By Drew Singer
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - The 16-year-old accuser in the trial of two Ohio high school football players charged with raping her while she was drunk at a party took the stand on Saturday and said she remembered little of what happened on the night she says she was assaulted.
The girl recounted drinking vodka mixed with store-bought frozen slushies at the party that evening, then finding herself sitting on a curb early the next day, after the alleged rape, with her hands between her legs, vomiting into the street.
She testified that she otherwise had no recollection of her own of what happened in the early hours of August 12, 2012, when witnesses in the case have said she was too drunk to move or talk.
Under its policy of keeping the names of accusers in rape cases confidential, Reuters is not identifying the girl.
Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, two members of the Steubenville High School football team, are charged as juveniles with raping the girl by digital penetration while she was essentially unconscious.
Mays and Richmond have denied raping her and say that any sexual contact that occurred was consensual.
The case, being tried before a judge rather than a jury, drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after photo and video images from the party were posted online appearing to document the assault.
The girl testified that she only learned what had happened to her from text messages, pictures and other bits of information posted on social media by classmates who witnessed the assaults. Some of those witnesses have testified.
TEARFUL REACTION
Prosecutors displayed to her some of the pictures that circulated on social media, including one that showed her naked with what prosecutors say is semen on her stomach.
The girl started crying as she looked at the photo, saying she had never seen the image before.
'Who is that in the photo?' prosecutor Marrianne Hemmeter asked.
'Me,' the girl answered.
'How does it make you feel?' Hemmeter said.
'Not good.'
The girl also testified that when she finally went to the hospital, after seeing a video in which classmates joked about the assault, she was reluctant to identify her assailants.
When Hemmeter asked her why, the girl replied: 'Because honestly, I was praying that everything I heard wasn't true. I didn't want to get myself into drama because I knew everyone would just blame me.'
Defense attorneys have questioned whether the witnesses in the case remembered details from the party or were just repeating rumors that circulated afterward through their social groups or from investigators looking into the rape allegations.
Earlier on Saturday, the defense called two former friends of the accuser - Kelsey Weaver and Gianna Anile - who testified that the girl had a reputation for dishonesty.
Weaver, 17, testified the accuser had told her she liked Mays. Weaver also said she watched the accuser drink four shots of vodka and two beers and flirt with Richmond on the night she says the rape occurred.
Weaver said the accuser told her she thought she had been drugged as well - a conclusion Weaver said she did not believe. Asked by defense why she had doubts, Weaver said, 'Because (she) lies about things.'
Both Weaver and Anile were with the accuser on the night of the alleged rape. Both testified that they ended their friendship with her because of the accusations.
On Friday, Mark Cole, a teammate of Mays and Richmond, granted immunity for his testimony, said he recorded a video of Mays performing a sex act on the girl while she was passed out during a car ride between houses in Steubenville the night of the party, but he deleted the footage the next morning.
A second teammate, Evan Westlake, who also was granted immunity, testified he saw Richmond commit a sex act on the girl on the basement floor of a house that same night.
If convicted, the defendants could be sentenced to a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21, and be required to register as sex offenders.
(Writing by James B. Kelleher; Editing by Steve Gorman and Peter Cooney)
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Steubenville rape trial accuser's veracity questioned
By Drew Singer
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - The trial of two Ohio high school football players accused of raping an incapacitated 16-year-old girl resumed on Saturday with two former friends of the accuser testifying that she had a reputation for dishonesty.
Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, are charged with sexually assaulting the girl in the early morning of August 12, 2012, when she was too drunk to move or speak.
During testimony Saturday, the defense called Kelsey Weaver and Gianna Anile, two classmates of the accuser who described themselves as her former best friends.
Reuters is not identifying the girl making the accusations.
Weaver, 17, testified the accuser had told her that she liked Mays. Weaver also said she watched the accuser drink four shots of vodka and two beers and flirt with Richmond on the night she says the rape occurred.
