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 Bearcat:
Yeah, that one... they moved before selling their house in Maryville, and it burned down. The article said it was investigated but the cause wasn't determined.
It's disgusting enough to blame the victim and cover up something like that, but then to go after them by firing the mom and burn down the house they lived in (and I'm sure the girls had a pleasant time in school, too)... holy shit.
That may have been a good thing if they were making payments on it and the community refused to buy it. [Reply]
This is not funny and I'm not trying to joke about it...but I'm on my phone and the title was cut off to read 'Maryville Teen Allegedly Raped by Football.' That seemed painful. [Reply]
Originally Posted by blaise:
Saying someone made bad decisions doesn't mean you're blaming them.
Saying a woman shouldn't walk in a dark parking lot alone at night doesn't mean you're blaming her if she gets mugged.
True, but when he added this part it sounded a whole lot like he didn't have much sympathy for her and stopped just short of saying it was her fault.
"Back in college, I can remember false calls of rape happening a lot. Girls get drunk, sleep with someone they wouldn't normally sleep with, then cry rape the day after. Happened to a mate of mine. Nearly ruined his life as well. Then the girls story unraveled and she admitted finally that it was consensual." [Reply]
Originally Posted by Cephalic Trauma:
I would also like to hear from some of our legal gurus on the board.
Paging Dj's left nut.
I'll take a stab at it. Consensual sex requires capacity to consent, and this girl's BAL was .13 in the morning (probably at least 8-10 hours after the party). Extrapolating back to when the alleged rape occurred, I think a tox expert could credibly testify that she was either passed out or so drunk as to be unable to meaningfully consent. She was probably somewhere around a .20 to .25, which is pretty ****ed up for a 14 year old girl. Again, keep in mind I don't know when the rape occurred or when she was tested.
Apparently there's a loophole in the current law, however, where that incapacity has to be caused only by the perp. In this case, she clearly had a role in her incapacity
So, I'm back to my original assessment that a properly motivated prosecutor should at least have gotten a statutory conviction/plea. The perp's grandfather was retired highway patrol, so my guess is a few favors were called in. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Cave Johnson:
I'll take a stab at it. Consensual sex requires capacity to consent, and this girl's BAL was .13 in the morning (probably at least 8-10 hours after the party). Extrapolating back to when the alleged rape occurred, I think a tox expert could credibly testify that she was either passed out or so drunk as to be unable to meaningfully consent. She was probably somewhere around a .20 to .25, which is pretty ****ed up for a 14 year old girl. Again, keep in mind I don't know when the rape occurred or when she was tested.
Apparently there's a loophole in the current law, however, where that incapacity has to be caused only by the perp. In this case, she clearly had a role in her incapacity
So, I'm back to my original assessment that a properly motivated prosecutor should at least have gotten a statutory conviction/plea. The perp's grandfather was retired highway patrol, so my guess is a few favors were called in.
Originally Posted by Reaper16:
Having lived in Maryville for 4 years I'm only a little surprised. Doesn't stop me from being disgusted though. This is the perfect confluence of rape culture and small-town crooked politics. Horrific.
I wonder if this didn't have more to do with their place as football players or just as popular kids than local politics. Who knows. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Iowanian:
I went to college there and have several local friends. I guarantee the entire community doesn't approve of this or support it.
Why were they silent? Why didn't anybody stand up for this girl? [Reply]
Originally Posted by Cochise:
I wonder if this didn't have more to do with their place as football players or just as popular kids than local politics. Who knows.
All 3, since he was a popular football player with political ties in his family, and (supposedly) favors were called in to get the charges dropped, as they had been in the past for the same kid. [Reply]
