Teen commits suicide after rape, rapist gets 30 days

[Swamptribe]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/28/justice/m ... ?hpt=hp_t2

Unbelievable, just unbelievable. We're going through a local case of sexual harassment by a teacher in school, of both students and other adults. I actually had a customer claim to my face that 'well, those girls dress like sluts'. I lost it at them (yeah, it could have cost me my job if they complained)

What the hell is wrong with people.

[bekkah]

The comments on that CNN made me sick. Rape does happen as often as predicted. Its sickening and I would ream people out if they told me that rape does not happen as often as it does.

[MamaJunebug]

I can't bring myself to read it. The misogyny in this country is worsening, and the efforts of anti-choice, patriarchal people are feeding that hatred, no matter if any of them are directly involved in (or even near to) a situation like this. It's what feeds my energy to fight whatever way I can.

God rest that poor child's soul and give the family peace, somehow.

[rward]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/28/justice/montana-teacher-rape-sentence/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Unbelievable, just unbelievable. We're going through a local case of sexual harassment by a teacher in school, of both students and other adults. I actually had a customer claim to my face that 'well, those girls dress like sluts'. I lost it at them (yeah, it could have cost me my job if they complained)

What the hell is wrong with people.

It's called "Just World Theory". If rapes happen for a definable reason other than "some men rape", then I can prevent myself from being raped by following certain rules. I don't want to think that rapes are unpreventable except by rapists, so I cling to these rules and disparage women who are raped/don't follow the rules to assuage my own fears.

I used to do it. Most women do at some point. Giving up the belief that I could prevent my own rape was terrifying. I kinda miss the belief that I could prevent it.

[doggie]

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_289563/conten ... d=OB6ES3hp

well the judge apologizes for the poor choice of words but his words reflect his ruling that he claims is just. So yes he said that and it reflected his ruling so as usual I can't believe his words.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - A Montana judge on Wednesday stood by his decision to send a former teacher to prison for 30 days for raping a 14-year-old girl who later killed herself, but said he "deserved to be chastised" for his comments about the young victim.

District Judge G. Todd Baugh sentenced former Billings Senior High School teacher Stacey Rambold to 15 years, then suspended all but 31 days and gave him credit for one day already served.

In handing down the sentence Monday, Baugh said the teenage victim was "older than her chronological age" and had as much control of the situation as the teacher who raped her.

Faced with a backlash over the comments and calls for his resignation, Baugh, 71, wrote an apology in a letter to the editor of The Billings Gazette. He said his comments were demeaning of all women and not reflective of his beliefs.

Later Wednesday, the judge spoke to reporters in his office. He said he was "fumbling around" in court trying to explain his sentence and "made some really stupid remarks."

"I don't know how to pass that off. I'm saying I'm sorry and it's not who I am," Baugh said. "I deserve to be chastised. I apologize for that."

However, Rambold's sentence was appropriate, he said.

Rambold was charged in October 2008 with three counts of sexual intercourse without consent after authorities alleged he had an ongoing sexual relationship with Cherice Moralez, starting the previous year when she was 14. Moralez killed herself in 2010 at age 16 while the case was pending, and the girl's mother, Auleia Hanlon, said her daughter's relationship with Rambold was a "major factor."

Hanlon said in a statement to the Gazette that she no longer believes in justice after Baugh's sentence and remarks about her daughter.

"She wasn't even old enough to get a driver's license. But Judge Baugh, who never met our daughter, justified the paltry sentence saying she was older than her chronological age," Hanlon said. "I guess somehow it makes a rape more acceptable if you blame the victim, even if she was only 14."

Under state law, children younger than 16 cannot consent to sexual intercourse.

Yellowstone County officials previously agreed to defer Rambold's prosecution for three years and dismiss the charges if he completed a sexual offender treatment program. The case was revived in December after prosecutors learned Rambold, 54, was kicked out of the program for having unsupervised visits with minors who were family members and not telling counselors he was having a sexual relationship with a woman.

Defense attorney Jay Lansing said Rambold has continued his treatment with a different program and an evaluation found him at low risk to re-offend. Prosecutors had recommended a 10-year prison term.

"My thought was, given the relatively minor violations in the sex offender treatment program, it didn't seem appropriate to put him in jail, put him in prison" for a longer time, Baugh said. "It didn't seem to me that the violations were such that the state should be able to back out of their agreement."

A protest scheduled for Thursday outside Yellowstone County Courthouse will go on despite Baugh's apology, said organizer Sheena Rice.

"I'm glad he apologized, but he should have known better as a judge," Rice said. "The fact that he said it makes me think he still believes it."