Weaver said the accuser told her she thought she had been drugged as well -- a conclusion Weaver said she did not believe. Asked by defense attorneys why she had doubts, Weaver said 'because (she) lies about things.'
Both Weaver and Anile were with the accuser on the night of the alleged rape. Both testified that they ended their friendship with her as a result of the accusations.
The case drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, on the West Virginia border 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after a photo and video from the party were posted online appearing to document the assault.
On Friday, Mark Cole, a teammate of Mays and Richmond granted immunity for his testimony, said he recorded a video of Mays performing the act on the girl during a car ride between houses in Steubenville the night of the party, but deleted it the next morning.
Evan Westlake, who was also granted immunity, testified he saw Richmond commit a sex act on the girl on the basement floor of a house the same night last August.
Mays and Richmond are accused of raping the girl while she was incapacitated. She told police she did not remember what happened and reported the incident the next day after hearing details from friends. The boys have denied raping her and say that any sexual contact that occurred was consensual.
Defense attorneys have questioned whether the witnesses in the case remembered details from the party or were just repeating rumors that circulated afterward through their social groups or from investigators looking into the rape allegations.
The juvenile charges against Mays and Redmond are being heard by visiting Judge Tom Lipps. If convicted, they could be required to stay at a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21 and then register as sex offenders.
Testimony in the trial, which began Wednesday, is scheduled to continue into the evening Saturday and resume again on Sunday. The judge said he expects the trial to run into Tuesday.
(Editing by James B. Kelleher; editing by Gunna Dickson)
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - The trial of two Ohio high school football players accused of raping an incapacitated 16-year-old girl resumed on Saturday with two former friends of the accuser testifying that she had a reputation for dishonesty.
Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, are charged with sexually assaulting the girl in the early morning of August 12, 2012, when she was too drunk to move or speak.
During testimony Saturday, the defense called Kelsey Weaver and Gianna Anile, two classmates of the accuser who described themselves as her former best friends.
Reuters is not identifying the girl making the accusations.
Weaver, 17, testified the accuser had told her that she liked Mays. Weaver also said she watched the accuser drink four shots of vodka and two beers and flirt with Richmond on the night she says the rape occurred.
Weaver said the accuser told her she thought she had been drugged as well -- a conclusion Weaver said she did not believe. Asked by defense attorneys why she had doubts, Weaver said 'because (she) lies about things.'
Both Weaver and Anile were with the accuser on the night of the alleged rape. Both testified that they ended their friendship with her as a result of the accusations.
The case drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, on the West Virginia border 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after a photo and video from the party were posted online appearing to document the assault.
On Friday, Mark Cole, a teammate of Mays and Richmond granted immunity for his testimony, said he recorded a video of Mays performing the act on the girl during a car ride between houses in Steubenville the night of the party, but deleted it the next morning.
Evan Westlake, who was also granted immunity, testified he saw Richmond commit a sex act on the girl on the basement floor of a house the same night last August.
Mays and Richmond are accused of raping the girl while she was incapacitated. She told police she did not remember what happened and reported the incident the next day after hearing details from friends. The boys have denied raping her and say that any sexual contact that occurred was consensual.
Defense attorneys have questioned whether the witnesses in the case remembered details from the party or were just repeating rumors that circulated afterward through their social groups or from investigators looking into the rape allegations.
The juvenile charges against Mays and Redmond are being heard by visiting Judge Tom Lipps. If convicted, they could be required to stay at a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21 and then register as sex offenders.
Testimony in the trial, which began Wednesday, is scheduled to continue into the evening Saturday and resume again on Sunday. The judge said he expects the trial to run into Tuesday.
(Editing by James B. Kelleher; editing by Gunna Dickson)
Reuters staffer accused of aiding hackers maintains innocence: lawyer
By Dan Levine and Joseph Menn
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A Reuters.com editor maintained his innocence after being suspended with pay on Friday following a federal indictment on charges he aided members of the Anonymous hacking collective.
