2009 Richmond High School gang rape
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Richmond High School gang rape occurred on Saturday, October 24, 2009, in Richmond
, a city on the northeast side of the San Francisco Bay
in California
, U.S., when a 15-year-old female student of Richmond High School
was rape
d repeatedly by a group of young males in a courtyard on the school campus while a homecoming dance was being held in the gym
nasium. Although seven people faced charges related to the rape, one was released after a preliminary hearing and will not have to answer to the charges. Five of the remaining six face life imprisonment, should be the charges be upheld, and one faces a maximum of eight years in jail. All pleaded not guilty.
The incident received national attention, raising awareness of the city of Richmond. As many as 20 witnesses are believed to have been aware of the attack, but for more than two hours no one notified police. This has suggested parallels with the case of Kitty Genovese
, who was raped and murdered in an hour-long attack despite the presence of many bystanders who declined to get involved.
), at the conclusion of the homecoming dance, a classmate invited the victim to join a group of males, ranging in ages from 15 to mid-20s, who were drinking alcohol in a dark courtyard on campus. The female victim drank a large amount of brandy
, and was propositioned for sex by the alleged attackers. When the victim refused, she was placed on a nearby cement bench and continuously beaten and raped for 2½ hours, at times with a 'foreign object'. A local resident heard of the attack from her boyfriend and immediately contacted the police. The victim was found unconscious under a picnic table and was air-lifted
to a hospital in critical condition
. She was released from the hospital on Wednesday, October 28.
Salvador Rodriguez, a bystander who witnessed the events describes the assault:
Witnesses are believed to have recorded video footage of the attack using camera-equipped mobile phone
s, but local police have not been able to obtain the recordings. At least two dozen bystanders watched the assault without calling 911 to report it.
ing". The remaining suspects range in age from 15 to 21. Police stated that their investigations are ongoing, and that they were looking for additional people in relation to the crime. Subsequently, a 43-year-old male was arrested in relation to the events.
Four of the suspects were arraigned on October 29 in the Contra Costa County Superior Court in Martinez
. One chose to enter a plea of not guilty to the two charges of rape with a foreign object and rape by force, while the others chose not to enter a plea at the time. Authorities have indicated that they expect all three juvenile defendants to be charged as adults. All six suspects entered not guilty pleas on Tuesday, December 1.
The attack garnered nationwide attention as the most popular blog
topic of the week of October 26—30 as bloggers expressed their outrage over the rape. During that week, more than a quarter (26%) of the links from blogs to news sites were to articles about the attack. A website was created in order to support the victim and discuss ways to prevent sexual assault on women.
After the attack, local toughs talked of vigilante justice against the attackers and onlookers.
The victim's parents made their first public statement on November 1:
Over 500 students, parents, and area residents held a candle-lit vigil on November 3. At the vigil, the victim's church pastor
read a statement from the victim, stating "We realize people are angry about this," but that "violence is always the wrong choice." 200 people marched from Richmond High School to a nearby park and held a rally on November 7 to show support for the victim.
In response to the events, California State Senator Leland Yee
suggested legislation to broaden the criteria when failure to report a crime constitutes a criminal offense. Under Yee's proposal, bystanders to crimes against minors could be charged with a misdemeanor
criminal offense for failure to immediately report the incident to the police.
The 18-year-old woman who was the only person to call 911 and make police aware of the assault in progress, was honored by the Richmond City Council
on November 17.
Subsequent to the attack the security around the school was increased: high definition surveillance cameras were installed, along with increased lighting and the addition of new fencing.
As a result of the hearing, one of the defendants was released and will not need to answer to any of the charges. Of the remaining six, two had their charges reduced, with five facing life imprisonment and one facing an eight year sentence.
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
, a city on the northeast side of the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, U.S., when a 15-year-old female student of Richmond High School
Richmond High School (Richmond, California)
Richmond High School is a public high school located on 23rd Street, Richmond, California, USA. It is part of the West Contra Costa Unified School District .- Alumni and Post-High School Education :...
was rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d repeatedly by a group of young males in a courtyard on the school campus while a homecoming dance was being held in the gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium. Although seven people faced charges related to the rape, one was released after a preliminary hearing and will not have to answer to the charges. Five of the remaining six face life imprisonment, should be the charges be upheld, and one faces a maximum of eight years in jail. All pleaded not guilty.
The incident received national attention, raising awareness of the city of Richmond. As many as 20 witnesses are believed to have been aware of the attack, but for more than two hours no one notified police. This has suggested parallels with the case of Kitty Genovese
Kitty Genovese
Catherine Susan "Kitty" Genovese , was a New York City woman who was stabbed to death near her home in the Kew Gardens section of Queens, New York on March 13, 1964....
, who was raped and murdered in an hour-long attack despite the presence of many bystanders who declined to get involved.
Details
At about 9:30 p.m. (UTC-7UTC-7
thumb|300px|UTC−07: Blue , Orange , Yellow , Light Blue - Sea areasUTC−07:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of −07....
