Back in 2013, a 21 year-old neuroscience major at Vanderbilt University was sexually assaulted by not one, not two, not three, but four football players while she lay unconscious in a dorm room. Vandenburg and Batey had been convicted of multiple counts of rape. An attorney who represents the alleged victim in the case declined to comment ahead of their release. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. He is out on bond & is a student at Alcorn State University https://t.co/nIRHEe6pNJ pic.twitter.com/7beac2fKuI, WSMV-TV, Nashville (@WSMV) June 20, 2017. 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NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Two former Vanderbilt University football players who were convicted in January of raping an unconscious female student but were then granted a mistrial, have been released. The two other players have yet to stand trial. Batey testified that he was so drunk he didn't remember what happened until he later saw cellphone photos and video. I was scared and uncomfortable and didnt know what to do, Prioleau said during his 2015 testimony. Correction. In his ruling, Watkins said the justice system cannot tolerate a trial with a tainted juror regardless of the strength of the case. Please do not use my absence as an excuse for leniency as it in no way diminishes the profound and insidious impact of Mr. Vandenburg on me and my life, the victim wrote, according to her lawyer. Vanderbilt University's vice chancellor Beth Fortune said the school was "shocked and saddened by the allegations that such an assault has taken place on our campus and that they include members of our football team. By providing the information below you will receive early-bird invitations to our events, exclusive musings tailored to your interests, and access to our curated mentorship program. [17], In November 2016, after being convicted, Vandenburg was sentenced to 17 years in prison; after he gets out he will be required to be listed on the sex-offender registry for the rest of his life. Vandenburg was also charged with tampering with evidence and unlawful photography. On the recording played before the judge on Friday, he changed his story about what had happened that night and recalled a conversation from their time in high school. Criminal Court Judge Monte Watkins cleared the way for the players release a day after declaring a mistrial because of juror misconduct and setting aside their rape convictions. Watkins set bond for Batey, a Nashville native, at $350,000. Andmen specifically need to start forgoing their stupid bro code to do what is right. The judge delivered the minimum sentence to Brandon Banks, who was convicted in June of aggravated rape and aggravated sexual battery. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. The four former football players were dismissed from the team on June 29 and banned from campus pending a six-week investigation,The Associated Press reported. Thats what the victim said when she testifiedagainst Corey Batey. They gang-raped and sodomized her, slapped her, inserted their fingers in her, and sat on her face as she was on the floor in a 32-minute attack. Melinda McDowell, spokeswoman for the Metro Nashville Jail, said Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey were released Wednesday. I'm just sorry.". The trial also featured testimony from several athletes at the school who saw the female student in distress but failed to call for help. So that was good. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Two other football players Brandon E. Banks and Jaborian Tip McKenzie are also charged in the attack. SHARE. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Watkins on Tuesday declared the mistrial after determining that the jury foreman intentionally withheld information about being a victim of statutory rape. Finley was charged with tampering with evidence and after cooperating with authorities, took a deal last year and pleaded guilty to a reduced charge. So far the rate of this case is under one rapist per year. In other words, the Vanderbilt rape case started with a disgustingly despicable sexual assault. Batey's defense said the photos and videos don't actually show him having sex with the woman and one of his lawyers blamed a college culture so accepting of binge drinking that many people saw the unconscious woman that night but did nothing to help. Vandenburg is currently serving 17 years and Bateys serving 15 years as well. [6][7][1][8][2][9] They took over 40 graphic photos, and took videos of the rape with the cell phones of Vandenburg, Batey, and Banks. The woman testified that Vandenburg plied her with alcohol at a Nashville night spot and the last thing she remembers is waking up alone in a strange dorm room and feeling sick. "That's the culture that you really saw here, their mindset that they can get away with anything," Thurman said. Five additional current players on the football team are listed in the indictment as witnesses for the prosecution if the case goes to trial, the AP reported. The two other men involved Brandon Banks and Jaborian Tip McKenzie were also charged in the case, but have yet to be tried for their alleged involvement, according to WKRN. It originally took the jury just two hours to convict the former football players, who were each charged with five counts of aggravated rape and two counts of aggravated sexual battery. To join our community, just fill out the form below. 2016 The Associated Press. