MASS:Teen rape victim blasts lenient judge

[joyfulgirl]

http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/lo...dg02192002.htm

A 14-year-old rape victim yesterday lashed out at a lenient New Bedford Superior Court judge, calling the jurist ``an idiot'' after he sentenced her confessed assailant to probation two weeks ago.

``Now I have to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life,'' said the nervous high school freshman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, at a press conference her mother arranged in the backyard of her Mansfield home.

``I'm not the only one out there afraid. Other victims are going through the same thing I am because Judge (Ernest B.) Murphy chose to free their attackers, too. Judge Murphy made me feel that I was guilty and that Dean (McSweeney) was the victim.''

Murphy has come under heavy fire by law enforcement officials for imposing light sentences on a slew of violent criminals, including Dean McSweeney, 19, who received eight years probation after confessing to twice raping the Mansfield girl in her home last summer.

Murphy, a civil attorney appointed in 2000 to the superior court bench by former Gov. Paul Cellucci, also sentenced a convicted armed robber to five years' probation after he assaulted a 72-year-old sausage vendor and stole $1,100, and a Brockton man to five years' probation after he pleaded guilty to assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and armed robbery.

Murphy has also released four accused rapists without bail, pending their trial, including one man who police tracked for 18 months before finding him in Louisiana.

After McSweeney's controversial sentence, Murphy chastized the young girl for wanting a harsher sentence on her attacker.

``She can't go through life as a victim,'' Murphy told a prosecutor, according to courthouse sources. ``She's 14. She got raped. Tell her to get over it.''

The young victim maintained her composure yesterday as she responded to his comments.

``After he knew everything that had gone on, he said that and I thought it was really disrespectful of him,'' she said. ``Dean walked out of the courtroom a free man. I will never be free. This will follow me for the rest of my life and I will always be a victim.''

When someone asked her for a word to describe Murphy, she said, ``an idiot,'' echoing earlier comments by her adopted mother.

The girl's mother, Teri Taylor, last week filed a complaint against Murphy with the Judicial Conduct Commission, seeking to oust him from the bench.

``The more I read, the more I realized this guy's an idiot and needs to get down off . . . that bench,'' Taylor said earlier in the press conference. ``I feel sorry for all the rest of the victims that are going to come into his court.''

On Friday, Judge Suzanne DelVecchio, the head of the state's superior courts, said she wouldn't remove Murphy. Instead, she wants him to attend a ``judge rookie school.''

Murphy's attorney, J. Owen Todd, didn't return a call yesterday.

The young girl, with her hair in a pony tail and wearing heavy eyeliner and jeans, said she has not been able to live a normal life since the rape.

She didn't attend the final tryout to be a varsity cheerleader, which she described as being her ``life.''

She doesn't trust anyone except her family and friends and she finds it difficult to sleep at night.

``Every time I close my eyes, I see everything that happened all over again,'' she said. ``I (used to) have nightmares about him killing me in the courtroom.''

Taylor said about four days ago, she called McSweeney's probation officer to report him for yelling profanities out of his car window while driving by her son's employer.

``He's been warned to stop,'' Taylor said. ``He got slapped again.''

***

Every two minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted, according to RAINN (Rape Abuse Incest National Network).

[This message has been edited by joyfulgirl (edited 02-22-2002).]

[Screaming Flower]

that judge is the one who should be put on probation.

[FizzingWhizzbees]

``She can't go through life as a victim,'' Murphy told a prosecutor, according to courthouse sources. ``She's 14. She got raped. Tell her to get over it.''

I feel sick just reading that. I'd never wish misfortune on even my worst enemy, but I wish there was some way this man could understand what this woman has gone through. She's fourteen years old and she has the courage to stand up in court against a man who raped her? That doesn't sound like being a victim to me, I have immense respect for this person, she did an incredibly brave thing.

