- Jerry Harris, de 22 años, fue una estrella emergente en la primera temporada de las exitosas docuseries de Netflix. Alegría.
- En 2020, Harris fue arrestado por cargos federales de pornografía infantil, para sorpresa de sus compañeros de equipo.
- El jueves, se declaró culpable de dos de sus cargos de pornografía infantil y abuso sexual en una audiencia judicial en Chicago.
Después de aparecer en los titulares por haber sido acusado de pornografía infantil federal y abuso sexual, Jerry Harris ahora se declaró culpable de dos de los siete cargos presentados en su contra. La Prensa Asociada informó que Harris se declaró culpable de persuadir a un joven de 17 años para que le enviara fotos sexualmente explícitas a cambio de dinero y de «participar en una conducta sexual ilícita» con un joven de 15 años durante un viaje que realizó a Florida.
Harris y su equipo llegaron a un acuerdo con los fiscales federales de que después de dictar sentencia por los dos cargos, los fiscales pedirían que se retiraran los cinco cargos restantes, dijo un juez en la audiencia, según Los New York Times. Anteriormente se declaró inocente de los siete cargos en diciembre de 2020.
En un nuevo comunicado de sus abogados, señalaron que la decisión de Harris de declararse culpable se debió a querer responsabilizarse por sus acciones y «transmitir públicamente su remordimiento por el daño que ha causado a las víctimas en este caso». Como una forma de responsabilidad, Harris ha estado participando voluntariamente en consejería de salud mental.
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The reactions to the season 2 of Cheer and the episode addressing the Harris case are still making waves. Here’s everything to know:
Warning: Spoilers for Cheer season 2 ahead!
What was Jerry Harris charged with?
Jerry Harris was originally arrested in Sept. 2020 on one charge of production of child pornography, NBC News reported. And later that month, two underage twin brothers sued Harris for supposedly demanding they send him nude photographs and sexually abusing them, per People.
Then, in Dec. 2020, federal agents brought up additional charges against him. Among those charges were using the internet to «persuade, induce, and entice» a minor, receiving and attempting to receive child pornography, and traveling from Texas to Florida “for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct,” the indictment read.
After he was arrested, Harris agreed to be interviewed by law enforcement officials. He admitted that he had solicited sexually explicit photos on Snapchat from up to 15 people who he knew were minors. He also admitted to having sex with a 15-year-old at a cheer competition back in 2019, according to the indictment—but the documents don’t mention how old Harris was at the time.
Was he convicted?
Harris’ sentencing is scheduled for June 28th. His plea agreement notes that sentencing guidelines “may recommend 50 years in prison” for the offenses, per the NYT. But the judge for the case said that he may decide differently.
The statement regarding is Harris’ decision also states that «with his plea of guilty, Jerry will spend the rest of his life making amends for what he has done.» It continues that, «His hope is that he can demonstrate to those harmed by his conduct that he can one day earn back his value to them as a human being and that as he continues to become an adult, he can indeed make a contribution that matters.»
Did Harris go to jail?
Yes, and he is still there. According to the show, “Jerry has been held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago since his arrest in September 2020.»
How does Cheer tackle his case?
Season 2 dedicates its fifth episode to explaining Harris’ case. In the episode titled «Jerry,» Harris’ former teammates share how shocked they were by the news of his arrest.
«Immediately my heart completely sank I honestly thought I was living in a bad dream. I could not wrap my head around any of that. I felt like someone had just died,» said Gabi Butler.
Another teammate, James Thomas, said «I kinda just sunk into a hole and cried. And cried and cried and cried. And then I called my mom . . . asking her ‘How?’ . . . Like, I don’t understand. He never said anything about this stuff to me. And like I could have helped stop or guide him somewhere else.»
Monica Aldama, the team’s coach, also shared her perspective. “I was on the stage at Dancing with the Stars in dress rehearsal for our very first live show, the executive producer came up to me and showed me her phone and asked me if I had seen the headline in the news that day,” she said.
“It was like an out-of-body experience at the time. I felt like I couldn’t breathe . . . I did the show. And then I went back to my trailer. I didn’t even want to look at my phone because I was scared.»
“I couldn’t do anything about it. And I just didn’t want to read it,” she continued. Aldama then says that night’s team meeting felt like a «funeral.»
The twin brothers who originally filed a lawsuit against Harris, Sam and Charlie, and their mother are also interviewed in the episode. The boys recall the interactions they had with Harris and share that they were afraid to come forward at first because they thought they’d become outcasts in the cheerleading community.
“[Harris] estaba haciendo cosas buenas para las porristas All Star porque estaba atrayendo toda esta atención muy positiva a este deporte que realmente les importaba”, compartió su madre, Kristin. “No querían que se viera afectado negativamente por el bien de su deporte, y no querían ser los que criticaran a Jerry Harris porque sabían que socialmente sería devastador para ellos”.
Los productores también entrevistaron a Sarah Klein, una abogada que anteriormente trabajó como defensora de víctimas de abuso sexual. “Jerry se ha convertido en una especie de niño del cartel de esto dentro de la alegría porque tenía un perfil muy alto”, explicó.
“Algunas personas dirán que es genial que haya sido expuesto por quién es y lo que estaba haciendo, y algunas personas dirán: ‘No es nuestro Jerry. Lo amamos.’ Cuando nos enamoramos de personas con las que nos sentimos conectados, es muy fácil tenerlos en un pedestal y creer que no pueden hacer nada malo”.
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