Matthew Keys, 26, a deputy social media editor, was indicted on Thursday by a federal grand jury in Sacramento, California, on three criminal counts. The alleged events occurred before he joined Thomson Reuters, the indictment indicated.
New York attorney Tor Ekeland said he had been hired by Keys to represent him and that his client 'maintains his innocence.'
Ekeland told Reuters he was assembling a legal team and that Keys 'looks forward to contesting these baseless charges.'
On Friday, Keys exchanged tweets with some well-wishers on Twitter, telling one of them, 'I'm okay.'
Thomson Reuters Corp. spokesman David Girardin confirmed Keys' suspension on Friday, but declined additional comment. Keys did not respond to a request for comment.
The indictment accused Keys of giving hackers access to Tribune Co computer systems in December 2010. A story on the Tribune's Los Angeles Times website was soon altered by one of those hackers, the indictment said.
Court filings said Keys had worked for a Tribune-owned television station in Sacramento, operating its Twitter and Facebook feeds. An FBI agent said in a search warrant application that a former colleague told the agency that Keys had been terminated in October 2010.
Keys joined Reuters in New York in January 2012. As deputy social media editor, he promoted stories through Twitter and other means. He lives in Secaucus, New Jersey, the Justice Department said.
Ekeland and a California lawyer working for Keys, Jay Leiderman, laid out a number of defenses, starting with the argument that Keys was acting as a freelance journalist when he was invited to join the Internet Relay Chat channel with elite hackers.
'He was in the chat room interviewing,' Leiderman said.
Ekeland said in a video interview with the Huffington Post that while he understood that Keys used the screen name AESCracked at times during the chats recovered by authorities, someone else might have been using that name when AESCracked promised to provide Tribune logon credentials.
Ekeland also said the damage Keys was accused of causing was minor. 'It's just sort of a juvenile defacement of a minor story on the L.A. Times website-which he didn't do,' Ekeland told the Huffington Post. The maximum for conviction on all three counts would be 25 years in prison, although actual sentences handed down by judges are often far less than the maximum.
Keys wrote on a personal blog and on a Reuters blog that he had previously obtained access to an elite group of hackers, including one known as Sabu.
Sabu, later identified as Hector Xavier Monsegur, became an FBI informant, court records show. Monsegur was publicly identified last year and has pleaded guilty to participating in multiple hacking conspiracies. He is awaiting sentencing.
Ekeland represented alleged AT&T iPad email hacker Andrew Auernheimer, aka 'Weev,' who was convicted last November on hacking conspiracy and identity fraud charges.
Leiderman's clients include Anonymous member Christopher Doyon, who calls himself Commander X. Doyon was charged with hacking Santa Cruz County, California, computers, but jumped bail and has told Leiderman he is in Canada, Leiderman said.
Keys is scheduled to be arraigned on April 12 in Sacramento, according to the court docket.
The case in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, is United States of America v. Matthew Keys, 13-82.
(Editing by Ciro Scotti and Peter Cooney)
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A Reuters.com editor maintained his innocence after being suspended with pay on Friday following a federal indictment on charges he aided members of the Anonymous hacking collective.
Matthew Keys, 26, a deputy social media editor, was indicted on Thursday by a federal grand jury in Sacramento, California, on three criminal counts. The alleged events occurred before he joined Thomson Reuters, the indictment indicated.
New York attorney Tor Ekeland said he had been hired by Keys to represent him and that his client 'maintains his innocence.'
Ekeland told Reuters he was assembling a legal team and that Keys 'looks forward to contesting these baseless charges.'
On Friday, Keys exchanged tweets with some well-wishers on Twitter, telling one of them, 'I'm okay.'
Thomson Reuters Corp. spokesman David Girardin confirmed Keys' suspension on Friday, but declined additional comment. Keys did not respond to a request for comment.
The indictment accused Keys of giving hackers access to Tribune Co computer systems in December 2010. A story on the Tribune's Los Angeles Times website was soon altered by one of those hackers, the indictment said.
