In light of the recent conviction, the Madison Resource Center encourages support for survivors of sexual violence

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – As the man accused of sexually assaulting a UW Madison student is sentenced, the RCC Sexual Violence Resource Center wants to remind the community to support survivors.

On Thursday, 27-year-old Brandon Thompson pleaded guilty in Dane County Court to brutally beating and assaulting a woman in downtown Madison in September 2023.

Shortly after the attack, Dana Pellebon, executive director of the RCC Sexual Violence Resource Center, started a GoFundMe to raise money for the injured student.

“It is important to support survivors’ decisions related to their abusers,” Pellebon said. “The support sometimes goes beyond a single person and instead to a community coming together and saying we don’t support sexual violence.”

She also said recovery looks different for people recovering from sexual trauma.

“Support in our community can look like donating more money to GoFundMe, it can look like knowing what’s going on in your community. “When you see something that’s wrong, it stands out In any case, it feels like you need to reach out to the injured person and ask them, ‘How would you like support?'”

So far, the GoFundMe has raised over $70,000.

Thompson could serve a prison sentence of more than 90 years, but could also serve shorter sentences depending on whether the ordered sentences are consecutive or concurrent. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 6, 2025.

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