Alleged rape victim who committed suicide felt betrayed by investigators, parents say

[Judi Lynn]

Source: CBS News

July 5, 2017, 7:36 AM


TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The family of Megan Rondini, a former University of Alabama student who was allegedly raped and later took her own life, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. Rondini's parents say her rape claims were mishandled by sheriff's investigators and school officials. They also believe her alleged attacker escaped prosecution because of his prominent and wealthy family.



According to her parents, Rondini blossomed from a shy introverted girl into an outgoing honors student during her first two years on campus. That all changed in July 2015 after she reported being raped. Her parents say she felt betrayed by the people she thought were going to help her, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann.

Rondini spoke to a sheriff's investigator hours after escaping her alleged rapist's house.

"I had already said like I needed to leave, and he just wasn't really responding to that," Rondini said in the interrogation.


Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/university-of-alabama-wrongful-death-lawsuit-megan-rondini-rape-claims-suicide/

[angstlessk]

1. Rape victims and rapists depend on race!

A white girl raped by a black is more likely to get justice than a black girl raped by a white ...

[ms liberty]

3. Did you even read past the headline?

This was a white (based on her picture) college student who was raped, and the young man who did it was a member of a prominent family in their area who was probably white, although the article doesn't specify his race - which it probably would if he was AA or any other minority. The girl got no justice - the case was handled so badly that she felt intimidated and dismissed, and she killed herself.
Your comment is not at all relevant to the article. It also showed a conplete lack of compassion or sympathy for the victim and the family who are still grieving. And rape is rape, no matter the race of either the victim or the perpetrator. What is wrong is that most rape victims do not get justice, period.

[angstlessk]

6. Okay, let me redress my error...

White men get away with rape more often than blacks..even if the black man is innocent!

Did I fix it?

[smirkymonkey]

9. No, because this is not an article about race. At all.

It is an article about a woman who was raped by A MAN (and btw, he was white) and how the system betrayed her. There was no mention of race. You completely ignored the humanity of the victim.

[ms liberty]

10. You still completely miss the point

The article is not about race at all....it is about rape. Yet based upon your restatement, for some reason you want it to be about race. Your statement and restatement are accurate but why is it necessary to hijack this article and thread by injecting race into a story in which it was absent? Are you trying to say she should have gotten herself raped by a black guy? Or are you trying to say that we shouldn't be outraged about this young woman's rape and suicide because black guys get wrongfully prosecuted and jailed for rape? Or is it just that race is the only lens you look through or care about? I'm not sure what your point is. The only thing that seems clear from your post and reply is that you feel nothing for the horror the young woman or her family have gone through. No sympathy, no outrage.Your only interest is to use it to tell us something that is not relevant that we already know.

[Honeycombe8]

12. +1. nt

[cstanleytech]

23. Agreed +1 nt

[angstlessk]

24. I was raped when I was 11 years old...I am white the two men who raped me were

white, of native american stock..not black.

I was in court and had to listen to them lie about me...I am OUTRAGED about any rape, and feel for this poor girl!

What I say is true, and just because THIS does not include race, the differences in outcomes remains as I say!

[ms liberty]

29. Did you seriously just say this?

" the two men who raped me were white, of native american stock..not black."

First, you're talking about people, human beings, not cattle or horses. People are not "stock." Except to white supremacists; who believe POC are animals.
Second, native americans are not now and never have been considered white, or been accorded the privilege given to white people.
Third, it took three replies to me and several other posters calling you out for you to show any compassion for the woman and her family in the article. In fact, you were completely disinterested in them, or the facts of the case. Until now. Color me skeptical.
Finally, no one has argued that your premise is wrong. But your premise has no bearing on the story. That is the essential point that you continue to miss.

[smirkymonkey]

8. +1000

It's like the victim never even existed.

[7962]

4. This has more to do with University of Alabama power. The rapist & victim are both white

Another story of an athlete or rich alumni being treated differently

[iluvtennis]

22. Yep, just like the "Afluenza" got the Stanford student off from raping...

...remember his dad said his son should suffer life consequences for 30 minutes of indiscretion. Disgusting POS.