A petition will be circulated at the protest calling for Baugh's resignation. An online version of the petition had more than 17,500 signatures by late Wednesday afternoon.

If the petition and protest aren't enough to force Baugh's resignation, protesters will shift to defeating him in the 2014 election, Rice said.

Baugh was first elected to the bench in 1984 and has been re-elected every six years since then without an opponent.

He said he has no plans to resign and he has not decided whether to run again in 2014.

Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito previously said he disagreed with the judge's ruling but would not appeal it.

"The judge's reasons are his reasons and his reasons alone. He has broad authority under state law," Twito said Tuesday.

On Wednesday, he told the Gazette his office was reviewing the sentence to make sure it conforms to the facts of the case and the law.

Twito also said he has consulted with the appellate division of the Attorney General's Office about the case.

[sparkles]

Apologies of this sort hold no water, as far as I'm concerned, and the people who make them are only showing their true colors. The only thing they're sorry for is that they got caught doing or saying what they did.

[doggie]

Apologies of this sort hold no water, as far as I'm concerned, and the people who make them are only showing their true colors. The only thing they're sorry for is that they got caught doing or saying what they did.

Yes his ruling shows his true colors.

[Beammeup]

This same asshole judge also minimized the rape by saying it wasn't a "forcible beat up rape.".

[Alice_Fraggle]

This same asshole judge also minimized the rape by saying it wasn't a "forcible beat up rape.".

Is that the same as saying it was a "legitimate" rape? Good God - rape is rape - there are no levels!

Also - what does the judge mean that the girl was "older than her chronological age"?

[BravaAmica]

Is that the same as saying it was a "legitimate" rape? Good God - rape is rape - there are no levels!

Also - what does the judge mean that the girl was "older than her chronological age"?

Maybe she had a big rack? Because we all know, huge boobs indicate a maturity that enables even the youngest developed girl to decide to have sex, especially if her chosen target is a 50-yo teacher in a position of authority over her. :roll:

[ILoveJellybeans]

Maybe they were saying she was mature for her age...but it still doesnt mean that adult men can have sex with her. Even if it was consensual and she was the one who suggested it, she is 15 and a student of his, so the answer should always be no.

Its rape anyway, so it doesnt matter how mature she was, even if she was 80, it is still wrong and illegal.

[GolightlyGrrl]

I'm just waiting for Judgy Bitch or Shitstain Mary to celebrate this sad state of events.

[BravaAmica]

Maybe they were saying she was mature for her age...but it still doesnt mean that adult men can have sex with her. Even if it was consensual and she was the one who suggested it, she is 15 and a student of his, so the answer should always be no.

Its rape anyway, so it doesnt matter how mature she was, even if she was 80, it is still wrong and illegal.

Exactly. And the judge commenting on the girl's physical appearance undermines the law.

[myhobby]

Usually a lurker, but....

In the original Billings Gazette article it said that Rambold was told to stay away from female students in 2004. They knew he had a problem. I can't find this in the online articles, and I, of coarse, recycled Tuesday's paper. This type of thing is typical here, but it is extremely noteworthy that so many people protested today. I take that as a sign of hope that maybe the judge won't be re-elected. (A girl can dream.)

[gilora]

I imagine hizzoner will decide to retire after 30 years of exemplary service. He will probably get a nice pension too. I think I'm going to barf.

[Seal]

Maybe she had a big rack? Because we all know, huge boobs indicate a maturity that enables even the youngest developed girl to decide to have sex, especially if her chosen target is a 50-yo teacher in a position of authority over her. :roll:

Exactly! Lord knows at the age of 13 my boobs were bigger than my level of maturity. It's hard for any girl or woman, but when there are visible "assets" people feel like they have the right to make comments or even pass judgment. That aside, this whole case makes me feel like I have a pit in my stomach. That poor CHILD, and her mother who is mourning for her and fighting for her deserve way more than that asshole's "apology".

[doggie]

looks like there may be an appeal of his ruling or getting it overturned. he did not even come close to following the guidelines. looks like no one is stupid enough to fall for his apology.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - The mother of a 14-year-old girl who was raped by her teacher and later committed suicide appeared at a raucous Thursday protest against the judge who sentenced the man to a month in jail and said the victim was "older than her chronological age."

The protest came as prosecutors considered an appeal of the sentence by Montana District Judge G. Todd Baugh, whose actions in the case have drawn condemnation from across the country. Joining in the backlash was Montana's governor, who said the judge's comments "made me angry."

The victim's mother, Auliea (ah-LEE-ah) Hanlon, said the judge was merely "covering his butt" when he apologized on Wednesday for his comments. She criticized him for standing by the relatively light sentence given to former Billings Senior High School teacher Stacey Rambold.

