Article: Gang Rape Outside School Dance Lasted Over 2 Hours

[Nikolita]

Nikolita edit: Caution- This article contains disturbing information. Whether you've been a victim of rape or not, please read this at your own discretion. I've never been raped, but even I had a hard time reading this article.


The first post is being updated as I find new articles. Please read to bottom of the first post for the newest updates.


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Taken from: http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/27/california.gang.rape.investigation/index.html


(CNN) -- A California high school student who police said was gang raped in a two-and-a-half-hour assault outside a homecoming dance remained hospitalized in stable condition Monday, two days after she was flown from the attack scene in critical condition.

As of late Monday, two suspects had been arrested in the case and a third was being questioned.

"There is one individual in custody who has made some spontaneous statements that have led me to believe that he is culpable for what happened," Richmond police Lt. Johan Simon said.

Nineteen-year-old Manuel Ortega, described as a former student at the school, was arrested soon after he fled the scene and will face charges of rape, robbery and kidnapping, police said.

A 15-year-old was later arrested and charged with one count of felony sexual assault. A third teenager was being interviewed, according to Lt. Mark Gagan of the police department in Richmond, California.

"Based on witness statements and suspect statements, and also physical evidence, we know that she was raped by at least four suspects committing multiple sex acts," Gagan said.

Investigators said as many as 15 people, all males, stood around watching the assault, but did not call police or help the victim, a 15-year-old student at Richmond High School in suburban San Francisco.

"As people announced over time that this was going on, more people came to see, and some actually participated," Gagan said.

Authorities had interviewed the victim, and the search for other attackers and bystanders who watched and did not report the rape was in "full-court press," according to Gagan.

"We have checked Facebook and YouTube to try to find any revealing evidence," he said. "We're looking in particular to see if anyone posted any video of the incident."

Several other individuals were detained at the scene but not arrested, Simon said.

The attack occurred on school grounds as the annual homecoming dance was under way inside the school Saturday night, authorities said.

The victim was found unconscious and "brutally assaulted" under a bench shortly before midnight Saturday, after police received a call from someone in the area who had overheard people at the assault scene "reminiscing about the incident," Gagan said.

"She ended up with those guys under her own will because she knew one of the boys who had gone to the high school before," Gagan said. "Right now, we're looking at toxicology reports to determine her blood-alcohol content and to determine if she was drugged."

According to authorities, the victim was flown to an area hospital in critical condition. She was in stable condition Monday, police said.

"This just gets worse and worse the more you dig into it," Gagan said. "It was like a horror movie after looking at the evidence. I can't believe not one person felt compelled to help her."


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Small update: http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/27/california.gang.rape.investigation/index.html


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Update Oct. 29th, 2009: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/29/MN621ABOF6.DTL


Three juvenile boys arrested in the rape, beating and robbery of a 15-year-old Richmond High School student were charged as adults Wednesday and could face life in prison if convicted.

The boys, ages 15, 16 and 17, were among five suspects that had been arrested in connection with the crime as of Wednesday. Police were continuing their investigation and expect to make more arrests.

Police said they now believe that as many as 10 young men may have assaulted the girl Saturday after she left her school's homecoming dance. They initially said that about six young men attacked the girl.

The three juveniles were each charged with rape in concert and penetration with a foreign object, authorities said. The 16-year-old also faces a robbery charge.

The first suspect arrested in the case, Manuel Ortega, 19, of Richmond, was charged Wednesday with rape in concert, rape by force, robbery and assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury.

Another suspect, Salvador Rodriguez, 21, of Richmond, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of rape in concert. He remains in custody and may be formally charged later this week, authorities said.

The latest arrest happened at 11 p.m. Tuesday when the 17-year-old boy turned himself in at Richmond police headquarters, Lt. Mike Gormley said. Officers went to the boy's Pinole home earlier but didn't find him, police said.

The younger boys are both from San Pablo.

Although the juveniles are being charged as adults, their names were withheld by authorities because of their ages. The three boys are being held without bail at Juvenile Hall.

Ortega is being held in lieu of $1.2 million bail at Contra Costa County Jail in Martinez. Rodriguez was in the process of being booked.

Police say the assailants, ranging in age from 15 to their early 20s, committed a "slew of crimes" against the girl, including raping her, beating her and stealing her jewelry.

The young men laughed and shot photos as they took turns assaulting the girl, police said.

Authorities are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of any of the assailants.

The girl knew at least one of the assailants, the 15-year-old boy, investigators said.

