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 bowener:
She's a kid. She shouldn't have to be a shut in because she got raped then ****ed over by the system. However, in the area she lives she probably should. A move looks to be necessary in this case.
No shit, and you cant move from a small ass town to a smaller ass town 10 minutes up the road and expect all to be well. They need to move out of the state. Get that girl FAR away from where it went down. [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.
Do you have a link stating that basically the whole town thinks she is lying? I'm right down the road from Maryville and know a few people with kids at NW so this would be news to me. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy:
Do you have a link stating that basically the whole town thinks she is lying? I'm right down the road from Maryville and know a few people with kids at NW so this would be news to me.
Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy:
No. I want a link to what you stated.
Yeah...it's the OP. If you can't be bothered to read the whole article, you could at least read the first few words of the title... "Small town turns on girl who was allegedly raped by HS football player".
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
Yeah...it's the OP. If you can't be bothered to read the whole article, you could at least read the wefirst few words of the title... "Small town turns on girl who was allegedly raped by HS football player".
Basically a certain group of people who knew the boys family drove them out as well as the kids. She was new and he was a lifer. The title if the article is misleading and I never saw where everyone thought she lied but i doubt they cared if she was telling the truth or not. [Reply]
Originally Posted by oh_snap:
Not saying rape is okay. It clearly is not. But what the hell is a 14 year old doing at a party, and why the hell did she get black out drunk? We can talk peer pressure, but no one made her get drunk (unless we're talking roofie drunk).
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.
Anyways, clearly a 14 year old shouldn't be out partying and drinking and getting drunk. You're just asking for trouble. Strong parenting.
i just realized this is old but whatever... a 14 year old's judgment varies by each kid.. most kids don't understand their limits, so it's of no surprise that she got blacked out drunk. [Reply]
MARYVILLE, Mo. —
Daisy Coleman, the Maryville, Missouri, high school sexual assault survivor turned victim advocate and subject of the Netflix documentary “Audrie & Daisy,” has died at the age of 23, according to her mother.
Melinda Coleman said in a Facebook post Tuesday that Daisy had died by suicide.
Coleman was 14 when she said a 17-year-old Maryville High School Student plied her with alcohol, then raped her while she was incapacitated in January 2012.
Melinda Coleman found her daughter on the porch the next morning where she had been left, shivering and cold with wet hair while wearing only a T-shirt.
The case triggered tensions in the small town of Maryville, tensions in the judicial system with regard to the prosecution of teenage rape suspects, and national conversations about sexual assault cases involving teens.
The suspect in the case, Matthew Barnett, was charged with sexual assault. That charge was ultimately dropped. Barnett later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of child endangerment two years after the incident originally happened.
Barnett was sentenced to two years of probation in the case.
Daisy Coleman was later featured in “Audrie & Daisy,” a Peabody award-winning documentary on Netflix, telling her story and advocating for sexual assault victims.
After the case, Daisy also helped to co-found the organization SafeBAE, Safe Before Anyone Else, an organization aimed at preventing sexual assault in middle and high school.
“She was my best friend and amazing daughter,” Melinda Coleman said in the post on Facebook. “I think she had to [make] it seem like I could live without her. I can’t. I wish I could have taken the pain from her! She never recovered from what those boys did to her and it’s just not fair. My baby girl is gone.” [Reply]
The story I read about it today was accompanied by a recent photo of her. My goodness, what a beautiful young woman. But you can see the pain in there plain as day. From her eyes, to her piercings, to her tats, to finally her empty expression.
Just sucks and I'd like to give to a collection anyone has set up. This is way worse than Skidmore.
Why is today's society always about tearing someone down, cancel culture, haters everywhere, PC police ready to put you in isolation and so much pressure to be afraid to speak your mind.
Poor kid was probably demonized or used as a pawn and the pressure made her crack.
So sad on so many levels.....
Life should never be this bad for anyone, let alone a child. [Reply]
