported her. 

Furthermore, Barrett tried to play the victim card many times but pleaded guilty. On 4th June 2024, the US government gave him a life sentence.

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