Guilty Verdict Handed Down In Steubenville Rape Trial

Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond

On Sunday morning, Judge Thomas Lipps delivered a verdict in the much-anticipated Steubenville rape trial, determining the two high school football players charged with raping a young girl at a party are guilty on all three counts against them.

Trent Mays and Ma’lik Richmond, both minors, will likely be sentenced to jail time until they reach the age of 21. They will also be required to register as sex offenders.

The Steubenville trial exploded in the national media after graphic videos surfaced of the alleged assault. Nonetheless, the boys’ lawyers argued that the 16-year-old girl — although she appeared to be unconscious in the footage — had actually given her consent because she “didn’t affirmatively say no.” The prosecutor, on the other hand, argued that the victim “was substantially impaired, and they treated her like a toy.”

The case was tried before a judge rather than a jury — and divided the small town of Steubenville, OH, as some of its estimated 20,000 residents sided with the football stars. After reviewing the evidence, however, the judge called the case “profane and ugly” and sentenced the defendants to a juvenile detention facility.

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