About 200 students, teachers and community leaders rallied outside the campus after school Wednesday to condemn the rape and to say they wanted people to know the crime was not representative of their campus, despite the negative reputation of the crime-plagued city.

"I am devastated," said senior Norma Bautista, her voice cracking with emotion. "I'm here because I want everybody in Arizona, in New York, everywhere they are, (to know) that we are not criminals. We are the future leaders. I see people call us animals. Why don't you look at those of us who are trying to make a change?"

Most speakers blamed the rape at least in part on degrading, dehumanizing societal attitudes toward women.

Biology teacher Lorna McClellan said the problem of rape is not just confined to low-income cities with high crime rates, such as Richmond, and that she hoped community revulsion over the weekend attack will help spark societal change in the way some men view women.

"Women are portrayed on TV and in music as pieces of meat," she said. "When are we going to take the challenge and step up and change this?"


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Updated Oct. 30th,2009: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/29/california.rape.victim.friend/index.html


(CNN) -- She had come alone to the Richmond High School homecoming dance, gorgeous in a sparkling purple dress and faux diamond baubles. The DJ played salsa, meringue, rap. When the teenager disappeared, her friends thought she had gone home early.

Except she never said goodbye.

"We were going to go look for her," said Kami Baker, 16, a junior at the school.

The next day, Baker learned the ugly truth about what had happened to her friend.

According to police, she had been gang raped and beaten for almost 2½ hours and left unconscious under a bench shortly before midnight Saturday night.

"I busted up crying," Baker said.

The campus incident in the Bay Area city north of Oakland has shaken students and their families. Baker was one of many people connected to the school and the community who lashed out at officials at a public safety hearing Wednesday.

Baker blamed school district officials for not doing enough to protect her school -- and her friend. She said none of the four officers who were at the homecoming dance was patrolling the school premises even though there were a dozen young men hanging out just a few feet from the gym entrance. She says school officials chose not to take any action.

"I looked outside of the gym and I saw 12 to 15 guys, sitting there, with no IDs," Baker said at the hearing. "The officers -- not only did they not check the IDs of those students or men sitting outside of of our campus, but the security officers who are employed here did no ... checking either. The assistant principal looked outside and actually saw those men, and did nothing about it."

Baker took the podium with her younger sister, Barbie, a freshman at the school, who had spent a chunk of Saturday evening with the rape victim.

"This story has disrupted the school's morale greatly, including my own. I am friends with the girl," Baker said. "When I started here, I felt extremely unsafe and so did she, due to the lack of police officers and security officers."

Baker later described the 15-year-old girl as a churchgoer who struggled to fit in at Richmond High.

Four teenagers were arraigned Thursday on charges connected to the incident. Cody Ray Smith, described by the court as over 14 years old, pleaded not guilty to charges of rape with a foreign object and rape by force.

Two other juveniles, Ari Abdallah Morales and Marcelles James Peter, appeared together with Smith at the Contra Costa County Superior Court, but did not enter a plea. The court described Morales as under 16, and did not give an age for Peter.

All three juveniles, who wore bulletproof vests at the hearing, were charged as adults. A fourth individual, Manuel Ortega, 19, appeared separately without an attorney and did not enter a plea. He did not wear a protective vest. Another adult who was arrested has a different court date.

As many as 10 people were involved in the assault in a dimly lit back alley at the school, police have said. Another 10 people watched, without calling 911, police said.

The victim was released from a hospital Wednesday, police said.

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Taken from: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/30/california.gang.rape/index.html

(CNN) -- Police arrested another teen Thursday, the sixth suspect jailed in connection with the gang rape of a 15-year-old girl on a northern California high school campus.

Jose Carlos Montano, 18, was arrested on charges of felony rape, rape in concert with force, and penetration with a foreign object, said Richmond Police Lt. Mark Gagan.

Montano was arrested Thursday evening in San Pablo, California, a small town about two miles from the city of Richmond, where the crime took place.

Montano, who was held in lieu of $1.3 million bail, is accused of taking part in what police said was a 2½-hour assault on the Richmond High School campus.

Police said as many as 10 people were involved in the rape in a dimly lit back alley at the school, while another 10 people watched without calling 911.

The victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but was released Wednesday.

Four other teenage suspects were arraigned Thursday on charges connected to the rape.

Cody Ray Smith, described by the court as older than 14, pleaded not guilty to charges of rape with a foreign object and rape by force.

Two other juveniles, Ari Abdallah Morales and Marcelles James Peter, appeared with Smith at the Contra Costa County Superior Court, but did not enter a plea. The court described Morales as younger than 16, and did not give an age for Peter.

