Trending News|February 02, 2015 12:50 EST
Vanderbilt Football News: Ex-Players Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey Found Guilty
Former Vanderbilt University football players Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey were found guilty on all counts of rape of an unconscious woman in June, 2013.
The victim, who was a 21-year-old neuroscience and economics major student at the time, was raped continuously for 30 minutes. The victim, who was unconscious at the time, was allegedly carried from the car into the dorm by Vandenburg. The case has been pending for 19 months now, before the verdict came to light this year.
According to a video that the prosecutors had access to, the players are seen dragging the unconscious woman down the dorm's hallway while giggling, snapping photos and video, and pausing to inspect her naked body. Once inside the dorm room, one player allegedly penetrated her with a water bottle while another encouraged him. One defendant allegedly urinated on the victim and "made a racial statement." Another passed out condoms to his fellow players before assaulting her, according to USA Today.
The men in question are expected to face decades behind bars when they will be sentenced on March 6, 2015, according to the Huffington Post.
Speaking to USA Today, District Attorney Glenn Funk said he hopes the case spurs change and sends a message that his office will prosecute cases of sexual violence.
The victim seemed thankful and relieved after the announcement of the verdict. She thanks the prosecutors, the detectives and the advocated present. She made a statement to the press, in which she said, "You are my heroes and I am so proud of and grateful for each of you. I am also hopeful that the publicity this case has received will lead to a discussion of how we can end sexual violence on college campuses. Finally, I want to remind other victims of sexual violence: You are not alone. You are not to blame," according to USA Today.
The defense lawyers, however, seem to be singing a different song altogether. The defense has argued that both the players were too drunk to know what they were doing and that a college culture of binge drinking and promiscuous sex should be partly to blame, according to the Huffington Post.