From an article in the NY Tmes -- the defense is going to be predictable, blame the victim:

Walter Madison, Richmond’s lawyer, said his client was already at a marked disadvantage because so many people discussed the incident online, through blogs and on Twitter.

“It’s an uphill battle because you’ve got social media going on and people formulating opinions, people who weren’t there and don’t know what happened,” he said. “In a small community, it exponentially snowballs out of control. I think the scales are a bit unbalanced.”

He said that online photographs and posts could ultimately be “a gift” for his client’s case because the girl, before that night in August, had posted provocative comments and photographs on her Twitter page over time. He added that those online posts demonstrated that she was sexually active and showed that she was “clearly engaged in at-risk behavior.”

The lawyers for the boys also said the three athletes who testified against their clients had credibility issues. The lawyers said that the police had found photographs of nude women on the phone of one of the witnesses, and that two witnesses had admitted recording some aspect of the suspected assault. Those alone could be crimes, the lawyers said, but the witnesses were given immunity from prosecution. Their testimony, the lawyers suggested, might have been given in a bid for leniency.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/17/sports/high-school-football-rape-case-unfolds-online-and-divides-steubenville-ohio.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Anonymous wrote:I am at work and cannot watch that on my work computer. When did this happen? I can't believe that I had not heard of such a thing as from the above posts, it sounds like it should have made the media rounds front page news.

There was a story about it in the NY Times in December, but then Sandy Hook happened.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/17/sports/high-school-football-rape-case-unfolds-online-and-divides-steubenville-ohio.html?pagewanted=all

Anonymous wrote:Is this the one that happened in Ohio with the passed out teen? Saw a story about a girl in a small town in the US who was taunted after she had been raped by a popular jock from school. She got death threats and was bullied. She ended up killing herself.

No, this is a W.V. 16-year-old who went out with local football players from a nearby town, Steubenville. The guys were nicknamed the "Rape Crew." It is not clear if she was drinking or if they slipped her a date-rape drug. Either way, she was passed out almost immediately and was repeated raped and sodomized over and over at various houses (including that of 2 assistant football coaches) while many others watched and took pictures and videos.

She was dumped on a front lawn at one point where a baseball player encouraged passers-by to urinate on her.

This happened last August.

There was very little movement in the investigation, until Anonymous (hackers) hacked into files belonging to the prosecutor and leaked incriminating videos, screen shots and texts.

I am at work and cannot watch that on my work computer. When did this happen? I can't believe that I had not heard of such a thing as from the above posts, it sounds like it should have made the media rounds front page news.

This story sickens me.

Thank God for Anonymous, hackers and Goddard, the journalist who stayed on this story from the start.

They are the only reason we may see justice.

I hope everyone involved gets time, from the rapists, to the adults that provided alcohol to the kids who watched and took pictures and videos and did nothing to help her.

It is time to make a statement about the culture of violence that goes on. In small towns like this, football is king and that has to change.

The whole town is connected/related to each other. They need an independent team to come in. Maybe someone from DOJ, certainly her civil rights were violated.

The mother of the boy who hosted one of the party's is the prosecutor for the county! According to Anonymous, this traveling party stopped by two assistant coaches houses, drinking at both, with the passed out girl in tow.

The town sheriff is good buddies with the football coach.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/01/inside-anonymous-hacking-file-steubenville-rape-crew/60502/

The rapists must be on the top of the social pecking order for others to do nothing. There was a guy who raped a woman in his bed while his two "friends" slept on the floor. They pretended to be asleep and ignored her pleas for help but they were both awake. They were friends with the victim and were deeply troubled by what happened. They were too afraid of the rapist to do or say anything and let it happen. This only reinforced the social order.

Victim receives death threats. http://www.christianpost.com/news/steubenville-oh-gang-rape-case-suspects-ready-for-trial-victim-gets-death-threats-87700/

Petition for justice.
http://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign/steubenville/?rd=1&t=1&referring_akid=263.421015.XKyqfH

Hackers Take Over Steubenville High School Football Team’s Website, Threaten To Release Personal Information Of People Involved In Alleged Rape Case

http://deadspin.com/5971165/hackers-take-over-steubenville-high-school-football-teams-website-threaten-to-release-personal-information-of-people-involved-in-alleged-rape-case

I saw this story covered on CNN today and felt sick after watching it. So many disturbing parts - obviously, the rape itself, first and foremost. But the callousness of the boys (and girls, I believe) on the video talking about this girl -- as she lay lifeless and passed out on the floor of the same room!!! was chilling and stunning. They talked and laughed about this girl - joking that she had been "raped and killed" as though they were talking about nothing at all. Luckily, the girl was not actually dead, but they thought she was and they laughed and laughed. I'm stunned by this. What are we as parents and as a society that we are raising our kids to be monsters like this. We need to take a hard look at how our kids are being raised and learn from this disgusting and tragic episode. If I were one of the parents of these boys (or girls who watched and laughed), I would never want to show my face in the world again for raising such horrible, horrible children.

Anonymous wrote:Wow, that video is really disturbing. You can still see the babyfat on that boy's face. I can't believe that someone's cute kid turned into such an asshole (nicer term than he deserves).

How is the girl?

I haven't seen anything about the vicitm yet.

Makes me want to vomit. All I can think of are my daughters. And the stupid parties or rides I went to or got as a teen. To think how easily something like this can happen.

Wow, that video is really disturbing. You can still see the babyfat on that boy's face. I can't believe that someone's cute kid turned into such an asshole (nicer term than he deserves).

How is the girl?

Is this the one that happened in Ohio with the passed out teen? Saw a story about a girl in a small town in the US who was taunted after she had been raped by a popular jock from school. She got death threats and was bullied. She ended up killing herself.

http://jezebel.com/5973165/anonymous-releases-more-intel-on-the-alleged-steubenville-rape-crew

IF this is true..... I don't think we can continue to point fingers at other countries for their rape laws, rapists or attitudes during and after the crime.