"He's just covering his butt. He wouldn't have said anything if people hadn't spoken up," Hanlon told an Associated Press reporter. "He didn't reverse his decision, so it's irrelevant."

Hanlon's daughter, Cherice Moralez, killed herself before Rambold's case came to trial.

Billings Public Schools Superintendent Terry Bouck described Rambold's actions with Moralez in 2007 as "repugnant." He said the months-long relationship between teacher and student was grossly inappropriate, and that he disagreed with the 30-day sentence.

A legal review of Monday's sentencing suggests Rambold may have gotten off too easily.

That review determined that if Baugh had applied the proper section of state law, the defendant would have received a minimum of two years in prison, according to a memo sent by Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito to the appellate division of the state Attorney General's Office.

Prosecutors had sought a 20-year sentence with 10 years suspended. Baugh ordered Rambold to serve 15 years, with all but 31 days suspended and a one day credit for time already served.

The state has 20 days to appeal the sentence. Twito said he's working with the appellate division to decide whether to take that step.

"It will be looked at and reviewed carefully before any action or any decision is made," Twito said.

Baugh was first elected to the bench in 1984 and has been re-elected every six years since without an opponent. Originally from Texas, he is the son of legendary NFL quarterback Sammy Baugh of the Washington Redskins.

He has said he does not intend to resign, but "deserved to be chastised" for his comments about the victim.

The judge also said during Monday's sentencing hearing that Moralez had as much control of the situation as Rambold.

He later told reporters that what he said was wrong, irrelevant to the case, demeaning of women and not reflective of his beliefs.

Baugh said the sentence was based on Rambold's violation of an earlier deal he made with prosecutors, rather than the original crime. An addendum to the sentencing order filed Thursday further explained his rationale.

In 2010, after Moralez committed suicide, effectively scuttling the case, prosecutors agreed to defer Rambold's prosecution for three years and dismiss the charges if he completed a sexual offender treatment program.

The case was revived in December after prosecutors learned Rambold, 54, was kicked out of that program for having unsupervised visits with minors who were family members and not telling counselors he was having a sexual relationship with a woman.

"There were violations of the treatment program, but they involved no violence, no inappropriate sexual conduct, and no new criminal activity," Baugh wrote.

He added that the sentencing was also influenced by information that has not been made public: A 2013 psychological evaluation of the defendant and two interviews with Moralez, by law enforcement officers in 2008 and by Rambold's attorney in 2009.

Asked about Thursday's rally, the judge said only that the protesters were within their rights to peaceably assemble and air their grievances.

The rally packed the courthouse lawn with many people carrying signs such as "Justice for Cherice" and "Baugh Needs to Resign."

Roughly 34,000 people have signed a petition for Baugh's resignation. And protesters will seek to defeat Baugh if he seeks re-election in 2014, said organizer Sheena Rice.

Protester Pete Taylor, a 51-year-old head waiter at a local restaurant, sported a t-shirt on which he'd written "14 is 14."

"What (Baugh) did and what he said was so out of step with Billings," Taylor said. "The young girl was not young enough to make decisions for herself."

Gov. Steve Bullock said in a statement that he had no authority over the judge's decision and any complaints would be handled by the state Judicial Standards Commission.

[Saoirse]

Exactly! Lord knows at the age of 13 my boobs were bigger than my level of maturity. It's hard for any girl or woman, but when there are visible "assets" people feel like they have the right to make comments or even pass judgment. That aside, this whole case makes me feel like I have a pit in my stomach. That poor CHILD, and her mother who is mourning for her and fighting for her deserve way more than that asshole's "apology".

A great first-person POV article from a young woman who has been there. I didn't think I needed to break the link because it's Jane Magazine, and they're the good kind of crazy.

If Cherice Morales was indeed a "troubled youth," like I was, if she came from a dysfunctional home or had a trauma background or had been previously abused, then not only may she have been lacking in protection at home, she may have been especially incapable of protecting herself. And that's why statutory rape laws exist -- to protect children who need protecting, not just from those who will prey upon them, but from themselves.

What I needed, and what she needed, were strong male role models in my life who knew how the fuck to say "No thanks" to a little girl's come-ons. Because it doesn't matter if a young girl is saying yes, it's an adult man's job to say no.

http://www.xojane.com/issues/stacey-ram ... ce-morales

[AtroposHeart]

Fuck the rapist with a screw driver

Fuck the judge

Fuck the court

Fuck the school

Fuck this country

and of course.....

FUCK THE PATRIARCHY for allowing this and doing this to our daughters just to let men do as they please

God, these are the moments when I want to become a radical feminist.