What Happened When Chanel Miller Met The Swedish Grad Students Who Stopped Brock Turner Mid-Attack
They're tied together forever.
Instagram When Brock Turner was arrested, convicted of three felony counts of sexual assault against a woman then known to the public as Emily Doe, and sentenced to just six months in prison, the world was horrified.
In fact, Turner's lax sentencing was in part what inspired his victim, Chanel Miller, to come forward and share her identity.
And when Miller opened to 60 Minutes about the new book she's written detailing her story, she had finally an a chance to meet the men who may have saved her life.
Who are Peter Jonsson and Carl-Fredrik Arndt?
They are the two men who caught Brock and detained him until the campus police arrived, but their involvement with Chanel doesn't end there.
Here are six details to know about Chanel Miller, Peter Jonsson and Carl-Fredrik Arndt.
1. Peter and Carl-Fredrik
Chanel Miller has no memories of Brock Turner's attack on her, but she does have plenty of emotions surrounding the events of that night. Among the strongest are her feelings of gratitude toward the men who caught Turner, men she only recently had the opportunity to meet.
On January 18th, 2015 when Chanel was attacked outside of a fraternity party at Stanford, two graduate students from Sweden, Peter Jonsson and Carl-Fredrik Arndt, caught Turner in the act. He tried to run away, but together the men stopped him physically in his tracks and detained him until the authorities arrived.
2. Chanel meets the Swedes
For a long time following the attack, Chanel's identity and face and were concealed from the public. In September, when Know My Name, her memoir about the assault was released, Chanel decided to go public.
One of her first public appearances was on the TV show 60 Minutes. But this TV appearance was notable for another reason, as it was the first time she met the men who stopped Brock.
"The night when the worst thing happened to me was the same night something miraculous happened. They’re so sweet and when 60 Minutes asked them how it felt to meet me, they said it was like meeting family, which was extremely touching," Chanel told People Magazine.
3. Writing the book
Chanel spoke at length with People about her decision to write her new book.
"While writing Know My Name, I was constantly drawing as a way of letting my mind breathe, reminding myself that life is playful and imaginative. We all deserve a chance to define ourselves, shape our identities and tell our stories. The film crew that worked on this piece was almost all women. Feeling their support and creating together was immensely healing. We should all be creating space for survivors to speak their truths and express themselves freely. When society nourishes instead of blames, books are written, art is made, and the world is a little better for it," she said.
4. Their role at the trial
What Chanel didn't know until much later was that Peter and Carl-Fredrik's involvement in protecting her didn't end the night of her assault.
“Even though I never saw them, I learned that when I was in the waiting room, they were down the hall,” she says. “Or when I was in the courtroom, they were across the street at the nearby Starbucks. When I look back at these memories, I feel cold and isolated, [but] I learn that they were never that far away, and it adds this layer of warmth to everything," Chanel said.
5. Brock Turner's sentencing
When Brock was found guilty and was sentenced, Chanel appeared in court and gave a victim impact statement about how the assault had impacted her. Her words quickly went viral, having come at the advent of the #MeToo movement.
There was the potential for Turner to be sentenced to up to six years in prison, though most people, Chanel included, anticipated he would receive two years for the crime and braced for that accordingly. Instead, the judge gave him just six months, saying he was concerned about the long-term impact of a more severe sentence. The judge was later removed from his seat.
6. The good and the bad
Although Turner's sentencing was a brutal blow to Chanel, who had already survived so much, she has a ridiculously good head on her shoulders about it all.
To her, the bad parts of the story exist, but so do the good parts.
In order to help her remember this in a real way, she has a drawing of two bicycles that she carries with her to remind her of the decency of Peter and Carl-Fredrik. To her, the drawing is “solid proof, like a concrete image that I could hold onto reminding me there will always be good in the world. There are people who are trying to help you, people who want to do the right thing.”
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. She's an experienced generalist with a passion for lifestyle, geek news, pop culture, and true crime.