All three juveniles, who wore bulletproof vests at the hearing, were charged as adults.

A fourth person, Manuel Ortega, 19, appeared separately without an attorney and did not enter a plea. He did not wear a protective vest.

Another person, Salvador Rodriguez, 21, was arrested Tuesday night, but he was not in court Thursday.  

[LorienLlewellyn]

Rape is hard to prove. Some women would willingly have sex with multiple men while others watch. But the fact that she was unconscious and taken to the hospital is certainly enough proof for me. Those guys are so lucky I am not on the jury. I'd be ready to hand out the death sentences.  

[Chiyu_12990]

LorienLlewellyn

Rape is hard to prove. Some women would willingly have sex with multiple men while others watch. But the fact that she was unconscious and taken to the hospital is certainly enough proof for me. Those guys are so lucky I am not on the jury. I'd be ready to hand out the death sentences.

Agreed.
But I don't think I'd want to be in the same room with them.
I'd probably beat the hell out of them.

 

[Alarmingly Charming]

Don't even get me started.  

[LorienLlewellyn]

Derimed

Death sentence is only for murder

I understand that the death sentence wouldn't really be an option in America. I was stating what sentence I would like to give them. wink

Derimed

I think that's one small token of consolation about this -- these guys will not just serve ten years. They'll be hit with waaaaaaaaaay more, becuase this is worse than a typical crime.

I highly doubt it. As far as the law is concerned, murder is a lot worse than rape. I believe rape has a maximum sentence of 25 years. They could be charged with assault as well if they beat her. But the assault charge probably won't add that much time. So factoring in the fact that she is alive, good behavior, their ages, the fact that this is likely a first offense for at least some of them, etc. I really wouldn't expect them to do much time at all. And I would expect at least one of them to be a repeat offender. So that's a scary thought.  

[myrthrilmercury]

I don't remember the exact details, but there has been research done and a lot of times, people don't say or do anything because they are afraid to get involved. IIRC, this came from the case of the woman who was attacked for 40 minutes and everyone heard, but no one did anything. I can sort of understand this--at 5'1", I'd be afraid to chase down a 6'4" purse snatcher. And when I was in school and you were determined to be a snitch, you faced retribution. So maybe that was at work here too? I'm not saying it's right, but those are some possibilities that come to mind.

I'm not sure what kind of evidence they have, but if/when these guys get convicted, I highly doubt they'll get away. They'll be registered as sex offenders, probably for the rest of their lives. Meaning, they can't live in certain areas and can't take certain jobs. Not that anyone will want to hire them. They'll also be marked for life. Everyone will know who they are simply by going to the registry.  

[Nikolita]

Small update, apparently up to 20 people were watching: http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/27/california.gang.rape.investigation/index.html  

[Valgex]

I heard about this, the crowd that was watching could have easily stopped it(power in numbers) and call the proper authorities. What is wrong with people?  

[Nikolita]

I'll update this into the first post.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/29/MN621ABOF6.DTL  

[LorienLlewellyn]

I am thrilled to hear that they are going after these guys with such force. I hope they keep it up.  

[Nikolita]

I just saw an article saying a 6th person had been arrested, but I can't find it again.

In the meantime, I added this to the first post: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/29/california.rape.victim.friend/index.html


Edit: Found it - http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/30/california.gang.rape/index.html  

[LorienLlewellyn]

Valgex

I heard about this, the crowd that was watching could have easily stopped it(power in numbers) and call the proper authorities. What is wrong with people?

There have been numerous studies done on that very subject. It seems that when people are in a crowd and witnessing a crime, they're usually even less likely to get help. Most people sort of freeze up. Everyone waits for someone else to do something. They all think sort of think, "Should I do something? Can I do something? Is this a joke? Is there something I don't know about here? Will I look stupid if I try to stop it? Will everyone gang up on me? Will the rest of the crowd back me up?" So there actually might have been some decent but scared people in that crowd.  

[Roccano]

BLAH!!!!
I hate rapists, they all need to be shot in the face multiple times after being stabbed with a spoon.

And by the way, the guy who said Bubba was going to go after them, I wholeheartedly agree with you.

There is an IMMENSE hate for child rapists ((Child rapist meaning raping anyone under 1 cool ) and usually in the penal system the one who was charged with the rape, gets raped in the jail or prison that he is sent to.

I hope everyone that was there watching, taping, taking pictures, and actually committing the crime all get struck by lightening and sent down to hell.

I could say more vulgar things, but I have to follow the TOS.....