Quote :

" NEW YORK (CNN) -- Charges have been dropped against four men accused of raping an 18-year-old student at Hofstra University after the woman recanted her allegations, prosecutors said. A judge dismissed all charges Wednesday night and ordered the release of the four men -- Jesus Ortiz, 19; Stalin Felipe, 19; Kevin Taveras, 20; and Rondell Bedward, 21; all of the New York metropolitan area, according to Nassau County, New York, District Attorney Kathleen Rice. They had been arrested, arraigned and jailed, with bail set at $500,000 each. Each was facing five counts of first-degree rape. "Late this evening, during the continuation of the Nassau County Police Department's investigation of the allegation, and under questioning by my office's chief trial attorney and chief sex crimes prosecutor, the alleged victim of the sexual assault admitted that the encounter that took place early Sunday morning was consensual," Rice said. She said her office has launched a criminal investigation into the statements and reports given by the woman. The student had told Nassau County police that she had been lured from a club, forced into a men's bathroom at a university dormitory, bound and assaulted. The woman then called the university public safety office, which alerted local police. The reported rape shocked the Hofstra University community. The university had announced that it was increasing safety patrols on campus, as well as establishing a support hotline for students and parents. "

wow

9/17/2009 12:20:04 AM

i wonder if it was really consensual, or if shes afraid of retribution from the guys' friends.



[Edited on September 17, 2009 at 12:55 AM. Reason : ]

9/17/2009 12:53:49 AM

What would they not do now that they would have done otherwise?

9/17/2009 1:00:50 AM

bullet in the head? cut the brake line on her car? staged car jacking gone wrong?

[Edited on September 17, 2009 at 1:04 AM. Reason : etc]

9/17/2009 1:04:39 AM

And they wouldn't do that for shits and giggles now because?

9/17/2009 1:06:59 AM

because she dropped the charges?

9/17/2009 1:07:51 AM

Why wouldn't they rape her again if they liked it the first time? Her life will be ruined now, for lying, one way or the other. If she really were raped and brought it to light, I cannot see any instance where it would be better to call off the prosecution. Protection of sorts, can be... arranged.

9/17/2009 1:10:43 AM

She might be easily manipulated by fear.

9/17/2009 1:11:40 AM

So you think she was raped on the premise that she would have been killed if she did not succumb to the sexual acts? Certainly she can find a guardian in someone.

9/17/2009 1:13:06 AM

she was raped and then pressed charges and then was harassed and scared into dropping the charges.

9/17/2009 1:14:03 AM

she consented to 3 spics and a black guy all at once? shouldn't the black man be enough?

(i can only assume Rondell is black...but then again, i'm racist)

9/17/2009 1:14:53 AM

If that is true, which it sounds like it is relatively common for women who drop rape charges, it needs to stop. Whomever fails to place the notion into her head that she cannot press rape charges without starting a cascade of changes through her life and those accused, needs to be held liable in some way for the outcome. Either way, she has now lied in one way or another and pressing charges will have most likely hurt her cause more than she could imagine.

9/17/2009 1:17:17 AM

I concur

9/17/2009 1:32:19 AM

i think it played out like this:

she was drunk and left the club with intentions to party and (perhaps) have sex with one guy, but then the other dudes joined in and it got out of control. including being bound and forcible penetration. obviously was rape, because it ceased being consensual.

this sounds like planned behavior to me. it's likely the guys thought of themselves as some kind of posse, that they were planning to do this, and may have done this to someone else in the past.

so she pressed rape charges, but then when faced with the gravity of the situation, she started having self-doubts combined with constant harassment from people in her community. perhaps some real or implied physical threats against her and/or her family. in any case, she was pressured to drop the charges.

The problem is that when gals go out drinking on their own, or leave the safety of their group, they open themselves up to some very predatory males ... and their intoxication simultaneously reduces their ability to make clear judgements and damages any credibility they will have when something like this happens.

it's not necessarily right, but it's reality.







