This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Vanderbilt Rape Trial: Jury Convicts Ex-Football Players, Vanderbilt Rape Trial: Alleged Victim Says She Didn't Think She'd Been Assaulted Until She Saw Video of It, Vanderbilt Rape Trial: Defense Blames Alcohol and Campus Culture, Juror Who Helped Convict Scott Peterson Is Accused of Hiding Bias Against Him, Paving Killer's Path to Retrial, Ex-Tenn. Sheriff's Deputy Accused of Raping Girl, 14, Takes Plea Deal to Avoid Trial, Possible Prison Time, Judge Declares Mistrial in Vanderbilt Rape Case After It's Revealed That Juror Was Victim of Statutory Rape, Former Vanderbilt Football Player Convicted, for the Second Time, in Campus Rape, Tenn. So that was good. The victim only learned of. The jury deliberated for about three hours before finding Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey guilty. [6][20][21] He was not seen touching the victim after he helped his teammates carry her into the dorm room. Three of the football players have been convicted (one as recently as June 2017) and one still awaits trial. They were involved. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Why isthe justice system designed to take so long when convicting defendants who are clearly guilty? Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. I know Brandon has tried to do it before.. [13] On August 9, 2013, they were arrested and indicted for aggravated rape and sexual battery. Criminal Court Judge Monte Watkins cleared the way for the release by setting bond one day after declaring a mistrial and setting aside the rape convictions because of juror misconduct. Though his sentencing was tentatively scheduled for July, Vandenburg was given his sentences of nearly two decades behind bars on Friday. The judge revoked bail after jurors rendered their verdict. To join our community, just fill out the form below. -- 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. [19] He is serving his time in Turney Center Industrial Complex. But Vandenburg and Batey have been held in jail since January after the jury found them guilty on multiple counts of rape and aggravated sexual battery. Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, Closing arguments begin in double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, Where things stand in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial. A letter from the victim was read during the sentencing hearing. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The footage revealed "concerning behavior by the defendants," police said. "There are no words to describe the horror of the images from that night and how it feels to watch yourself be dehumanized.". Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. (Metropolitan Nashville Police Department/Handout via REUTERS). One year of unsupervised probation, which, if completed, will leave his record squeaky clean. Stacy, 30, was in court . Five team memberstwo now convictedwere accused of a horrific sexual assault in 2013, raping an unconscious undergraduate in a freshman dorm and urinating on her face. The Associated Press contributed to this report. NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Two former Vanderbilt University football players who were convicted in January of raping an unconscious female student but were then granted a mistrial, have been released. Then, he went on his merry way. The four defendantsin theVanderbilt rape case made sure to document their gang rapewith both picturesandvideos (which, of course, the four men later tried to delete). Bystanders do nothing. Three of the football players have been convicted ( one as recently as June 2017) and one still awaits trial. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Weneed to talk about it with ourfriends, colleagues and peers menand womenalike. Defense attorneys countered that the teammates were extremely drunk on the night of the alleged assault, and blamed a college culture of binge drinking and promiscuous sex. Vanderbilt Rape Case: Former Football Players Released from Jail After Mistrial They've both been ordered to wear GPS tracking devices at all times. The two other players have yet to stand trial. And inside his room, the woman was assaulted by multiple people, as prosecutors described Vandenburg as a cheerleader and orchestrator. The former Commodores tight end is being held on $350,000 bail. Almost 19 months ago, four men allegedly carried a woman into a dorm room at . [14][13] All four men were charged with five counts of aggravated rape and two counts of aggravated sexual battery. Vandenburg was taken into custody at the Nashville International Airport upon his arrival into the city on Saturday, according to a police statement. -- A former Vanderbilt University football player convicted of raping a fellow student with a teammate said he is sorry for his actions in a tearful interview with "Dr. Phil" McGraw. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Ex-Vanderbilt, NFL player Zac Stacy arrested after violent video surfaces, records show The incidents occurred in August and September. In other words, the Vanderbilt rape case started with a disgustingly despicable sexual assault. Thesewerent just innocent bystanders who witnessed the various stages of the horrific crime. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. He urged them to delete all evidence and evencleaned the room ofthe victims vomit and other liquids. And women are still the majority of rapevictims. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Published on June 25, 2015 11:00 AM. ORLANDO, Fla. (WKRN) Former Vanderbilt University and NFL player Zac Stacy will remain out of jail on bond while facing domestic violence charges in Florida. Former Vanderbilt football player Brandon Banks was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his involvement in the 2013 gang rape of an unconscious female student. This story has been shared 144,806 times. Both Vandenburg and Batey had made bail before their trial earlier this year. [6][7][1][8][2][9] They took over 40 graphic photos, and took videos of the rape with the cell phones of Vandenburg, Batey, and Banks. "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 urine and palm prints, a photograph he took himself," the woman said. Published NASHVILLE (Reuters) - A former Vanderbilt University football player charged in the 2013 rape of an unconscious female student in a university dormitory accepted a plea deal on Monday that. In the statement, the victim wrote, Two professionals who have helped me through this and witnessed the impact on me have submitted letters to you describing what they have seen, and I ask that you consider those., Former Vanderbilt football player found guilty in sex assault, The statement continued, Please do not use my absence as an excuse for leniency, as it in no way diminishes the profound and insidious impact of Mr. Vandenburg on me and my life. Prosecutors have said they will seek a new trial, but no trial date has yet been set. