Vanderbilt rape trial: Defendants found guilty on all charges

[Emily Diana]

-Vanderbilt rape trial: Defendants found guilty on all charges-

"The rape happened in a span of 30 minutes. The case has been pending 19 months. The trial took 12 days. The jury deliberations took just a little more than 3 hours.

When the verdicts came in at 4:52 p.m. Tuesday, former Vanderbilt University football players Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey were found guilty in the rape of an unconscious woman in a dorm on June 23, 2013. The announcement took less than four minutes. ...

In a statement, the victim — who sat through every day of the trial — thanked prosecutors, detectives and victims advocates.

"You are my heroes and I am so proud of and grateful for each of you," the statement read.

"I am also hopeful that the publicity this case has received will lead to a discussion of how we can end sexual violence on college campuses. Finally, I want to remind other victims of sexual violence: You are not alone. You are not to blame." ... :clap:

District Attorney Glenn Funk said he hopes the case spurs change and sends a message that his office will prosecute cases of sexual violence." ...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...atey/22430567/

[Emily Diana]

- After 2 convictions, 2 more Vanderbilt players face charges -

"With two former Vanderbilt football players facing decades in prison after being convicted of the rape of an unconscious student in a dorm room, attention now turns to two of their teammates who have yet to go to trial.

It took a jury three hours Tuesday to reach a verdict convicting Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey of multiple charges of aggravated rape and sexual battery. The jury saw powerful video evidence and photographs of the then-21-year-old neuroscience major being sexually assaulted on a dorm room floor. Some of those videos were taken by Vandenburg, who sent them to friends while the attack was ongoing. ...

Vandenburg, 21, and Batey, who turned 21 on Tuesday, were taken into custody and await a March 6 sentencing hearing.

Prosecutors say Brandon Banks and Jaborian "Tip" McKenzie also were in that dorm room in the early morning hours of Jan. 23, 2013. ...

Each aggravated rape charge carries a sentence of 15 to 60 years. The aggravated sexual battery conviction carries a sentence of eight to 30 years. Batey and Vandenburg would likely get sentenced on the lower end because they are first-time offenders. It's not clear whether the judge will decide to run the sentences at the same time.

Thurman said a trial date for the two remaining defendants could be set very soon. There is a possibility prosecutors will simply allow them to plead guilty, especially McKenzie, whose role was limited and whose testimony helped convict his former teammates." ...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...rges/22452803/

[Bronco51]

Hope they sit in prison for a long time. After reading some of the details, they are lucky they aren't going away for life. Just despicable.

[broncoslover115]

As a sexual assault advocate and someone who has been in the anti-rape field for over 25 years, this is one of the most horrifying cases I've ever seen. These men were so callous, so despicable and so cruel that it just boggles my mind.

In this case, here we have normal, every day college athletes who believed that they literally had the right to do this. I continue to ask myself, why do men like this think they can do this? Why do men rape? Why do men like this think this is acceptable? What is going on in their heads that allow this? Why do they feel entitled to rape? Why do they feel that they can use women for their own selfish needs and degrade them for their own pleasure?

And I also ask..why do others stand by and let it happen? Why do bystanders not get involved? Why do others cover it up? If we as a society ever truly want to eliminate rape, these questions must be answered honestly and truthfully.

[weefishy]

It took a jury three hours Tuesday to reach a verdict convicting Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey of multiple charges of aggravated rape and sexual battery. The jury saw powerful video evidence and photographs of the then-21-year-old neuroscience major being sexually assaulted on a dorm room floor. Some of those videos were taken by Vandenburg, who sent them to friends while the attack was ongoing. ...

Great parenting.

[Emily Diana]

- Cory Batey sentenced to 15 years for dorm rape -

"A former Vanderbilt football player was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison after he was convicted of taking part in the gang rape of an unconscious female student.

Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Monte Watkins handed down the sentence for Cory Batey after the victim in the case said her life has been shattered as a result of the rape.

The woman was a neuroscience and economics major when she was assaulted in a dorm on the Nashville campus in June of 2013. In all, four former football players were charged. The Associated Press does not generally identify victims of sexual assault.

The players used their cellphones to take pictures of the rape. One also videoed it and sent the footage to friends as it was happening.

The victim said she learned of what happened to her when detectives showed her the graphic images retrieved from the phones.

During her victim impact statement, she described the horror she felt seeing the images of herself.

"I've seen with my own eyes what I was when Mr. Batey was done with me: a piece of trash, face down in a hallway, covered in his ur*ne and palm prints, a photograph he took himself," the woman said. "There are no words to describe the horror of the images from that night and how it feels to watch yourself be dehumanized."

She wept throughout much of her statement as she described how her life and her belief in the fundamental goodness of people were both upended with the discovery of what happened to her." ...

(IMO, he should have gotten the maximum sentence of 25 years. Then again, I despise minimizing rape and the degrading, dehumanizing toll it takes on fellow-survivors).

http://espn.go.com/college-football/...ears-dorm-rape
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/gut-...rbilt-40623979

[Emily Diana]

-In her own words: Vandy rape victim describes unending pain-

"A woman who was gang-raped by football players while unconscious in a dorm room at Vanderbilt University has now testified for a fourth time in court. Cory Batey was sentenced to 15 years in prison Friday after a searing 11-minute statement by the victim, who was a neuroscience and economics major when she was attacked. These are her words, as transcribed by The Associated Press." ...

http://www.foxsports.com/college-foo...ng-pain-071516

[broncoslover115]

-In her own words: Vandy rape victim describes unending pain-

"A woman who was gang-raped by football players while unconscious in a dorm room at Vanderbilt University has now testified for a fourth time in court. Cory Batey was sentenced to 15 years in prison Friday after a searing 11-minute statement by the victim, who was a neuroscience and economics major when she was attacked. These are her words, as transcribed by The Associated Press." ...

http://www.foxsports.com/college-foo...ng-pain-071516

Awesome! This case just sickens me. But I'm glad she finally got justice.

[Assassin27]

What a dirt bag!!!!! 15 years is not long enough for this loser!!!!

[darth-hideous]

What a dirt bag!!!!! 15 years is not long enough for this loser!!!!

I will be surprised if he lives long enough in prison to serve the entire sentence. Rapists are treated special in prison.