), at the conclusion of the homecoming dance, a classmate invited the victim to join a group of males, ranging in ages from 15 to mid-20s, who were drinking alcohol in a dark courtyard on campus. The female victim drank a large amount of brandy
Brandy
Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
, and was propositioned for sex by the alleged attackers. When the victim refused, she was placed on a nearby cement bench and continuously beaten and raped for 2½ hours, at times with a 'foreign object'. A local resident heard of the attack from her boyfriend and immediately contacted the police. The victim was found unconscious under a picnic table and was air-lifted
Air ambulance
An air ambulance is an aircraft used for emergency medical assistance in situations where either a traditional ambulance cannot reach the scene easily or quickly enough, or the patient needs to be transported over a distance or terrain that makes air transportation the most practical transport....
to a hospital in critical condition
Critical Condition
Critical condition is a medical state.Critical Condition may also be:* Critical Condition , an episode of the television series Sex and the City* Critical Condition , a 1987 comedy film...
. She was released from the hospital on Wednesday, October 28.
Salvador Rodriguez, a bystander who witnessed the events describes the assault:
- "They were kicking her in her head and they were beating her up, robbing her and ripping her clothes off; it's something you can't get out your mind. I saw people, like, dehumanizing her; I saw some pretty crazy stuff. She was pretty quiet; I thought she was like dead for a minute but then I saw her moving around. I feel like I could have done something but I don't feel like I have any responsibility for anything that happened."
Witnesses are believed to have recorded video footage of the attack using camera-equipped mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s, but local police have not been able to obtain the recordings. At least two dozen bystanders watched the assault without calling 911 to report it.
Arrests
As of November 3, seven male suspects had been arrested in connection with the case. One of the initial suspects was subsequently released without charge due to lack of evidence. This initial suspect has since claimed that he was merely a witness present at the scene, and that his intent was to help the victim including offering her his shirt. However, he said that he did not contact authorities because he lacked a cell phone and was afraid of retaliation for "snitchInformant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
ing". The remaining suspects range in age from 15 to 21. Police stated that their investigations are ongoing, and that they were looking for additional people in relation to the crime. Subsequently, a 43-year-old male was arrested in relation to the events.
Four of the suspects were arraigned on October 29 in the Contra Costa County Superior Court in Martinez
Martinez, California
Martinez is a city and the county seat of Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 35,824 at the 2010 census. The downtown is notable for its large number of preserved old buildings...
. One chose to enter a plea of not guilty to the two charges of rape with a foreign object and rape by force, while the others chose not to enter a plea at the time. Authorities have indicated that they expect all three juvenile defendants to be charged as adults. All six suspects entered not guilty pleas on Tuesday, December 1.
Response
The attack shocked the community and the nation. Local media said that the act "crossed the boundary of civilized behavior."The attack garnered nationwide attention as the most popular blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
topic of the week of October 26—30 as bloggers expressed their outrage over the rape. During that week, more than a quarter (26%) of the links from blogs to news sites were to articles about the attack. A website was created in order to support the victim and discuss ways to prevent sexual assault on women.
After the attack, local toughs talked of vigilante justice against the attackers and onlookers.
The victim's parents made their first public statement on November 1:
Please do not respond to this tragic event by promoting hatred or by causing more pain. We have had enough violence already in this place. If you need to express your outrage, please channel your anger into positive action. Volunteer at a school. Go help a neighbor. Be courageous in speaking the truth and in holding people accountable. Work toward changing the atmosphere in our schools and in this community so that this kind of thing never happens again.
Over 500 students, parents, and area residents held a candle-lit vigil on November 3. At the vigil, the victim's church pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
read a statement from the victim, stating "We realize people are angry about this," but that "violence is always the wrong choice." 200 people marched from Richmond High School to a nearby park and held a rally on November 7 to show support for the victim.
In response to the events, California State Senator Leland Yee
Leland Yee
Leland Yee is a California State Senator in District 8 which represents the western half of San Francisco and most of San Mateo County. Prior to becoming state senator, Yee was a California State Assemblyman, Supervisor of San Francisco's Sunset District, and was a member and President of the San...
suggested legislation to broaden the criteria when failure to report a crime constitutes a criminal offense. Under Yee's proposal, bystanders to crimes against minors could be charged with a misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
criminal offense for failure to immediately report the incident to the police.
The 18-year-old woman who was the only person to call 911 and make police aware of the assault in progress, was honored by the Richmond City Council
Richmond City Council (Richmond, California)
Richmond City Council is the governing body for the city of Richmond, California.-Background:The council consists of the Mayor of Richmond and six other city council members, one designated Vice Mayor. The council members are all elected from the whole city; no members are elected by district or ward...
on November 17.
Subsequent to the attack the security around the school was increased: high definition surveillance cameras were installed, along with increased lighting and the addition of new fencing.
Preliminary hearing
On November 15, 2010, a preliminary hearing began in Contra Costa County, during which twenty witnesses appeared before the court. Of the seven defendants, six faced charges that could lead to life imprisonment, while the seventh faced a maximum term of 26 years in jail. All of the defendants pleaded not guilty to the crime. Evidence presented during the hearing connected four of the suspects to DNA found at the scene, although there was no DNA evidence connecting the remaining three defendants to the crime.As a result of the hearing, one of the defendants was released and will not need to answer to any of the charges. Of the remaining six, two had their charges reduced, with five facing life imprisonment and one facing an eight year sentence.