A Tulsa man has been sentenced to 210 months in federal prison after being convicted of aggravated sexual abuse and assault by strangulation in Indian country. Denzil Austin Berryman, 38, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill, who also ordered a decade of supervised release following his imprisonment. Upon completion of his sentence, Berryman will be required to register as a sex offender and pay $5,375 in restitution.
According to testimony presented at trial, the incident occurred in June 2023 when Berryman was at the victim’s apartment. The court heard that Berryman became angry after seeing gummy bears he believed were given to the victim by someone else. He then yelled at her, slapped her, shoved gummy bears down her throat, damaged property in the apartment, and threatened her pet cat.
The victim called 911 for help. When officers arrived, Berryman initially told them he would leave but did not do so. He later apologized to the victim and was allowed back into the apartment. 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 continued to rape her after she awoke.
Berryman is identified as a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Tulsa Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Ihler and Stephen Scaife prosecuted the case.
“The Office on Violence Against Women has resources for survivors of domestic violence. You can find information here,” according to information provided with the sentencing announcement.