Court filings said Keys had worked for a Tribune-owned television station in Sacramento, operating its Twitter and Facebook feeds. An FBI agent said in a search warrant application that a former colleague told the agency that Keys had been terminated in October 2010.
Keys joined Reuters in New York in January 2012. As deputy social media editor, he promoted stories through Twitter and other means. He lives in Secaucus, New Jersey, the Justice Department said.
Ekeland and a California lawyer working for Keys, Jay Leiderman, laid out a number of defenses, starting with the argument that Keys was acting as a freelance journalist when he was invited to join the Internet Relay Chat channel with elite hackers.
'He was in the chat room interviewing,' Leiderman said.
Ekeland said in a video interview with the Huffington Post that while he understood that Keys used the screen name AESCracked at times during the chats recovered by authorities, someone else might have been using that name when AESCracked promised to provide Tribune logon credentials.
Ekeland also said the damage Keys was accused of causing was minor. 'It's just sort of a juvenile defacement of a minor story on the L.A. Times website-which he didn't do,' Ekeland told the Huffington Post. The maximum for conviction on all three counts would be 25 years in prison, although actual sentences handed down by judges are often far less than the maximum.
Keys wrote on a personal blog and on a Reuters blog that he had previously obtained access to an elite group of hackers, including one known as Sabu.
Sabu, later identified as Hector Xavier Monsegur, became an FBI informant, court records show. Monsegur was publicly identified last year and has pleaded guilty to participating in multiple hacking conspiracies. He is awaiting sentencing.
Ekeland represented alleged AT&T iPad email hacker Andrew Auernheimer, aka 'Weev,' who was convicted last November on hacking conspiracy and identity fraud charges.
Leiderman's clients include Anonymous member Christopher Doyon, who calls himself Commander X. Doyon was charged with hacking Santa Cruz County, California, computers, but jumped bail and has told Leiderman he is in Canada, Leiderman said.
Keys is scheduled to be arraigned on April 12 in Sacramento, according to the court docket.
The case in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, is United States of America v. Matthew Keys, 13-82.
(Editing by Ciro Scotti and Peter Cooney)
Friday, March 15, 2013
Witnesses describe sex acts in Ohio football rape trial
By Drew Singer
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - Two teammates of two high school football players from Ohio accused of raping a girl at a party last summer testified on Friday they saw their classmates commit sex acts on the girl during the alcohol-fueled events that night.
A third witness, a friend of the defendants who was also granted immunity, said he saw both defendants making sexual contact with her while she appeared to be passed out, naked and face down on a basement floor.
'She wasn't moving. She wasn't talking. She wasn't participating,' said Anthony Craig, 18.
The rape case against Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, on the West Virginia border and about 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after a photo and video from the party were posted online.
The computer hacking group Anonymous later publicized the picture of two males carrying the girl by her wrists and ankles and organized protests accusing the town known for its 'Big Red' football team of covering up the involvement of more players.
Mark Cole, a teammate granted immunity for his testimony, said he recorded a video of Mays performing the act on the girl during a car ride between houses in Steubenville the night of the party, but deleted it the next morning.
'It was one of those moments when you realize you did something wrong or stupid,' Cole said during testimony in which he also said he drank eight to 10 beers that night and his memory of the evening was foggy.
Evan Westlake, who also was granted immunity, testified he saw Richmond commit a sex act on the girl on the basement floor of a house the same night last August.
Mays and Richmond are accused of raping the girl when she was too drunk to move or speak. She told police she did not remember what happened, but reported the incident the next day after she heard details from friends. The boys have denied raping her and say any sex that happened was consensual.
Defense attorneys have questioned whether the witnesses in the case remembered details from the party or were repeating rumors that circulated afterward through their own social groups and from investigators looking into the rape allegations.
Lawyers for the boys say the victim had told friends in advance that she wanted to have sex with the players.
