PEOPLE.COM
He's 22, She's 14. Should They Be Allowed to
Marry?
By Pam Grout
Updated September 12, 2005 12:00 PM
1. On Aug. 27 Matthew and Crystal Koso took their 3-day-old baby daughter Samara on an
outing to the Cobblestone Festival in their hometown of Falls City, Neb. Strolling the
grounds, the young parents received a steady stream of praise and affection from
townspeople. Peggy Koso, the baby’s grandmother, also along for the stroll, was touched by
the attention. “We couldn’t go more than a foot or two,” she recalls, “without people
stopping us and telling us they support us.”
2. More than most young couples, the Kosos will need all the support they can get. Crystal is
just 14 years old—and was already expecting their baby when she and Matthew, 22, crossed
a state line last May to be legally wed in Kansas. Under Kansas state law, brides as young as
12 can marry with the approval of their parents (and sometimes a judge), which Crystal’s
mother had granted.
3. But trouble flared up almost as soon as they returned to Nebraska to take up residence in
Matthew’s old basement bedroom at his parents’ house. On July 25, tipped off to their
marriage by locals, Jon Bruning, the state’s attorney general, charged Matthew with statutory
rape for having had sex with a minor. A first-degree sexual assault, the crime carries a
sentence of up to 50 years in prison. “I will not stand idly by while a grown man engages in
a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old child,” Bruning said in a statement. “It is
unacceptable.”
4. But many residents of Falls City, a town of 4,600 about 100 miles south of Omaha, aren’t so
sure they agree. What’s more, since news of Matthew Koso’s case broke, Bruning has
received a torrent of letters, many from outside the state, and about 80 percent of them are
in favor of letting Matthew, who earns $9.27 an hour loading trucks, get on with his life.
Many questioned the wisdom of breaking up the family and possibly leaving Crystal—a
freshman at Falls City High School—and her daughter with no means of financial support.
“Matt is not the most capable kid in the world, but he’s trying hard,” attorney Willis Yoesel
says of his client, a high school grad and former Marine. “He and Crystal were just trying to
set things right with the pregnancy.”
5. Released on $5,000 bond, Matthew has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial Oct. 13.
Meanwhile in Kansas, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, embarrassed that her state is one of a few
that allows a bride to marry as young as 12 (see box), will propose raising the minimum age
when the legislature meets in January.
6. Matthew first met Crystal through her half-brother. In the fall of 2003, when he was 20 and
she was 12, they began to date. Disapproving of the relationship, Crystal’s mother, Cecelia
Guyer, who is on disability, filed a restraining order against him. But the lovers defied it, and
Crystal often spent nights at the Koso house. Despite her initial opposition, Crystal’s mom
came around when she learned her daughter was pregnant and wholeheartedly supported the
couple’s decision to marry in nearby Hiawatha, Kans.
7. Though understandably nervous about the legal outcome of the case, the young parents have
their hands full for the moment—and yet they are already talking about having two more
kids. “Matt’s still a little nervous around the baby—treats her like glass,” says Grandmother
Peggy Koso. “But she’ll survive. And he’ll survive.”
Reasons for “Yes, they should be allowed”
• The townspeople seem to be okay with it.
Reasons for “No, they should NOT be allowed”
Textual evidence (include the paragraph #
•
“We couldn’t go more than a foot or two,”
she recalls, “without people stopping us
and telling us they support us.” (P 1)
Textual evidence (include the paragraph #)
He’s 22, She’s 14. Should They Be Allowed to Marry?
STAAR Aligned Questions
Use “He’s 22, She’s 14. Should They Be Allowed to Marry” to answer questions 1-3.
Highlight your answers.
1. Read the following dictionary entry.
torrent \ˈtôr-ənt\ n
1. a stream of water flowing with great
rapidity and violence 2. a tumultuous
outburst 3. a file that is constantly moving
across a large network 4. a channel of a
mountain stream
Which definition best matches the use of the word torrent in paragraph 4?
A. Definition 1
B. Definition 2
C. Definition 3
D. Definition 4
2. In paragraph 6, which word means “with complete sincerity and commitment”?
F. Initial
G. Defied
H. Opposition
J. Wholeheartedly
_______________________________________________________________________
3. In paragraph 7, the author suggests that ─
A. Both Matthew and Crystal can handle more children
B. Matthew is still nervous about being a parent
C. Family members are helping Matthew and Crystal adjust to parenthood
D. Matthew, Crystal, and Samara will be able to get through life together no matter what