Ruti Guterman long ago decided she would prepare for her career 'trials'

By Franklin Crawford

Ruti Guterman, who graduates with a double major in American Studies and Sociology, is a woman of her word.

At age 4, Guterman declared to her family she would pursue a career in law.

In the fall of '97, through the Cornell-in-Washington program, her career plans began to solidify working for the Domestic Violence Witness Assistance Unit of the United States Attorney General's Office.

Guterman returned to that unit in the summer of 1998. A native-born Colombian who grew up in Glen Rock, N.J., she volunteered as a Spanish-speaking advocate and handled many of the unit's Hispanic cases. One case not only confirmed her legal aspirations, but earned her an honor from the U.S. attorney's office for her perseverance on behalf of a crime victim.

The case involved the prosecution of Jose Tovar, a man charged with torturing his girlfriend. Guterman paired with Cynthia Wright, an assistant U.S. attorney, and worked with the complainant, a woman from El Salvador. The case had repeatedly fallen through legal cracks. Afraid for her life, the complainant herself was about to crack and wanted to drop the case.

During Guterman's two month internship, she "developed a very strong relationship with the witness," she said.

"I accompanied her to the various crime scenes, numerous doctors, dealt with issues of her immigration and interviewed her on a daily basis in order to piece together four years worth of egregious abuse," Guterman said. "A large part of my summer was spent with Wright, culminating in the indictment of Tovar on 64 counts ranging from assault with intent to kill to assault with a dangerous weapon to obstruction of justice."

Guterman's summer internship ended, but not her connection to the case. As trial approached, she returned to Washington during winter break in January, providing moral support for the witness.

"I did everything, from holding her hand to prepping witnesses for testimony, to helping with jury selection to sitting in the courtroom on a daily basis keeping close notes of the proceedings," Guterman said.

Winter break ended. The trial continued. Guterman stayed with the case until the second week of February. Tovar was convicted on a string of felonies.

That sealed it for Guterman. "I had the unbelievable opportunity to see the system finally work for a victim who had fallen through the cracks for so long," she said.

She said it also exposed "the great barriers that exist in prosecuting domestic violence. From this, arose my senior thesis about domestic violence, particularly within the Salvadoran community in the United States."

As of right now, she will be attending George Washington Law School in the fall, but she is still awaiting word from New York University.

While at Cornell, Guterman was involved with Kappa Delta sorority and volunteered with the Ithaca Youth Bureau's One-to-One program and with the Louis Gossett Jr. Residential Center's book club program.