Prosecutors have argued the girl was too drunk to make a decision about her welfare and have introduced as evidence graphic text messages about the party and events afterward and two pictures that were recovered from mobile devices.
The juvenile charges against Mays and Redmond are being heard by visiting Judge Tom Lipps. If convicted, they could be required to stay at a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21 and then register as sex offenders.
(Editing by David Bailey, Daniel Trotta and Leslie Adler)
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - Two teammates of two high school football players from Ohio accused of raping a girl at a party last summer testified on Friday they saw their classmates commit sex acts on the girl during the alcohol-fueled events that night.
A third witness, a friend of the defendants who was also granted immunity, said he saw both defendants making sexual contact with her while she appeared to be passed out, naked and face down on a basement floor.
'She wasn't moving. She wasn't talking. She wasn't participating,' said Anthony Craig, 18.
The rape case against Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, on the West Virginia border and about 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after a photo and video from the party were posted online.
The computer hacking group Anonymous later publicized the picture of two males carrying the girl by her wrists and ankles and organized protests accusing the town known for its 'Big Red' football team of covering up the involvement of more players.
Mark Cole, a teammate granted immunity for his testimony, said he recorded a video of Mays performing the act on the girl during a car ride between houses in Steubenville the night of the party, but deleted it the next morning.
'It was one of those moments when you realize you did something wrong or stupid,' Cole said during testimony in which he also said he drank eight to 10 beers that night and his memory of the evening was foggy.
Evan Westlake, who also was granted immunity, testified he saw Richmond commit a sex act on the girl on the basement floor of a house the same night last August.
Mays and Richmond are accused of raping the girl when she was too drunk to move or speak. She told police she did not remember what happened, but reported the incident the next day after she heard details from friends. The boys have denied raping her and say any sex that happened was consensual.
Defense attorneys have questioned whether the witnesses in the case remembered details from the party or were repeating rumors that circulated afterward through their own social groups and from investigators looking into the rape allegations.
Lawyers for the boys say the victim had told friends in advance that she wanted to have sex with the players.
Prosecutors have argued the girl was too drunk to make a decision about her welfare and have introduced as evidence graphic text messages about the party and events afterward and two pictures that were recovered from mobile devices.
The juvenile charges against Mays and Redmond are being heard by visiting Judge Tom Lipps. If convicted, they could be required to stay at a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21 and then register as sex offenders.
(Editing by David Bailey, Daniel Trotta and Leslie Adler)
Reuters staffer accused of aiding hackers maintains innocence -lawyer
By Dan Levine and Joseph Menn
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Thomson Reuters Corp suspended with pay a deputy social media editor for Reuters.com who has been indicted on charges he aided members of the Anonymous hacking collective, a company spokesman said on Friday.
Matthew Keys, 26, was indicted on Thursday by a federal grand jury in Sacramento, Calif., on three criminal counts. The alleged events occurred before he joined Thomson Reuters, the indictment indicated.
New York attorney Tor Ekeland said that he has been hired to represent Keys and that his client 'maintains his innocence.'
Ekeland said that he is assembling a legal team and that Keys 'looks forward to contesting these baseless charges.'
On Friday, Keys exchanged tweets with some well-wishers on Twitter, telling one of them: 'I'm okay.'
Thomson Reuters spokesman David Girardin confirmed Keys' suspension on Friday but declined additional comment. Keys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The indictment accused Keys of giving hackers access to Tribune Co computer systems in December 2010. A story on the Tribune's Los Angeles Times website was soon altered by one of those hackers, the indictment said.
Court filings said Keys had worked for a Tribune-owned television station in Sacramento, operating its Twitter and Facebook feeds. A Federal Bureau of Investigation agent said in a search warrant application that a former colleague told the agency that Keys had been terminated in October 2010.
Keys joined Reuters in New York in January 2012. As deputy social media editor, he promoted stories through Twitter and other means. He lives in Secaucus, New Jersey, the Justice Department said.
