The Steubenville rape case may have finally reached a verdict, but the ordeal is far from over for the Ohio town and the 16-year-old victim.
The Ohio Attorney General, Mike DeWine, announced this morning that two teenage girls had been charged with menacing today after they threatened the rape victim via Facebook and Twitter.
It is shocking to believer that anyone, especially other young women, would threaten the victim and DeWine released a statement today that will likely deter any other teens from doing the same thing.
“Let me be clear,” he said in a news release on his website. “Threatening a teenage rape victim will not be tolerated. If anyone makes a threat verbally or via the Internet, we will take it seriously, we will find you, and we will arrest you.”
The threats came shortly after the verdict was announced and both Mays and Richmond – the teenage boys accused of raping the teenage girl – were found to be delinquent and ordered to spend at least a year in juvenile jail.
One threat came through Facebook where a 15-year-old girl threatened bodily harm to the rape victim. The other threat was via Twitter by a 16-year-old girl.
Both of the teenage girls were immediately taken to the Jefferson County Juvenile Detention Center.
The Jefferson County Sherriff Fred Abdalla explained just why it was so important that the community see authorities take the threats seriously.
“It I just laid back and be lackadaisical and say, ‘Oh well, no big deal,’ and something happens, whose fault is it,” he asked. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”
While it is believe that both of the teenage girls know the victim before the rape case, CNN, MSNBC, a CBS affiliate, and Fox News may have opened the door for even more threats to be aimed at the young girl.
The major news networks actually aired Mays’ apology to the families involved which included him saying the victim’s name.
“I would truly like to apologize to [redacted], her family, my family and the community,” the teenage boy said in court. “No picture should have been sent around, let alone even taken.”
The National Alliance to End Sexual Violence strongly encourages the media not to release the names of rape victims because they have the right to anonymity. They are also expected not to release any information that would make rape victims who are minors identifiable.
The major slip up by the media has just pushed the victims’ family even farther away from the one thing they truly desire at this time.
“The family just wants everything over,” the family’s attorney Robert Fitzsimmons told ABCNews.com.
To make matters worse, investigators are looking into prosecuting even more teenagers in the case which means this emotional ordeal may be far from over for the teenage victim.
“They were hoping that the charges had been completed and that justice was served yesterday and they hope that they can move on with their lives.”
Perhaps one of the most heart-breaking quotes from the parents after the verdict was announced was when they explained that all they wanted was “their little girl to have her life back.”
