Iowa sex trafficking victim who killed alleged abuser sought by authorities

DES MOINES, Iowa — A teenage sex trafficking victim in Iowa convicted of fatally stabbing a man she accused of abusing her has absconded from probation, authorities said in court filings.

The Iowa Department of Corrections issued a nationwide arrest warrant for Pieper Lewis this month after learning she had been removed from an Atlanta treatment center and subsequently failed to show up for parole meetings.

Lewis, 19, had been given a 20-year prison sentence for the fatal stabbing of Zachary Brooks in June 2020. Lewis had said she was trafficked against her will to Brooks, 37, and had sex with him multiple times at the age of 15 should have.

Lewis pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and malicious wounding in September 2022 and was sentenced to probation. After she later admitted to violating the terms of her probation, a judge sentenced her to probation again, but noted, “You asked for a second chance.” You don’t get a third.”

Lewis was taken in November 2023 to a residential program in Atlanta that helps victims of sexual exploitation. She was accused of repeatedly violating the center’s rules and was asked to leave in March, according to the requested arrest warrant. She then met with probation officers and was fitted with a GPS monitor, but she was unable to attend the meetings and allowed the monitor’s battery to die, according to the requested warrant.

Iowa Corrections officials wrote in court documents that Lewis’ whereabouts have not been known since April 6. In March, a judge allowed Lewis’ attorneys in Iowa to withdraw from her case.

The Associated Press does not typically name victims of sexual assault, but Lewis agreed to have her name previously used in stories about her case.