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Vandenburg says in statement, directed at judge Monte Watkins, "I hope you can see I'm truly sorry" @WKRN pic.twitter.com/AQVLZaxvQR. "I've seen with my own eyes what I was when Mr. Batey was done with me: a piece of trash, face down in a hallway, covered in his urine and palm prints, a photograph he took himself," the woman said. Its been in the news for over four years and you, like many others, may be wondering why. The two other players have yet to stand trial. Sam Cooper. Theyve both been ordered to wear GPS tracking devices at all times, according to the Associated Press. Former Vanderbilt football player Brandon Vandenburg has been sentenced to 17 years in prison after being found guilty in Nashville, Tennessee, on five counts of aggravated rape, two counts. Two other former players, Brandon Banks and Jaborian McKenzie, have been charged but are yet to face trial in the case. The minimum sentence is not enough for what this man did to me.. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. One year of unsupervised probation, which, if completed, will leave his record squeaky clean. Aug. 11, 2013— -- Three of the four former Vanderbilt football players who were indicted for allegedly raping an unconscious 21-year-old student in a dorm room on the Nashville, Tenn., campus have been arrested, authorities said. The declaration of a mistrial on Tuesday was a stunning turn of events in a highly publicized case that raised troubling questions about rape on college campuses and the role of bystanders who fail to act. Brandon Vandenburg appearing in court in 2016 (Photo: WKRN). A statement from the victim is read at the hearing. But Vandenburg and Batey have been held in jail since January after the jury found them guilty on multiple counts of rape and aggravated sexual battery. Throughout the trial, jurors have seen graphic images and videos recovered from cellphones and a laptop. Vandenburgs sentence is two years shorter than co-defendant Corey Batey, who is now serving time at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. Prosecutors, whove insisted that the jurors history did not affect the jurys decision, have said they will retry the case, which featured testimony from the alleged victim. Former Vanderbilt Football Player Convicted, for the Second Time, in Campus Rape, 'Cheer' Star Jerry Harris Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison in Child Pornography Case, 'SuperFly' Actor Kaalan Walker Found Guilty of Raping 7 Women, Including 3 Aspiring Teen Models, Boris Becker Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Jail After Being Found Guilty of Bankruptcy Charges, Former Prison Nurse Charged with Sexually Assaulting 12 Female Inmates in Oregon, Ex-Tenn. Sheriff's Deputy Accused of Raping Girl, 14, Takes Plea Deal to Avoid Trial, Possible Prison Time, Arkansas Man Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing Children on Military Base, Tenn. Oh, please. Teammates Chris Boyd and DeAndre Woods, took it upon themselves to move the victim back into Vandenburgs room. Did you encounter any technical issues? NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A former Vanderbilt football player was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison after he was convicted of taking part in the gang rape of an unconscious female student. Batey and Brandon Vandenburg were convicted last year, but the verdicts were tossed because a juror did not reveal he was a victim of statutory rape. Maybe he didnt consider how the victim being gang raped would be feeling in the same moment, or how she would feel in the future. Ex-Vanderbilt College football player Brandon Banks sentenced to 15 years in prison. The incident occurred in June 2013 A statement from the victim is read at the hearing CNN Convicted rapist Brandon Vandenburg was sentenced to 17 years in prison Friday for the rape three. / CBS/AP. [17], In March 2018, after testifying against his three co-defendants and pleading guilty to facilitation of aggravated rape, McKenzie, 23 years old, accepted a plea deal which included 10 years' probation and a lifetime registration as a sex offender, and became the only of the four defendants to not receive any jail time. The former receiver was released after posting $50,000 bond, according to jail records. Watkins declared the mistrial after determining the jury foreman intentionally withheld information about being a victim of statutory rape. Kind Leadership in Action with Mark Shapiro, 20 Quarantine Date Ideas to Make Life Feel Normal Again, If Your Long-Distance Friendships Are in Danger, Read This Survival Guide, Heartbroken? But hey, at least they used condoms right? Bond was set at $400,000 for Vandenburg, of Indio, California. Former Vanderbilt football player Brandon Banks was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his involvement in the 2013 gang rape of an unconscious female student. This raises a few questions. Ex-Vanderbilt, NFL player Zac Stacy arrested after violent video surfaces, records show The incidents occurred in August and September. They have pleaded not guilty. Judge Monte Watkins announced the decision Friday afternoon, and called the case one of the saddest hes ever seen, according to WKRN. Criminal Court Judge Monte Watkins cleared the way for the release by setting bond one day after declaring a mistrial and setting aside the rape convictions because of juror misconduct. But the students who helped in covering up the attack are still students. But Vandenburg and Batey have been held in jail since January after the jury found them guilty on multiple counts of rape and aggravated sexual battery. Davidson County. 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