Keys wrote on a personal blog and on a Reuters blog that he had previously obtained access to an elite group of hackers, including one known as Sabu. Sabu, later identified as Hector Xavier Monsegur, became an informant, court records show. Monsegur was publicly identified last year and has pleaded guilty to participating in multiple hacking conspiracies. He is awaiting sentencing.
Ekeland represented alleged AT&T iPad email hacker Andrew Auernheimer, aka 'Weev,' who was convicted last November on hacking conspiracy and identity fraud charges.
Keys is scheduled to be arraigned on April 12 in Sacramento, according to the court docket.
The case in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, is United States of America v. Matthew Keys, 13-82.
(Reporting by Dan Levine and Joseph Menn; Editing by Ciro Scotti)
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Thomson Reuters Corp suspended with pay a deputy social media editor for Reuters.com who has been indicted on charges he aided members of the Anonymous hacking collective, a company spokesman said on Friday.
Matthew Keys, 26, was indicted on Thursday by a federal grand jury in Sacramento, Calif., on three criminal counts. The alleged events occurred before he joined Thomson Reuters, the indictment indicated.
New York attorney Tor Ekeland said that he has been hired to represent Keys and that his client 'maintains his innocence.'
Ekeland said that he is assembling a legal team and that Keys 'looks forward to contesting these baseless charges.'
On Friday, Keys exchanged tweets with some well-wishers on Twitter, telling one of them: 'I'm okay.'
Thomson Reuters spokesman David Girardin confirmed Keys' suspension on Friday but declined additional comment. Keys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The indictment accused Keys of giving hackers access to Tribune Co computer systems in December 2010. A story on the Tribune's Los Angeles Times website was soon altered by one of those hackers, the indictment said.
Court filings said Keys had worked for a Tribune-owned television station in Sacramento, operating its Twitter and Facebook feeds. A Federal Bureau of Investigation agent said in a search warrant application that a former colleague told the agency that Keys had been terminated in October 2010.
Keys joined Reuters in New York in January 2012. As deputy social media editor, he promoted stories through Twitter and other means. He lives in Secaucus, New Jersey, the Justice Department said.
Keys wrote on a personal blog and on a Reuters blog that he had previously obtained access to an elite group of hackers, including one known as Sabu. Sabu, later identified as Hector Xavier Monsegur, became an informant, court records show. Monsegur was publicly identified last year and has pleaded guilty to participating in multiple hacking conspiracies. He is awaiting sentencing.
Ekeland represented alleged AT&T iPad email hacker Andrew Auernheimer, aka 'Weev,' who was convicted last November on hacking conspiracy and identity fraud charges.
Keys is scheduled to be arraigned on April 12 in Sacramento, according to the court docket.
The case in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, is United States of America v. Matthew Keys, 13-82.
(Reporting by Dan Levine and Joseph Menn; Editing by Ciro Scotti)
Thomson Reuters employee Keys will fight criminal charges: defense lawyer
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Suspended Thomson Reuters employee Matthew Keys, indicted Thursday on federal hacking charges involving the group Anonymous, 'maintains his innocence,' his attorney told Reuters on Friday.
New York-based attorney Tor Ekeland said Keys 'looks forward to contesting these baseless charges.'
(Reporting By Joseph Menn and Dan Levine)
New York-based attorney Tor Ekeland said Keys 'looks forward to contesting these baseless charges.'
(Reporting By Joseph Menn and Dan Levine)
Ohio rape trial turns to eyewitness testimony
By Drew Singer
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - Teammates of two high school football players from Ohio accused of raping a girl at a party last summer testified on Friday they saw their classmates commit sex acts on the girl during the alcohol-fueled events that night.
Mark Cole, who was granted immunity for his testimony, said he recorded a video of Trent Mays performing the act on the girl during a car ride between houses in Steubenville the night of the party, but deleted it the next morning.
'It was one of those moments when you realize you did something wrong or stupid,' Cole said during testimony in which he also said he drank eight to 10 beers that night and his memory of the evening was foggy.
