Katie Sabin
Katie Sabin
Katie Sabin
Remembering an Angel:
Katie Sabin
by Kevin Caruso
Katie Sabin, 16, was a sophomore who attended Marana High School in Marana, Arizona. She was an intelligent, talented, beautiful, and caring person. And she was always ready to help her friends.
"I always asked her for help.and she was always willing to help; she was so smart, and she had so much going for her," said Rori White, a classmate of Katie's.
Katie was a wonderful person, and everyone liked her.
But for years Katie had been dealing with an abusive, sick, cruel, criminal father who sexually molested and raped her. Katie did not know how to handle the abuse, so she kept the horrible emotions inside. And she felt that she could not tell anyone about the sexual assaults.
Katie became depressed. Deeply depressed.
When she was 16, she did eventually tell some of her close friends about the rapes; and she told them that she
believed she might be pregnant because of the rapes, and if she received confirmation that she was pregnant
she would die by suicide.
On April 30, 2004, Katie was talking on the phone with a friend and expressed how depressed she was. She talked about the horrible sexual assaults that her father committed against her, and then she started talking about wanting to die by suicide.
After Katie hung up the phone, she went to her parents' bedroom to obtain their handgun.
She then shot herself in the head.
The friend that was on the phone with Kaitie, knowing that she was suicidal, ran to Katie's home with another friend to check on her. They found her dead and called the police at about 2:40 p.m. on April 30.
Katie did not leave a note, but the police found a journal that she had kept in which she detailed the horrible sexual abuse that she endured.
The disgusting sexual molestations and terrifying rapes began when Katie was only 7 years old - she had endured ten years of incessant sexual assaults and abuse by her piece-of-garbage "father."
"We believe [the sexual assaults] began pretty much around 7 or 8 years old and it was going on until the last 3 or 4 months," said Sgt. Tim Brunenkant, spokesman for the Marana Police Department.
The police also interviewed many of Katie's friends and relatives who
said that they believed that sexual abuse had occurred.
"Basically when we looked at the journals, a diary from Katie, the writings were pretty specific on what actions were going on inside the home, and from that and the interviews, we were able to determine the sexual abuse was happening," said Sgt. Brunenkant.
"It's been really difficult," said Jan Truitt, principal of Marana High School. "What a tragic situation it is for a bright young girl to feel so helpless."
Ricky Sabin, 45, the sick, cruel, disgusting loser who should not even be called "father," is in custody and has been charged with nine felony counts, including continuous sexual abuse of a child.
And Denise Sabin, 42, Katie's mother, has been charged on three counts, including child abuse. She knew about the rapes,
but did nothing to stop them.
So, Katie was not only victimized by her sick, cruel, criminal father, but also by her sick, cruel, criminal mother, who knew what was going on, and did nothing.
I can only hope that these two disgusting losers spend a long, long time in prison -- and then rot in hell.
We miss you Katie.
Your were a wonderful, precious person.
You were loved deeply by your friends.
And now you are an angel.
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I am always deeply sickened and deeply outraged when I hear about a precious young girl who is molested by a criminal loser.
And I am always deeply saddened and deeply affected when the victim dies by suicide.
I cannot imagine the horror that Katie must have faced on a daily basis. And the excruciating physical and emotional pain that she endured.
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Sadly, many young girls who are sexually assaulted attempt suicide.
A Massachusetts study indicated that about one-third of high school students who are sexually abused attempt suicide. The study also found that victims battle depression, have a proclivity for substance abuse, feel ashamed about the abuse, and oftentimes blame themselves for the sexual assaults.
If you are the victim of a sexual assault, regardless of how old you are, call the
National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE.
And call the police.
Tell people who you trust.
It is always a crime when someone sexually assaults you. Always.
And if that person is a parent, you still need to call 1-800-656-HOPE and call the police.
No one, and I mean no one, ever has the right to assault you sexually. It is always wrong.
And it is always inexcusable.
And remember that the sexual assault is NEVER your fault -- it is ALWAYS the fault of the rapist and abuser.
Never, ever feel like you have done anything to cause the assault. The rapist and abuser is 100%
responsible for the crime. So please be gentle with yourself.
Most victims of sexual assault do not report the crimes to police or reach out for help.
But you MUST report the crime and reach out for help. Whoever sexually assaulted you needs to be brought to justice for the crimes that were committed against you, and we need to try to prevent the loser from assaulting others. So please report ALL sexual abuse to the police immediately.
And PLEASE reach out for help. Sexual assaults are horrifying experiences and you need help from others in coping with them. So call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE for help. Call now if you need to.
And if you were assaulted long ago and have not yet received help, please reach out for help. It is never too late to ask for help.
Call 1-800-656-HOPE right now. People want to help you.
And if you are suicidal, please call 911 or 1-800-SUICIDE.