[LisaL]

5. And what does that have to do with this case?

Do you not see the photo of the alleged victim in the OP?

[Honeycombe8]

11. Sounds like you're trying to hijack this poster's thread. This is about the victim in

this article. Not race.

Maybe you can start a thread about how race affects being found guilty of rape and other crimes?

[7962]

2. And this high powered atty is not going to sit by and let it go.

http://themeck.blogspot.com/2017/06/fwd-june-27-2017-open-letter-to-tj.html
"the tables often and quickly get turned against female sexual assault victims, especially when the perpetrator is rich and famous, or enjoys celebrity status."

This letter written to the rapist is a hard hitting piece. I hope this lawyer is successful

[oberliner]

7. Bear in mind, this is a civil case

Criminal charges are not being pursued against this man.

[Honeycombe8]

14. That was the only recourse for Nicole Simpson's family, too.

Sometimes, that's all the victim's family can get.

[oberliner]

15. Understood

Just saying that no matter what happens, this person will probably suffer no real consequences for his actions.

[karynnj]

25. Though he should have faced a criminal trial, this is better than nothing

At minimum, this has put his name out there as an alleged rapist. The facts speak for themselves. The woman climbed out of a window to escape him and went to the hospital and the police. He does not deny they had sex. At minimum, I suspect that many people will hear this and it will inform their opinion of him.

This does NOT excuse the completely unacceptable action of law enforcement and the prosecutor's office, but it is good that at least this is happening.

[oberliner]

26. He may end up getting exonerated

And the deceased young woman could end up being dragged through the mud, figuratively, by his lawyers. Remember, this person comes from a very wealthy family. I'm not sure that this will have a positive outcome.

[Honeycombe8]

13. My heart goes out to this young woman.

What a horrible experience for her, and then to not even be believed, when she did all the right things (going to the hospital and then to the P.D. to report it in the middle of the night).

If only her parents had been able to make it better for her. I suspect she was of such a delicate nature emotionally and personality-wise, having been a shy, introverted girl, that she didn't have the fight within her to deal with the situation.

I hope they win the civil action, at least.

[defacto7]

16. Sometimes I wonder if investigators or sheriff's

dept officers who are insensitive to rape victims are rapists themselves either by association, collusion with the powerful or have actually commited the crimes themselves. I can't figure why insensitivity exists toward victims at all. It's inhuman.

[JHan]

17. A culture of "the woman was asking for it"

[bobbieinok]

19. 'Women just lie'

Seems to be a mantra in our society. Esp if the accused is white, male, wealthy and/or socially prominent. And most esp if the charge is rape or sexual harrasment. Add points if accused claims to be 'Christian.'

[defacto7]

20. What a sick, perverted view of women.

Will men ever be able to shed that archaic ignorance? May I add, when will some women stop being trapped in the idea that, "It's just the way men are and it's our fault if they do bad things"? It's been said countless times, but just don't get it. Why is this still happening? All I can say is it takes education.. and/or severe punishment for perps.

[JHan]

21. We need more men such as yourself to articulate it the way you just did

We know the historical/cultural underpinnings of it, we just have to keep drawing attention to the way attitudes creates victims and degrades society.

( if I assumed you're a guy and you're not ...my apologies)

[defacto7]

28. Yes, I'm a guy.

This reminds me of telling a neighbor (guy) that I had just come back from the March for Women a few months back. His reply was, "Why do women need a march? Why would anyone march for women's rights?" It took me back a bit as I realized he was serious. But I did my best to articulate an answer though his puzzled look didn't seem to change much afterward. I'd better be more prepared and take every inquiry as a serious opportunity.

[yallerdawg]

18. There's no decent outcome in "that neck of the woods."

Tracey Grissom: Victim or killer?

Couple years later: https://www.facebook.com/pg/liberatetracey/posts/

[Blue_Tires]

27. I'm reminded of this classic nightmarish story:

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/znqjv4/i-got-raped-then-my-problems-started