I wish he could understand what it's like to have been raped. I wish he knew what it's like to remember what that person did to you, and be afraid that he might do it again. I wish he could understand what it's like to be unable to sleep because you have nightmares about your attacker. I wish he could undersatnd what it's like when you have panic attacks if you have to go out alone after dark. I wish he could understand what it's like to spend half an hour hiding in the bathroom because someone said the word 'rape' in your presence and you can't stop crying. I wish he knew what it's like to blame yourself and hate yourself so much you don't even believe you deserve to be alive anymore. I wish he could understand how it feels to be afraid of being alone with men and how you panic if anyone so much as touches your arm.

And even if he'll never understand those things, I just wish he would have a little bit of compassion, a little bit of respect for people, and enough intelligence to realise that rape isn't something a survivor "gets over." You don't click your fingers or wave a magic wand and make it go away. It's something that does stay with you, you learn how to cope with it and how to stop it controlling you, but that doesn't make it go away. That doesn't make you "get over it."

[S|aney]

Originally posted by joyfulgirl:

``She can't go through life as a victim,'' Murphy told a prosecutor, according to courthouse sources. ``She's 14. She got raped. Tell her to get over it.''

It's examples like this as well as the case of the ex-priest John Geoghan that are a disgrace to our "Justice" system. It's disgusting that we send drug USERS, not dealers, to prison for 20 years, but sexual offenders get probation or light sentences.

John Geoghan has been sentenced to 9 to 10 years. THAT'S IT?!! Any low life animal that harms, molests or rapes a child, or anyone else for that matter, should NEVER see the light of day again! How the hell does a judge justify letting a rapist have a chance to rape again?

No one here is going to convince me that a rapist can change. It has been proven time and again that when they serve out their sentence, they go out and rape again. THIS IS SO F**KING UNACCEPTABLE!!!

Why do we put up with this injustice???


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www.lp.org

[sulawesigirl4]

my god, that is awful. That judge should be suspended, fired, or whatever else can be done to get him out of the position of power that he holds.

"Get over it"????? Tell that to my best friend was raped this year and is now raising her baby alone. I can't even form words to explain what a heart-wrenching crime this is and how the system is already rigged against women.

This just makes me sick to my stomach.

[joyfulgirl]

The judge could himself be a rapist. It's not at all out of the realm of possibilities, given the statistics. Rape is not something that just happens by low income men in dark alleys. Rapists can be our neighbor, our family doctor, our father, our President, our minister, the last guy we dated, our favorite teacher, or the judge in our rape case. The majority of rape victims know their attacker. That is the sad, sad truth.

One in four women in America is sexually assaulted--or at least that's been the stat for a long time. Everyone in America knows someone who was raped, whether they know it or not.

Fizzing--you certainly speak for many.

[joyfulgirl]

Okay, I stand corrected on the "1 in 4" stat--it is now 1 in 6 for women:
http://www.rainn.org/statistics.html

Women
In 2000, there were 261,000 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.
[2000 National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics.]
Of these 261,000, 114,000 were victims of sexual assault, 55,000 were victims of attempted rape, and 92,000 were victims of completed rape.

One out of every six American women have been the victims of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime (14.8% completed rape;2.8% attempted rape). A total of 17.7 million women have been victims of these crimes.

Men
About three percent of American men —- a total of 2.78 million men—have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. [Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women 1998.]
In 1999, one in every ten rape victims were male.

Children
About 44% of rape victims are under age 18. Three out of every twenty victims (15%) are under age 12.

The rapist isn’t a masked man…
Approximately 62% of female rape victims knew their assailant.

And he’s not hiding in the bushes…
About four out of ten sexual assaults take place at the victim’s own home. Two in ten take place in the home of a friend, neighbor or relative. One in ten take place outside, away from home. And about one in 12 take place in a parking garage.

The Criminal
The average age of rapists at arrest is 31. Fifty-two percent are white; twenty-two percent of imprisoned rapists report that they are married.

In one study, 98% of males who raped boys reported that they were heterosexual.

The Punishment
72% of rapes/sexual assaults are not reported to the police. Those rapists, of course, never serve a day in prison.

If the rape is reported to police, there is a 50.8% chance that an arrest will be made.

If an arrest is made, there is an 80% chance of prosecution.

If there is a prosecution, there is a 58% chance of a felony conviction.

If there is a felony conviction, there is a 69% chance the convict will spend time in jail.