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. [17], In March 2018, after testifying against his three co-defendants and pleading guilty to facilitation of aggravated rape, McKenzie, 23 years old, accepted a plea deal which included 10 years' probation and a lifetime registration as a sex offender, and became the only of the four defendants to not receive any jail time. What do all of these people have in common? (AP) The fourth defendant in a 2013 rape. Maybe he didnt consider how the victim being gang raped would be feeling in the same moment, or how she would feel in the future. -- A jury convicted two ex-Vanderbilt football players on Tuesday of raping a former student, rejecting claims that they were too drunk to know what they were doing and that a college culture of . Two former Vanderbilt football players were released from jail on Wednesday after a judge declared a mistrial five months after they were convicted of raping a young woman. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? The former receiver was released after posting $50,000 bond, according to jail records. One thatcould have been prevented if even just ONE of the four men had a brain (or a conscience). Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Both Vandenburg and Batey had made bail before their trial earlier this year. [18] He is serving his time in Morgan County Correctional Complex. I let everyone down and many lives were destroyed.. The two other players have yet to stand trial. February 24, 2023 2023 Cable News Network. Garland testifies before Senate panel amid ongoing special counsel probes, Colon cancer rates rising in younger age group, study finds, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads, Closing arguments underway in double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students. Batey and Brandon Vandenburg were convicted last year, but the verdicts were tossed because a juror did not reveal he was a victim of statutory rape. Prosecutors played a recording from Miles Finley, a friend of Vandenburgs, who described sexually explicit videos and texts he received from Vandenburg the night of the assault, according to The Tennessean. In closing arguments, prosecutors said the football players believed they were entitled athletes who could "get away with anything.". The declaration of a mistrial on Tuesday was a stunning turn of events in a highly publicized case that raised troubling questions about rape on college campuses and the role of bystanders who fail to act. He told the court he was an inexperienced drinker when he got to college, according to WKRN. NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- 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. Powered by WMT Digital. Brandon Vandenburg, 23, was convicted of multiple counts of aggravated rape and sexual battery three years after the trial began. An attorney who represents the alleged victim in the case declined to comment ahead of their release. I let everyone down and many lives were destroyed, he said. While Banks's attorney refused to comment on the case and McKenzie's attorney did not return calls for comment, there have been. "This is something I would never do in my right state of mind. They were locked up in the local jail awaiting sentencing - both face decades in prison - when revelations surfaced that the jury foreman in the case was himself a victim of sexual abuse. Please do not use my absence as an excuse for leniency as it in no way diminishes the profound and insidious impact of Mr. Vandenburg on me and my life, the victim wrote, according to her lawyer. Prosecutors have vowed to retry the pair. [23][24][25] He testified against Vandenberg and Batey as part of a plea deal, and was sentenced to a year of unsupervised probation. Batey apologized for his actions, especially to his family and mother. "I was just drunk out of my mind," Batey said. [26], Mack Prioleau, the roommate of one of the defendants, Vandenburg, was in the room when the rape occurred. But thats not all. Mack Prioleau, Vandenburgs roommate, wasliterally in the room during the gang rape, on the top bunkbed. The Vanderbilt rape case is a criminal case of sexual assault that occurred on June 23, 2013, in Nashville, Tennessee, in which four Vanderbilt University football players carried an unconscious 21-year-old female student into a dorm room, gang-raped and sodomized her, photographed and videotaped her, and one urinated on her face.[1][2][3][4][5]. The jury deliberated for about three hours before finding Brandon. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Prosecutors said that players took pictures of the assault and that one sent videos to his friends as it was happening. Their cases remain pending. In fact, Batey and Vanderburg remain in jail on a $350,000 bond. "Although four people are being charged at this time, the investigation is still on-going into the actions of other individuals and the role(s) they may have played in this incident," District Attorney General Torry Johnson said in a prepared statement. The victim cried as Batey was on the witness stand and appeared to be vomiting at one point. Bond was set at $400,000 for Vandenburg, of Indio, California. Vandenburg says in statement, directed at judge Monte Watkins, "I hope you can see I'm truly sorry" @WKRN pic.twitter.com/AQVLZaxvQR. -- The defense team for Brandon Vandenburg, one of the former Vanderbilt University football players who was convicted this week of raping a female classmate, is now trying to get the verdict thrown out after discovering one of the jurors did not disclose he or she was a sexual assault victim. It originally took the jury just two hours to convict the former football players, who were each charged with five counts of aggravated rape and two counts of aggravated sexual battery. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? On the recording played before the judge on Friday, he changed his story about what had happened that night and recalled a conversation from their time in high school. 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