Last week, in court in Adams County, Illinois, Judge Robert Adrian pronounced a verdict in a rape case.
The defendant is Drew Clinton, an 18-year-old boy accused of raping a 16-year-old girl at a graduation party on May 30, 2021.
Because the plaintiff is a minor, in order to protect her, she has always been anonymous in the information that was originally published.
(Defendant Drew Clinton)
Drew Clinton has been detained in the county jail for 148 days after his arrest.
In October last year, a three-day trial of judges was held (meaning that there was no jury, only the judge heard the evidence and judged whether the defendant was guilty),
At the time, it was ruled that defendant Clinton's rape was convicted.
The crime is convicted, and the following is the sentencing,
Under Illinois law, Clinton will be placed in a correctional facility and face a minimum sentence of 4 years.
However, Clinton's attorneys filed two post-trial motions challenging the verdict.
This caused Judge Adrian to change his mind, and at the opening of the trial last week, he concluded that the prosecution had not provided sufficient evidence to prove the rape case.
At the last minute, he acquitted defendant Clinton...
Judge Adrian noted in court that Clinton had just turned 18 two weeks earlier and had no previous criminal record.
"Usually the court will sentence the young man to serve a sentence in a correctional institution," he said. ”
"Given the merits of the case, I wouldn't have judged it that way."
"The defendant, Mr. Clinton, has been serving nearly 5 months in the county jail for a total of 148 days."
"For this case, such a punishment is enough."
"This is a fair verdict."
As soon as the verdict came out, except for the defendant, everyone else was very dissatisfied and surprised.
Because many people feel that the court did not do justice for the plaintiffs.
The plaintiff's dad, Scott Vaughan, said in an interview with the media that he was very disappointed with the verdict.
"It's worse now than before, and my daughter not only didn't get justice, but now she still feels useless to call out loud for half a day, which is too painful."
"Now she wish she hadn't said anything."
The plaintiff girl was indeed not satisfied with this verdict,
She felt very wronged, but forced to this point, she was also braver than her father thought,
On Tuesday, she decided to identify herself, tell the facts of the case, and directly testify against the defendants.
The 16-year-old plaintiff, named Cameron Vaughan, was a middle school student.
In an interview with WGEM television in Illinois, she told the camera what happened on the day of the crime.
Cameron said she went to a friend's house that day to celebrate a graduation party.
The parents of the party were in the room, and only the children were playing outside and swimming in the pool.
She was drunk, and later on, several friends helped Cameron to a car and let her sleep for a while to sober up.
It was during that time that the case occurred.
Cameron woke up from his sleep and found a pillow covering his face.
She found that someone was raping her, and in order not to let her hear the movement, she put a pillow on her head.
The person who raped her was None other than Drew Clinton, a member of the Quincy High School football team.
Cameron immediately asked the other party to stop, and the other party did not listen,
She said that the second time, she pushed and shoved the other party away.
Then Clinton ran to the side and started playing the game as if nothing had happened.
Cameron ran back to the party house in panic and told her friend what had just happened.
She hitchhiked back to her home with two friends, and the three children slept one night in the campervan at Cameron's house.
The next morning, Cameron came into the house and told his father about it, and he called the police.
After calling the police, Cameron underwent a series of tests and also did DNA collection.
Suspect Clinton was quickly arrested, and in the face of DNA evidence, he did not deny it, admitting that he had indeed raped Cameron.
Cameron told the tv station that even when the defendant pleaded guilty, the judge acquitted him.
"He was an active rapist but was released by Judge Adrian."
She said she was shocked and angry when she heard the "innocence" result in court.
"He made me feel like I was fighting hard and there was no point in saying so much."
"I immediately walked out of the courtroom and went to the bathroom and cried."
As incomprehensible as the verdict, Cameron was Judge Adrian's remarks.
He blamed the rape of plaintiff Cameron on her parents and herself.
Judge Adrian said during the trial that
Because that party provided alcohol to minors, and let the boys and girls wear swimsuits and play in the pool.
Sexual assault at such a party is "natural".
The judge held that Cameron's parents should have known the outcome by allowing their daughter to attend such parties.