So, even in those 28% of rapes that are reported to police, there is only a 16.3% chance the rapist will end up in prison.

Factoring in unreported rapes, about 5%—one out of twenty— of rapists will ever spend a day in jail. 19 out of 20 will walk free.


[This message has been edited by joyfulgirl (edited 02-22-2002).]

[zonelistener]

Are judges elected in Mass.? Or has this one been appointed?

Might be an opportunity to send him or who appointed him a message by getting a campaign going during the next election.

[Se7en]

I don't want to start a debate about capitol punishment....but rapists, child molesters, and murders do not deserve a second chance at life in any way, shape or form. I'm sorry, reading horrible things like this absolutely disgusts me. Yes I'm pissed. Yes I think the rapist should be executed.

That poor little girl will always be a victim.

This world is bullshit.

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Rock 'N Roll is the sound of revenge.

[KhanadaRhodes]

i agree with everything everyone has said.

fizz, i certainly hope with the way you're talking, that you're not talking from experience?

[bonovista]

To shocked at the judge's words to even type anything.

I am just utterly speechless.

Wonder if Wanderer has read this yet. He's one man that beyond hates rape more than anything.

Hope that judge gets to go to some canoe trip soon, and meets up with a few thugs who will make him make pig noises. ( Some of you will get this reference).

[Discoteque]

*seethe*

Do they allow castration for judges?

No excuse for that sentence OR that comment.

NONE.

Brainless twit. No wonder our justice system is in the mess it's in.

[pax]

14 years old. Amazing. I give this girl a lot of credit for not only standing up to the lech who did this, but also speaking out against the system. Bravo to her and her family--and get this asshole judge out of office.

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If you cannot live together in here, you cannot live together out there, let me tell ya. --Bono

You've got to cry without weeping, talk without speaking, scream without raising your voice... --Bono

[U2Bama]

Originally posted by bonovista:
Hope that judge gets to go to some canoe trip soon, and meets up with a few thugs who will make him make pig noises. ( Some of you will get this reference).

"Squeal like a pig!"

I drove through norht Georgia today, near the filming site of DELIVERANCE.

~U2Alabama

[bonoman]

You know you think that if you go to the police with a rape everything will be alright. What kind of fucking message does this end to a child who has been raped. I dont think anyone ofus can imagine what it is like to be raped. But to wake up one day when you are trying to convince yourself to turn in the bastard you read this.

I have a friend who was raped by her dad for 3 years. She has only told me.

She was also 14 when it stopped. maybe just maybe if she woke up one day and opened the parer or turned on the TV and seen this 14 year old girl saying to every other girl out there, "dont be afraid, turn the person in. It will turn out alright" Maybe she would have got the courage to tell someone.

Rape is the worst possible thing to do to someone wihtout killing them. He says get over it. I;d like to see if he would tell his daughter that if she were raped. Rape is evil. It does not only make that person scared, but that person then must live with it everyday of their lives. I see it everyday when i see my friend. I see things other people dont. When the word 'rape' is said you could see the uncombfortableness coming out. I once had a idiot say about britney Spears i wanna rape her. I automatically looked over to her and could see the tears in her eyes.

Even today, just half hour ago she was upset about it.

For this inconsiderate prick to say something so, so, fucking ridiculus is astonishing. And for him not to be fired is beyond me. If he spent one day in a victims shoes he would have a different perspective.

Fizzing, could you please email me? I really need to talk to someone who could give me some advice. regdec@hotmail.com

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Running to Stand Still-"you gotta cry without weeping, talk without speaking, scream without raising your voice."

"we're not burning out we're burning up...we're the loudest folk band in the world!"-Bono

[joyfulgirl]

Originally posted by bonoman:
I dont think anyone ofus can imagine what it is like to be raped.

I wish this were true bonoman, but I am sure many people on this forum know exactly what it is like to be raped. One in six women.

I'm sorry.



[This message has been edited by joyfulgirl (edited 04-04-2002).]

[U2Bama]

Alabama Governor Don Siegleman (a Democrat, for what it's worth) is proposing the death penalty for child sexual predators.