The former American University student who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor sexual abuse and second-degree burglary was sentenced on Friday to three years of supervised probation for crimes he committed on Oct. 31, 2022, in Leonard Hall.
David Kramer-Fried, 21, received a suspended sentence of 15 months for second-degree burglary and 180 days for sexual abuse under D.C.’s Youth Rehabilitation Act. He will consecutively serve that time only if he violates the terms of his probation.
He is also required to pay $150 to the D.C. Superior Court’s Crime Victims Compensation Fund and continue receiving mental health services. He will waive psychotherapist-patient privilege, in order to allow his probation officer to obtain information about his mental health from his provider. Judge Anthony Epstein granted the sentencing guidelines requested by Kramer-Fried’s public defender.
The details of the post-sentencing stay away order were not immediately available. The judge said in court he would require Kramer-Fried to stay away from survivors, but it was not clear whether he was ordered to stay away from AU’s campus.
Epstein’s decision puts an end to the legal case almost two years after Kramer-Fried illegally entered two dorm rooms on the all-female eighth floor of Leonard Hall and attempted “to engage in sexual contact” with one sleeping resident, police alleged in their initial filing.
Epstein said college dorm rooms “ought to be a place of safety and security.”
“Students should be able to trust their fellow students and feel safe with them. Mr. Kramer-Fried betrayed their trust,” Epstein said. “His actions have not only short term, but long-term consequences.”
Kramer-Fried was arrested on two counts of first-degree burglary and an attempt to commit fourth-degree sexual abuse in December 2023 and pleaded guilty to lesser charges on June 14.
In a written statement read in court by a prosecutor, a survivor said her life changed the night of Oct. 31, 2022. The memory of Kramer-Fried standing over her bed in the middle of the night “is an image and a fear that will never leave me,” she said.
“I wasn’t able to sleep for weeks after the incident, and I still live in fear of my bedroom being broken into at any moment and being taken advantage of in my sleep, all because of the defendant’s actions,” the survivor wrote in the statement.
Some questions about the case linger: neither side has explained why Kramer-Fried entered those two rooms in Leonard Hall in October 2022, nor is it clear how he entered.
A police detective’s affidavit said Kramer-Fried used his AUID to enter McDowell Hall and travel to Leonard Hall via a connecting footbridge, but did not describe how he entered the rooms on Leonard’s all-female floor.
The motivation behind Kramer-Fried’s actions also remains unclear. Epstein said Kramer-Fried’s therapist “doesn’t seem to be able to explain” his actions.
His public defender, Kevin O’Sullivan, said Kramer-Fried and his therapist “have been working closely to try to get to the underlying issues of what caused this here.”
Both Epstein and O’Sullivan said Kramer-Fried has no prior criminal record and has complied with the terms of his release.
During the sentencing, Epstein said Kramer-Fried has had a “strong support system.”
“In many ways, he’s led a very privileged existence, getting a lot of options and support most kids in this country don’t have,” Epstein said.
Epstein declined to include sex offender treatment in Kramer-Fried’s sentence, despite a recommendation from the prosecution.
Kramer-Fried’s public defender said he is currently enrolled as a full-time student at Temple University in Philadelphia, majoring in public health.
The Leonard Hall incident resulted in two student walkouts, first in November 2022 and again one year later. In November 2022, AU launched the Working Group on Preventing and Responding to Sexual Harassment and Violence, which students said needed to be more transparent about its goals and encouraging student involvement. Its final meeting was held in April 2023.
Students who have experienced sexual assault or harassment can seek support through confidential resources such as the University’s Center for Well-Being Programs and Psychological Services, the Student Health Center, the Kay Spiritual Life Center or the following hotlines:
- Collegiate Assistance Program: 1-855-678-8679
- Rape, Abuse, Incest, National Network (RAINN) anonymous chat
- RAINN hotline: 1-800-656-4673
- DC Rape Crisis Center: 202-333-7273
Non-confidential resources include the University’s Title IX Office and AUPD.
This article was edited by Olivia Wood, Tyler Davis and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks.
