Two Ohio Football Players Found Guilty of Rape

After a reviewing four days worth of testimony and evidence presented in the Steubenville courtroom, Judge Thomas Lipps announced Sunday that high school students Ma’lik Richmond and Trent Mays, ages 16 and 17, have been charged with raping a drunk 16-year-old West Virginia girl in the backseat of a moving car and then in the basement of a house.

The two were tried as juveniles and found guilty on all three counts against them. Each were charged with “digitally penetrating” with their fingers, which, according to Ohio state law, is included in the definition of rape.

Mays was also found guilty of disseminating a nude photo of a minor and was sentenced to a minimum of two years in a juvenile correctional facility, which Richmond was sentenced to a minimum of one year.

Both will be required to register sex offenders and undergo treatment while in detention and could face possible maximum sentences to age 21, depending on their behavior and rehabilitation. The two were in tears after the verdict was read and after apologizing to the victim and the community, Richmond said, “My life is over.”   
The ruling brings to a close a case that brought national attention to the deeply divided midwestern town.