[Edited on September 17, 2009 at 2:32 AM. Reason : ]

9/17/2009 2:13:50 AM

Quote :

"NitrocloudProtection of sorts, can be... arranged. So you think she was raped on the premise that she would have been killed if she did not succumb to the sexual acts? Certainly she can find a guardian in someone."

you posts sound deluded ... i suspect have lived a very small-town sheltered life.

i dont think you have really any idea about either the enormity of fear and shame and devastation that is rape.

i dont think you have any idea what it means for a woman to be intimidated by gangs of thugs in the New York metro area

i dont think you have any idea how large-scale urban police forces work. you don't get any protection. unless you're turning state's evidence or involved in some high-profile federal case, you are on your own. you'll get some counseling at the local victims advocacy center along with some bus passes and a free toothbrush.

9/17/2009 2:25:14 AM

blame it on alcohol

blame it on bush

blame it on obama....


because i didnt do my assignment.

9/17/2009 2:26:34 AM

Perhaps I'm missing something in the story or subsequent posts, but where does it say she was bullied into retracting her allegations? Maybe she was being questioned by police because there was a lack of physical evidence. I'm all for victims being protected, but we've seen that wrongfully accused men are victims in these situations as well. Note that while the alleged victim's name is not revealed, the names and ages of the accused, even after charges have been dropped, are reported.

9/17/2009 8:02:07 AM

maybe

maybe

maybe she's a whore

just sayin

9/17/2009 8:09:12 AM

Possibility #1:
She was raped, but backed down on her own, or was forced to because of implied or actual threats. If that's the case, that's a terrible indictment of society at large. I hope she gets justice in the next life.

Possibility #2:
She was not raped. I hope she gets raped. In the grand scheme of things and how the world and humans function, a false accusation of rape against a man is worse than a woman being raped.


[Edited on September 17, 2009 at 8:34 AM. Reason : ]

9/17/2009 8:33:24 AM

I could fap to this.

9/17/2009 8:39:17 AM

Quote :

"i dont think you have really any idea about either the enormity of fear and shame and devastation that is rape. "

You do?

9/17/2009 9:13:58 AM

Fuck.

I WISH someone would rape me.

Lucky bitch...

9/17/2009 9:23:17 AM

Quote :

"Perhaps I'm missing something in the story or subsequent posts, but where does it say she was bullied into retracting her allegations? Maybe she was being questioned by police because there was a lack of physical evidence. I'm all for victims being protected, but we've seen that wrongfully accused men are victims in these situations as well. Note that while the alleged victim's name is not revealed, the names and ages of the accused, even after charges have been dropped, are reported."

Being bullied into retracting allegations happens more than you think.

And as for this:

Quote :

"She was not raped. I hope she gets raped."

I'm assuming that was a trolling attempt, but that's not even funny to joke about :\

9/17/2009 9:28:00 AM

No, I am serious.

IF she was not raped, I hope she gets raped by those very guys. As I said:

In the grand scheme of things and how the world and humans function, a false accusation of rape against a man is worse than a woman being raped.

9/17/2009 9:30:09 AM

Quote :

"i think it played out like this: Irrelevant hypothesizing "

9/17/2009 9:30:09 AM

^2 I'm not defending her actions in any way IF she did lie (big if), but I don't understand why you would ever wish rape on someone.

9/17/2009 9:38:43 AM

I am not wishing rape one someone. I am wishing on them what they falsely accused someone of. In this case, it happens to be rape.

If someone falsely accuses someone of robbery/rape/injury/defamation, then I hope the accuser gets robbed/raped/injured/defamed.

9/17/2009 9:50:23 AM

Don't fuck with
&

9/17/2009 9:59:08 AM

Quote :

"you posts sound deluded ... i suspect have lived a very small-town sheltered life. i dont think you have really any idea about either the enormity of fear and shame and devastation that is rape. i dont think you have any idea what it means for a woman to be intimidated by gangs of thugs in the New York metro area i dont think you have any idea how large-scale urban police forces work. you don't get any protection. unless you're turning state's evidence or involved in some high-profile federal case, you are on your own. you'll get some counseling at the local victims advocacy center along with some bus passes and a free toothbrush."

Are you saying that nowhere in the big city life are people who care about the welfare of others? That nobody would bare their nastier side to protect someone with either stick, blade, or firearm? You don't think that I know that rape is devastating? Perhaps it's best that I live in the small towns.

