Judge Declares Vanderbilt Rape Case A Mistrial

When two former Vanderbilt football players were convicted of aggravated rape this January, the news sent shockwaves throughout Nashville and the college campus. But this past Tuesday, a Tennessee judge overturned the conviction and declared a mistrial due to the previously unknown biases of the jury foreman.

The conviction overturn came due to the post-trial discovery that juror foreman Todd Easter had been the victim of sexual crimes as a teenager. As the decision to overturn the conviction observed, Easter did not disclose this fact even though counsel for both the State and defense had repeatedly asked potential jurors “whether they had an acquaintance or someone they knew closely had been a victim of an unwanted sexual touching or sexual assault.”

The evidence which had convicted defendants Corey Batey and Brandon Vadenburg was overwhelming. The two had been arrested in 2013 when a video camera showed the unconscious victim being dragged into a dorm. Evidence including cell phone photos and weeks of testimony had shown that while witnesses had seen the victim in the dorm half-naked and unconscious, no one had reported the attack.

Easter testified in a hearing that he had not even thought of his own experience as a sexual assault victim, as it was many years ago. The prosecution also argued that Easter had believed his own answers were fair and impartial.

But “[e]ven though the evidence supporting the verdict may have been overwhelming,” Judge Monte Watkins noted that “the standard requires that the verdict be reached by a fair and impartial jury” and Easter’s bias made that impossible. The court also noted that they found it difficult to believe Easter’s statement since his family had bought security systems to protect him and Easter had undergone 18 months of counseling.

The conviction has been overturned and Batey and Vadenburg left the jail on Wednesday. But this does not mean that they are free men. The judge has increased their bonds and ordered that both men wear GPS monitors while they are free. Furthermore, Tennessee prosecutors have requested that “a new trial date be set as soon as possible.”

That could take some time. Two other Vanderbilt football players, Brandon Banks and Jaborian McKenzie, are awaiting trial after pleading not guilty. Furthermore, Batey and Vadenburg hired new attorneys after the initial verdicts. The attorney will need time to go over the facts of the case so they can present a credible defense.

[Photo By: Sara D. Davis/Getty Images News]