The two Steubenville, Ohio football players accused of the gang rape of a passed-out-drunk 16-year-old girl have been convicted and sentenced.
The case shocked the entire country, especially after a video went viral of one of the boys who was at the party where it occurred laughing and joking about how the victim was 'so raped' and referring to her as a 'dead girl'.
Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond,pictured above and 17 and 16 years old respectively are going to have a lot of time to think over what they did.Judge Thomas Lipps delivered a guilty verdict on all charges.
The two got the maximum, with Judge Lipps referring to their conduct as "profane" and "ugly" as he delivered the maximum sentence.
Richmond was sentenced to a minimum of one year in a juvenile rehab facility and a maximum of until he turns 21 on a juvenile charge of rape, which could amount to 5 years; Mays, who was also found guilty of a charge of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material, was sentenced to a minimum of two years and a "consecutive" sentence that could last until he turns 24.
The verdict came after two hours of testimony by 'Jane Doe', and it bears out my suspicion that she may have been drugged.
She admitted drinking a "mixed drink then a red Smirnoff ice drink in a red solo cup with ice". in other words something that was poured for her, not out of a bottle or can. She then testified to starting to feel funny with the alcohol making her act differently than she normally would while drunk, according to .WTRF's Laurie Conway.
She then blacked out and pretty much had no recollection of anything else that happened that night. That would be consistent of a bout with rohypnol, Ketamine or GBH.
Side note...this girl was also apparently no stranger to being intoxicated, which means she had a certain tolerance for booze and knew how a given amount of alcohol would ordinarily affect her.
Her next memory was waking up naked, "embarrassed, scared, not sure what to think," under a blanket in a place she wasn't familiar with.
There's no way of telling, because 'Jane Doe' wasn't even aware she'd been raped until some time later when explicit photos of her surfaced on the internet, but I'd bet something was slipped in her drink and she was set up to be that night's after party entertainment.
This may not be over yet. More photos from the party house have surfaced and questions have been raised about other boys who were at the party.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced at a press conference at Jefferson County Juvenile Court "that we cannot bring finality to this matter without the convening of a grand jury," which he said would convene on or around April 15. DeWine said that depending on what the grand jury determines, others could be indicted and additional charges could be filed, such as failure to report a felony or tampering with evidence.
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