06-19-2016, 09:58 AM
(06-19-2016, 04:53 AM)Duchess Wrote:(06-19-2016, 01:53 AM)HairOfTheDog Wrote: Vandenburg's defense was that he was too drunk to know what was going to happen and he hardly knew the three other players. Batey says if his father hadn't died of cancer when he was 9, he probably wouldn't have gotten so drunk and did what he did. Pfft.
Those black boys hadn't better get a stiffer sentence than the lame excuse making white boy. As if I could do something about that.
If Batey gets a stiffer sentence, I don't think it will be due to race in this case. But, I think they deserve the same sentence too.
To me, Vandenburg is the worst of the four. What he did to the young woman who trusted him is a violation on all levels; disgusting.
But, while he orchestrated it, he reportedly didn't penetrate her during the gang rape. He tried to use that to present himself as less culpable than the others; it did not work with either jury. The defendants were convicted twice. The first convictions had to be thrown out after it was discovered the jury foreman had been a victim of statutory rape, so they had to be tried all over again.
The victim has had to look at pictures and video of herself in that horrible situation three times in court now. She does not remember the rape; she was out cold after drinking at the bar with Vandenburg (she suspects that he drugged the last drink, though that wasn't allowed to be presented at trial because it can't be proven).
She testified that she woke up in an unfamiliar room, bruised, confused and scared. She texted Vandenburg and asked him what the hell happened. He told her that they'd drunk way too much, she got sick, and he had to take care of her all night. She had no reason to disbelieve him -- they had a date that night and had consensual sex. Imagine finding out shortly thereafter what this 'caring good guy' had really done to her.
Ref: http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/201.../85977018/