UPDATE: 4:00PM EST
Two witnesses who were also the alleged victim’s friends testified today in court about the condition of the victim at the back-to-school parties where the incident took place.
One 17-year old said they filled slushie cups with vanilla Stoli vodka to drink at the party. She said her friend quickly became drunk, and she asked her friend not to leave with several Steubenville athletes, including the defendants.
“She went downhill extremely fast,” the girl said. “I told her to stay and she said she’d be fine.”
She said when she picked up her friend the following morning, the teen was confused and had messy hair.
Later, after they dropped the boys off, she asked her friend what happened and she laid on the back seat.
“She started crying and said ‘I don’t remember anything,'” the witness said.
Another witness told the judge that the victim was very drunk, but conscious and aware.
She testified the girl seemed drunk and her head was swinging around and she was stumbling.
She also talked about what happened prior to a photo being taken that has circulated on the Internet of the teen being carried by the two boys.
She said the girl got up to try and walk and stumbled to the ground. She said the girl was conscious and aware but the boys picked her up and one stepped on her hair. The teen said she moved the hair and told them to use a fireman’s carry instead.
However, Prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter said the alleged victim of the crime was “substantially impaired” and “unable to consent to sex.”
Tune into the live stream below to see what’s going on in the courtroom.
This story is developing.
SOURCE: Cleveland.com
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After months of facing an unofficial trial in the media, two football players who are accused of raping an unconscious girl in Steubenville, Ohio are finally headed to court, where a judge and jury will determine their fate.
PHOTOS: 411 On Steubenville, Ohio High School Rape Case
No cell phones, iPads or laptops will be allowed inside the juvenile court today while Ma’lik Richmond and Trent Mays go on trial for the rape charges.
The ban was imposed to ensure order in the courtroom and the absence of influence from social media, which ironically, brought the case to light in the first place.
Last summer, Richmond and Mays allegedly dragged a 16-year-old female through a handful of back-to-school parties while she was inebriated and unconscious and performed sexual acts on her in front of partygoers. Those who attended the party posted pictures on Instagram of the girl and her alleged assailants, and tweeted out insensitive comments about rape and lewd messages regarding the girl on Twitter.
Residents of Steubenville plan to protest today outside of the trial to call for the arrests of the partygoers who involved themselves by watching and publicizing the alleged rape.
Both Richmond and Trent have pleaded not guilty, but they have already been accused, prosecuted, defended and judged guilty or not by their peers and strangers in blog posts, YouTube videos and entries on Facebook, Twitter and other sites.
Defense lawyers, who previously called for the trial to be moved to ensure the safety of their clients and a fair trial, are now asking that the trial be dismissed, just hours before it is scheduled to begin.
DETAILS: Let The Revolution Begin! Occupy Steubenville To Protest Outside Of Rape Trial!
According to Mr. Walter Madison, Richmond’s attorney, he was “obligated” to move for dismissal, because a West Virginia judge’s refusal to honor subpoenas on three juveniles issued by Ohio State at the defense’s request has rendered a fair trial impossible.
“It was my request for the witnesses to appear. From day one all that we’ve asked for is a fair trial. I can’t tell people in West Virginia what to do but in the USA there are certain fundamental guarantees and that’s not a slogan. Everyone is guaranteed due process and a fair trial. I’m advancing these issues for my client.”
As of now, the trial is still set to happen, but if the motion is successful, the entire case will fall and neither Mays nor Richmond will face trial for the rape charges.
We’ll keep you updated on the latest from Steubenville, Ohio as the trial progresses. Watch here for a live stream of the courtroom:
SOURCE: NYT