9/17/2009 10:05:57 AM

Wow where the hell are you guys inferring all this crap from? Outta the fucking blue is what it looks like. Nobody effing knows why she retracted the claim.

9/17/2009 10:06:35 AM

^

9/17/2009 10:07:05 AM

^^ lol.

thank you

I'm AstralAdvent and i approved this message.

9/17/2009 10:09:47 AM

3^We do know that in retracting the claim, she's either lied about being raped or lied about not being raped.

9/17/2009 10:09:52 AM

Quote :

"3^We do know that in retracting the claim, she's either lied about being raped or lied about not being raped."

What the fuck does this even mean?

"We do know by retracting the murder charge that two possibilities exist: Either he did murder the person or he did not murder the person."

9/17/2009 10:15:57 AM

If I tell the police, "Nigga stole my bike" and then say "No he didn't, I let him borrow it," then I lied about him stealing my bike, now didn't I?

9/17/2009 10:17:33 AM

1. He didn't steal your bike and you lied and nothing happened.
2. You voluntarily let him ride your bike and then decided to say he stole your bike and then retracted that.

And most likely:

3. He stole your bike. Through a system of institutionalized bigotry, intimidation, and emotional abuse towards bike owners, with people questioning whether or not you were the type of person who voluntarily lets people ride your bike all the time, with people using your bike lending history against you, and people questioning whether or not you were asking for your bike to be stolen, you were intimidated into retracting your claim of your bike being stolen.

9/17/2009 10:21:06 AM

Alright, so either I lied about my bike being stolen, or I lied when I said it wasn't. I cannot see any circumstances where lying under pressure against the truth will ease the pain and suffering. Now she's a liar, cannot be trusted, a slut and a whore. She's no longer a victim and in retracting the charges, the rapists will pretty much be exonerated as victims of a whore's accusations.

9/17/2009 10:27:49 AM

What the fuck is wrong with you?

9/17/2009 10:28:26 AM

I'm saying if she were raped it's God damned worse for her to lose the conviction to press charges. She has lost credibility in the public eye, and there are probably people out there who would take up arms in her favor to protect her from "thugs".

9/17/2009 10:29:59 AM

yeah i if i had been raped i would've stuck with my story

I'm AstralAdvent and i approved this message.

9/17/2009 10:30:13 AM

Quote :

"I'm saying if she were raped it's God damned worse for her to lose the conviction to press charges. She has lost credibility in the public eye, and there are probably people out there who would take up arms in her favor to protect her from "thugs"."

Sure, but calling her a slut and a whore doesn't help the matter.

9/17/2009 10:31:29 AM

Do you not think that is what the public opinion of her will now be?

9/17/2009 10:32:49 AM

Where's that Duke lacrosse prosecutor? He'd forge ahead with this one.

[Edited on September 17, 2009 at 10:36 AM. Reason : *]

9/17/2009 10:35:01 AM

Quote :

"Do you not think that is what the public opinion of her will now be?"

The "public opinion" is what caused this institutionalized pressure on rape victims in the first place.

9/17/2009 10:37:41 AM

WHORES

9/17/2009 10:38:21 AM

The problem is, if she hadn't pressed charges there would have been only a few people who knew about what happened. Once she pressed charges and the media caught wind of the accusations, two distinct group of people formed. There would most likely be a majority sympathetic with the victim, and a smaller group who would be sympathetic with the accused. There would be a very small number of people still sympathetic with the accused when they're convicted as a rapist, and likewise a small number who will be sympathetic with the victim (she's no longer a victim) after the charges are dropped. Public opinion is now strongly against her with few allies left, even an acquittal in court would have had a much smaller effect than dropping the charges. Now she needs a whole new identity.

9/17/2009 11:07:09 AM

Quote :

"the media caught wind of the accusations,"

So, who is the whore in this situation, then?

9/17/2009 11:08:31 AM

We are.

9/17/2009 11:09:19 AM

1.96

[Edited on September 17, 2009 at 11:18 AM. Reason : ]

9/17/2009 11:10:07 AM

was she black or white?

9/17/2009 11:15:05 AM