Clinton J. Johnson U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma
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. In addition to his prison term, Berryman will serve 10 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender upon release. He was also ordered to pay $5,375 in restitution.
According to testimony presented at trial, the incident occurred in June 2023 at the victim's apartment. Berryman became angry after seeing gummy bears he believed were given to the victim by someone else. He yelled at her, slapped her, forced gummy bears into her mouth, damaged property in the apartment, and threatened harm to her cat.
The victim called 911 for help. When officers arrived, Berryman initially said he would leave but instead stayed and apologized to the victim. She allowed him back into her apartment where he forced her into a bedroom and sexually assaulted her. When she asked him to stop, he strangled her until she lost consciousness; when she awoke, Berryman continued to rape her.
Berryman is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and will remain in custody until transferred to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The case was investigated by both the FBI and Tulsa Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Ihler and Stephen Scaife prosecuted.
"The Office on Violence Against Women has resources for survivors of domestic violence. You can find information here."