Evan Westlake, who also was granted immunity, testified he saw Ma'lik Richmond commit a sex act on the girl on the basement floor of a house the same night last August.
Mays, 17, and Richmond, 16, are accused of raping the girl when she was too drunk to move or speak. She told police she did not remember what happened, but reported the incident the next day after she heard details from friends. They have denied raping her and say any sex that happened was consensual.
It is Reuters' policy not to name rape victims.
The rape case drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, on the West Virginia border and about 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after a photo and video from the party were posted online.
The computer hacking group Anonymous later publicized the picture of two males carrying the girl by her wrists and ankles and organized protests accusing the town known for its 'Big Red' football team of covering up the involvement of more players.
Cole, Westlake and a third Steubenville football player testified for the prosecution in a preliminary hearing after receiving assurances they would not be charged for their actions that night. All were expected to testify at the trial.
Defense attorneys have questioned whether the witnesses in the case remembered details from the party or were repeating rumors that circulated afterward through their own social groups and from investigators looking into the rape allegations.
Lawyers for the boys say the victim had told friends in advance that she wanted to have sex with the players.
Under cross-examination by Richmond's attorney, Walter Madison, Cole said 'yes' when asked whether he felt obligated to answer questions from an investigator in 'the direction they were pushing you.'
Prosecutors have argued the girl was too drunk to make a decision about her welfare and have introduced as evidence graphic text messages about the party and events afterward and two pictures that were recovered from mobile devices.
The juvenile charges against Mays and Redmond are being heard by visiting Judge Tom Lipps. If convicted, they could be required to stay at a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21 and then register as sex offenders.
(Writing by David Bailey; editing by Jim Marshall)
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - Teammates of two high school football players from Ohio accused of raping a girl at a party last summer testified on Friday they saw their classmates commit sex acts on the girl during the alcohol-fueled events that night.
Mark Cole, who was granted immunity for his testimony, said he recorded a video of Trent Mays performing the act on the girl during a car ride between houses in Steubenville the night of the party, but deleted it the next morning.
'It was one of those moments when you realize you did something wrong or stupid,' Cole said during testimony in which he also said he drank eight to 10 beers that night and his memory of the evening was foggy.
Evan Westlake, who also was granted immunity, testified he saw Ma'lik Richmond commit a sex act on the girl on the basement floor of a house the same night last August.
Mays, 17, and Richmond, 16, are accused of raping the girl when she was too drunk to move or speak. She told police she did not remember what happened, but reported the incident the next day after she heard details from friends. They have denied raping her and say any sex that happened was consensual.
It is Reuters' policy not to name rape victims.
The rape case drew national attention to the Ohio steel town of Steubenville, on the West Virginia border and about 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, after a photo and video from the party were posted online.
The computer hacking group Anonymous later publicized the picture of two males carrying the girl by her wrists and ankles and organized protests accusing the town known for its 'Big Red' football team of covering up the involvement of more players.
Cole, Westlake and a third Steubenville football player testified for the prosecution in a preliminary hearing after receiving assurances they would not be charged for their actions that night. All were expected to testify at the trial.
Defense attorneys have questioned whether the witnesses in the case remembered details from the party or were repeating rumors that circulated afterward through their own social groups and from investigators looking into the rape allegations.
Lawyers for the boys say the victim had told friends in advance that she wanted to have sex with the players.
Under cross-examination by Richmond's attorney, Walter Madison, Cole said 'yes' when asked whether he felt obligated to answer questions from an investigator in 'the direction they were pushing you.'
Prosecutors have argued the girl was too drunk to make a decision about her welfare and have introduced as evidence graphic text messages about the party and events afterward and two pictures that were recovered from mobile devices.
The juvenile charges against Mays and Redmond are being heard by visiting Judge Tom Lipps. If convicted, they could be required to stay at a juvenile detention facility until they turn 21 and then register as sex offenders.
(Writing by David Bailey; editing by Jim Marshall)
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