"You know what's going to happen, yeah, that's how it happened."
Cameron was very angry at the judge's verdict and attitude, and in an interview with reporters, he bluntly said that "he is not suitable for this job".
"According to him, it was my parents and my own fault that led to my rape."
"If it weren't for that stupid judge, Drew Clinton would have gone to jail."
"His verdict doesn't make sense at all."
Cameron's parents were very distressed to see how their daughter had changed after the crime and her bravery to uncover the wounds again.
Dad told the TV station that after that incident, the daughter was destroyed.
Cameron used to practice trail running, competed in competitions, and often appeared on the honor rolls.
But after the incident, she no longer participates in any sports, does not go to school, and usually studies remotely at home.
Because as soon as she went to school, someone brought the case and even blamed her for it.
After the verdict was handed down, the parents also found that their daughter's mood had become not right.
She received psychological counseling for many months, and had made great progress before, but the effect in recent days has not been very good.
Cameron's stepmother said: "We were afraid she would do something stupid. ”
"She was depressed, very sad, she had almost killed herself because of that incident before, and we are all very scared now."
Speaking of the verdict, Cameron's father had a stomach full of dissatisfaction,
"The verdict is too low-level. Basically, I didn't get justice for my daughter. ”
"He did this, what about letting us be parents?"
"Did my 16-year-old daughter secretly drink at the graduation party?" Drink it. ”
"Did a bunch of girls swim in a pool in swimsuits?" Also swam. ”
"Are these wrong? Is wrong. ”
"Did defendant Clinton make a mistake?" Of course wrong. ”
"If possible, would he regret wishing he hadn't done it?" Maybe. ”
"But the truth is, he still violated her without permission."
"Forgive me for not being able to speak, I think this judge's verdict is a mess."
Not only was the plaintiff's family dissatisfied, but many people expressed their dissatisfaction with the verdict.
Ms Anita Rodriguez, the assistant county prosecutor representing the plaintiffs, said,
She had been in this line of work for 40 years and had never seen such a verdict.
"My heart is bleeding for the victims."
"For the victim, the verdict helped a lot in her recovery process, but now she's back where she was."
A petition was posted on the petition website requesting allegations of "abuse of judicial discretion and rights" against Judge Adrian,
As of Wednesday night, more than 7,000 signatures had been collected.
On Tuesday, the Quincy anti-domestic abuse group also posted on Facebook criticizing Judge Adrian.
A few of the posts read,
"The verdict and Judge Adrian's comments send a chilling message to other rape victims."
"Their behavior will be judged by scrutiny, but the rapist's behavior will not."
"By doing so, we are humiliating the victim and condoning the rapist."
The post, seen by Josh Jones, a prosecutor in Adams County,
He gave the post a thumbs up.
And then a ridiculous thing happened—
The thumbs up was spotted by Judge Adrian, who threw Prosecutor Jones straight out of the courtroom when he went to work the next day to hold hearings on other cases.
"Mr. Jones, get out!"
"I don't play social media, but my wife plays. She saw you giving a thumbs up to the people who attacked me. ”
"I can't be fair to you today. Get out. ”
Prosecutor Jones was frustrated, saying he did it to support the victims.
There is no malice towards the judge himself, nor is there any comment on the judge or the judge in any public or private place.
(Judge Adrian)
There are also many onlookers who are angry at such a verdict.
It's disgusting! The judge should be "removed" and the case should be retried. It was unbelievable.
If the victim was the judge's daughter, he would have hoped that other judges would make a reasonable decision.
This judge should be fired!
How she (the plaintiff) was still judged and accused. The young girl was so pathetic.
Originally, it was a case with clear facts, but it came to such a result, which made people feel very powerless.
But plaintiff Cameron said that even though the defendant had been allowed to be released,
But she didn't want other rape victims to be affected, so she didn't dare speak up.
"It's really hard to get things out there, especially when the court makes this kind of decision."
"What happened to me can't happen anymore, we all have to fight for justice."
Nor do I know Cameron's struggle,
Can you help other victims and bring justice that you deserve...