And wasn't prosecuted (probably) because the rapist's family was politically connected. There's no excuse for at least statutory under the facts as presented. Also. dude should probably avoid saying rape-y things on social media if he's still within the statute of limitations.
Originally Posted by :
Here's a depressing story that will bring back memories of the Steubenville rape case. It begins with a 14-year-old drunk girl getting dumped on her porch by the high school football player who had just allegedly raped her, and it ends with her family being driven out of town by an unsupportive community.
A horrifying story out of Missouri: A mother was run out of a small town after her daughter blacked out at a party filled with older high school athletes and was left, with clear marks of rape, on the front lawn of her home in freezing weather.
The Kansas City Star details how the small town of Maryville turned against a newly-arrived family after 14-year-old Daisy Coleman reported that an older athlete had sex with her while another older male videotaped, after she was given an alcoholic drink at a party that left her barely able to stand. Her friend, a 13-year-old, was also made to have non-consensual sex.
After a thorough investigation by the local police however, clearly implicating 17-year-old Matthew Barnett in the sexual assault, charges were inexplicably dropped by the prosecuting attorney. Barnett, coincidentally, is the grandson of a prominent former Missouri state representative.
Star reporter Dugan Arnett writes,
Sexual assault cases can be difficult to build because of factors such as a lack of physical evidence or inconsistent statements by witnesses. But by the time his department had concluded its investigation, Sheriff Darren White felt confident the office had put together a case that would “absolutely” result in prosecutions.
“Within four hours, we had obtained a search warrant for the house and executed that,” White told The Star. “We had all of the suspects in custody and had audio/video confessions.
“I would defy the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department to do what we did and get it wrapped up as nicely as we did in that amount of time.”
But no prosecutions ever came. The charges were dropped by the prosecuting attorney who didn't believe the evidence was strong enough. He dismissed any idea that political influence had anything to do with his decision.
In the meantime, the town had already begun to turn on the Coleman family. Threatening phone calls and online threats were directed at the family. Melinda Coleman had moved to the town with her four children after her husband, a physician, had died in a car accident. She was easily targeted by the community for being an outsider.
The parent of one of the teens at the Barnett house that night was the only one to comment briefly to The Star: “Our boys deserve an apology, and they haven’t gotten it yet.”
In a later interview, Rice [the prosecuting attorney] called it a case of “incorrigible teenagers” drinking alcohol and having sex. “They were doing what they wanted to do, and there weren’t any consequences. And it’s reprehensible. But is it criminal? No.”
Robert Sundell, who represented Barnett, echoed that sentiment: “Just because we don’t like the way teenagers act doesn’t necessarily make it a crime.”
After the charges were dropped, things just got worse for Melinda and Daisy Coleman. Daisy has struggled with depression and attempted suicide. Melinda had to move away from Maryville and back to the town she had lived in with her now-deceased husband. In April, the house in Maryville she still owned burned down under mysterious circumstances.
And Matthew Barnett, the young man accused by Coleman of raping her? He's attending the University of Central Missouri and apparently having a great time:
In a recent retweet, he expressed his views on women — and their desire for his sexual attentions — this way:
“If her name begins with A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z, she wants the D."
Originally Posted by Deberg_1990:
Sad.....but the KCStar story briefly mentions it stems from a party she was at over the weekend and more harassment online.
She needs to stop partying and stay off social media. Posted via Mobile Device
She's a kid. She shouldn't have to be a shut in because she got raped then fucked over by the system. However, in the area she lives she probably should. A move looks to be necessary in this case. [Reply]
Thursday (AP) A special prosecutor is expected to announce Thursday whether she’ll file charges against a Missouri man accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in Maryville two years ago when he was 17.
Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker is scheduled to appear Thursday afternoon before a judge in Maryville and give a statement to the media afterward.
Baker was appointed in October to re-examine claims by Daisy Coleman, who says she was raped by an older student at a party in January 2012. The Associated Press generally does not name alleged victims of sexual assault but is naming Daisy because she and her mother have granted public interviews.
Nodaway County prosecuting attorney Robert Rice previously dismissed felony charges and said the Colemans stopped cooperating with investigators. [Reply]
Originally Posted by LoneWolf:
So I take it you think she wasn't raped?
I don't know. All I know is thahe ritually the entire community thinks she's lying and that the people who get paid to prosecute rapists don't think there is a case. Unless some new evidence comes to light...and a stilted article by some hack playing fast and loose with the facts in order to fabricate some narrative from whole cloth doesn't qualify...I'm going to trust the system. [Reply]
Originally Posted by :
Dietrich sentenced Barnett on Thursday to 120 days of confinement but suspended the execution of sentence and placed Barnett on two years of probation. Additionally, he ordered that Barnett must verbally apologize to Daisy, have no more contact with her, perform 100 hours of community service and reimburse Daisy’s family for her mental health treatment, initially estimated to be about $1,800.
So basically, if you know the right people, you can rape someone and your only punishment be 100 hours of community service, $1800 and say, "I'M SORRY FOR RAPING YOU!" [Reply]
Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58:
He's already pled guilty and been "sentenced".
So basically, if you know the right people, you can rape someone and your only punishment be 100 hours of community service, $1800 and say, "I'M SORRY FOR RAPING YOU!"
He pled guilty to rape, or he pled guilty to child endangerment in order to give them their pound of flesh and put this behind him? [Reply]
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
I don't know. All I know is thahe ritually the entire community thinks she's lying and that the people who get paid to prosecute rapists don't think there is a case. Unless some new evidence comes to light...and a stilted article by some hack playing fast and loose with the facts in order to fabricate some narrative from whole cloth doesn't qualify...I'm going to trust the system.
I thought there were social media posts and cell-phone pics that were pretty damning in this case. Admittedly I haven't followed this closely so maybe I'm wrong. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
I don't know. All I know is thahe ritually the entire community thinks she's lying and that the people who get paid to prosecute rapists don't think there is a case. Unless some new evidence comes to light...and a stilted article by some hack playing fast and loose with the facts in order to fabricate some narrative from whole cloth doesn't qualify...I'm going to trust the system.
I disagree that "virtually the entire community thinks she's lying." There's plenty of townies that are on Daisy's side, and that's to say nothing of the NWMSU community, which is overwhelmingly on Daisy's side.
Unfortunately for Daisy, her family is partly to blame for there being no case. Daisy's mom worked the media too much and gave lots of slightly differing accounts of things. The case would get picked apart in court. Which is a damn shame, because Daisy Coleman was certainly raped. [Reply]