Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Health and Fitness
    2. Wellbeing

    These are Judge Aquilina’s most powerful quotes from the Larry Nassar sexual abuse trial

    'I just signed your death warrant'

    Jenny Proudfoot's avatar
    By Jenny Proudfoot
    Published 26 January 2018 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    judge aquilina
    (Image credit: Rex)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    'I just signed your death warrant'

    Disgraced Team USA doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced to 175 years in prison this week, after being accused of abuse and assault by over 160 women and girls.

    Following revelations prompted by the #metoo movement, the 54-year-old national team physician, previously sentenced to 60 years in jail for possession of child pornography, became the focus of a watershed trial for women.

    Presiding over the trial was Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who allowed each victim to personally address Larry Nassar at their testimony this week, staring directly at their attacker and one by one recalling their experiences.

    Former gymnast Jeanette Antolin addresses Larry Nassar. Credit: Rex

    While the past seven days have been pain-filled, with the 'sister victims' flanked by loved ones having to recall horrific memories, what has come out of the courtroom is a great deal of empowerment - something that Judge Aquilina is being credited for.

    You may like
    • Million Women Rise March In London Why Do We Keep Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Men Found Responsible for Sexual Violence?
    • Football and Domestic Abuse: Women’s Aid: “He’s Coming Home” After England's World Cup Defeat, I Couldn't Stop Thinking About This Domestic Abuse Statistic
    • Louise Thompson is campaigning for a Maternity Commissioner following the traumatic birth of her son. “It Is One Of The Grossest Failings In Humanity That Women Are Treated Like This”

    As woman after woman took to the podium, they were welcomed by judge Aquilina, and praised for their bravery. And when she delivered her final verdict, the judge told the 54-year-old 'I just signed your death warrant.'

    Mentor and coach to former athlete Gwen Anderson, or 'Victim 83,' glares at Larry Nassar while Anderson speaks of Nassar's sexual assaults. Credit: Rex

    'To Judge Aquilina: THANK YOU, YOU ARE MY HERO,’ tweeted olympic gymnast Simone Biles after the verdict was announced. ‘And shout out to all of the survivors for being so brave & speaking like the queens that you are while looking at that monster. He will no longer have the power to steal our happiness or joy. I stand with every one of you.’

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    The Michigan Attorney General prosecution team gathers after Ingham County Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina hands down her sentence to Larry Nassar. Credit: Rex

    Here are Judge Aquilina's most powerful quotes from the Larry Nassar trial

    1. To the survivors as the verdict was read... ‘I have said what I need to say to the victims. I have a little more to say. You are no longer victims, you are survivors.’

    2. To survivor and gymnast Bailey Lorencen... 'The military has not yet come up with fibre as strong as you…. Mattel ought to make toys so that little girls can look at you and say, "I want to be her." Thank you so much for being here, and for your strength.'

    3. To survivor and Olympic gold medallist Aly Raisman... 'I'm an adult. I'm listening. I’m sorry it took this long, but I assure you that all of the words that you and your sister-survivors have said and will say are being considered for sentencing.'

    What to read next
    • Some of the best female athletes in the world right now, plus the ones to watch, featuring Dina Asher Smith, Faith Kipyegon, Keely Hodgkinson, Serena Williams and Simone Biles 50 Influential Female Athletes To Know, Watch, and Follow—in 2026 and Beyond
    • Endometriosis in female athletes: From left to right, Stef Williams, Charlotte Henshaw and Lillie Bleasdale Elite Sportswomen Are Breaking the Silence on Endometriosis—and It’s Long Overdue
    • Aesthetics Safety "What Did She Expect?"—The Sexism and Classism Behind The UK’s Aesthetics Safety Crisis

    4. To Larry Nassar...  'As much as it was my honour and privilege to hear the sister survivors, it was my honour and privilege to sentence you’

    5. To everyone in her final statement... ‘I give everybody a voice. I give defendants a voice, their families when they're here. I give the victims a voice. I try to treat everybody like family because that's the justice system that I was raised to believe in.’

    6. To gymnast and survivor Olivia Cowan... 'Your dreams are still out there. His are squashed.'

    7. To one survivor... ‘The monster who took advantage of you is going to wither, much like the scene in the Wizard of Oz where the water gets poured on the witch and the witch withers away. That's what's going to happen to him, because as you get stronger, as you overcome, because you will, he gets weaker and he will wither away. Prison is no place for a human being to live.’

    8. To everyone in her final statement... 'Our Constitution does not allow for cruel and unusual punishment. If it did, I have to say, I might allow what he did to all of these beautiful souls—these young women in their childhood—I would allow someone or many people to do to him what he did to others.'

    9. To Larry Nassar... ‘I just signed your death warrant.’

    10. To the survivors in her final statement... ‘Leave your pain here. Go out and do your magnificent things.’

    Jenny Proudfoot
    Jenny Proudfoot
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Features Editor

    Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. After working at Marie Claire UK for seven years - rising from intern to Features Editor - she is now a freelance contributor to the News and Features section.

    In 2021, Jenny was named as a winner on the PPA's '30 under 30' list, and was also listed as a rising star in journalism.

    Read more
    Million Women Rise March In London
    Life Why Do We Keep Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Men Found Responsible for Sexual Violence?
    Football and Domestic Abuse: Women’s Aid: “He’s Coming Home”
    Life After England's World Cup Defeat, I Couldn't Stop Thinking About This Domestic Abuse Statistic
     
     
    Louise Thompson is campaigning for a Maternity Commissioner following the traumatic birth of her son.
    Life “It Is One Of The Grossest Failings In Humanity That Women Are Treated Like This”
    Some of the best female athletes in the world right now, plus the ones to watch, featuring Dina Asher Smith, Faith Kipyegon, Keely Hodgkinson, Serena Williams and Simone Biles
    Fitness 50 Influential Female Athletes To Know, Watch, and Follow—in 2026 and Beyond
     
     
    Latest in Wellbeing
    A woman stretching, dry brushing, and taking supplements at home
    Wellbeing Meet the AI Wellness Influencers Making Dubious Health Claims—and What Their Boom Means for Women’s Health
    Health freelancer Ash S journaling the everyday delights she experienced when focusing her wellbeing on them for a month
    Wellbeing I Tried Keeping an "Everyday Delights" Journal for a Month—It Changed the Way I See My Life
     
     
    Health freelancer Ash S living by an optimist's tips for a month: swimming and at run club
    Wellbeing I Lived By An Optimist Expert's Attitude Adjustment Tips For A Month—and Felt Happier, Braver and More Resilient
    Health freelance writer Katie Sims trying a 20-minute wind down bedtime ritual
    Wellbeing I Swapped My Evening Scroll for a 20-Minute Wind-Down Ritual—Two Weeks Later, I Sleep Completely Differently
     
     
    Latest in Features
    Autumn Nail Trends 2026
    Nails From Fawn Print to Milky Matcha—These Are Autumn 2026’s Defining Nail Trends
    A woman stretching, dry brushing, and taking supplements at home
    Wellbeing Meet the AI Wellness Influencers Making Dubious Health Claims—and What Their Boom Means for Women’s Health
     
     
    Anti-Grey Hair Longevity Serum
    Beauty Anti-Grey Serums Are Haircare’s Next Big Thing—Trichologists Give Us the Truth About What They Can Actually Do
    Fenty Beauty Pro Filtr Fluid Flex Foundation Review
    Make Up Fenty Beauty Just Replaced Its Most Iconic Foundation—3 Editors Put Its “Flexible” Full Coverage to the Test
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.