BREAKING NEWS: Former AU student receives suspended sentence and three years probation in Leonard Hall case

The former American University student who pleaded guilty of sexual abuse and second-degree burglary was sentenced Friday to three years of probation for crimes he committed on October 31, 2022, at Leonard Hall.

David Kramer-Fried, 21, received a suspended sentence of 15 months for second-degree burglary and 180 days for sexual abuse under DC's Youth Rehabilitation ActHe will only have to serve these terms consecutively if he violates the terms of his probation.

He must also pay $150 to the DC Superior Court Crime Victims Compensation Fund and continue to receive mental health care. He will waive confidentiality so his probation officer can obtain information about his mental health from his doctor. Judge Anthony Epstein followed the sentencing guidelines requested by Kramer-Fried's public defender.

Details of the stay order issued after the verdict were not immediately available. The judge said in court he would order 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 ends the legal battle nearly two years after Kramer-Fried illegally entered two dorm rooms on the eighth floor of Leonard Hall and attempted to have “sexual contact” with a sleeping resident, police alleged in their initial indictment.

Epstein said student dormitories should be “a place of safety and security.”

“Students should be able to trust their fellow students and feel safe with them. Mr. Kramer-Fried abused their trust,” Epstein said. “His actions have not only short-term but also long-term consequences.”

Kramer-Fried was arrested in December 2023 on two counts of first-degree burglary and fourth-degree attempted sexual abuse and pleaded guilty to the lesser charges on June 14.

In a written statement read in court by a prosecutor, a survivor said her life changed on the night of Oct. 31, 2022. The memory of Kramer-Fried standing at her bedside in the middle of the night “is an image and a fear that will never leave me,” she said.

“I was unable to sleep for weeks after the incident and still live in fear that my bedroom could be broken into at any time and I could be taken advantage of while I slept, all because of the defendant's actions,” the survivor wrote in her statement.

Some questions remain unanswered in the case: Neither side has explained why Kramer-Fried entered those two rooms in Leonard Hall in October 2022, nor is it clear how he got in.

A police detective's affidavit said Kramer-Fried used his AUID to enter McDowell Hall and cross a connecting bridge to Leonard Hall, but did not describe how he got into the rooms on Leonard's all-women floor.

The motivation behind Kramer-Fried's actions also remains unclear. Epstein said Kramer-Fried's therapist “could not explain” his actions.

His public defender, Kevin O'Sullivan, said Kramer-Fried and his therapist “worked closely together to get to the bottom of the underlying issues that caused this.”

Both Epstein and O'Sullivan said Kramer-Fried had no criminal record and had complied with the conditions of his release.

During the sentencing, Epstein said Kramer-Fried had a “strong support system.”

“In many ways, he has lived a very privileged life and has had many opportunities and supports that most kids in this country don't have,” Epstein said.

Epstein refused to include sex offender treatment in Kramer-Fried's sentence, even though prosecutors had recommended it.

Kramer-Fried's public defender said he is currently enrolled as a full-time student at Temple University in Philadelphia studying public health.

The Leonard Hall incident led to two student strikes. First in November 2022 and again one year laterIn November 2022, the AU established the Sexual Harassment and Violence Prevention and Response Working Group, which will train students said must be more transparent about its objectives and encourage student participation. Final meeting took place in April 2023.

Students who have experienced sexual assault or harassment may contact 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:

• College 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. Editing by Luna Jinks.

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