This is an incredibly tragic story but ends with an amazing message of courage.
In December of 2019, a teenage girl woke up naked in a shower, surrounded by a group of young men who were laughing and taking pictures of her.
The men in question had sexually assaulted the young girl the night before after they forced her to drink an alcoholic beverage that caused her to lose consciousness.
Even though the victim reported the case to the police, without anything to identify these men, officers were at a standstill in the case.
That is until this brave mother found a video of her daughter’s assault posted by one of the perpetrators on Facebook, which she filmed on her own phone and took to police.
This evidence has now led to the arrest of seven men who were involved in the assault.
On Wednesday, the police said the mother’s discovery of the Facebook video helped them charge eight men with sexually assaulting the 16-year-old girl after she lost consciousness at the house party Dec. 20, 2019.
Col. Hugh Clements Jr., chief of the Providence police, said the assault was one of the worst he could recall in his 35 years with the department.
“The incident is horrifying, devastating, disturbing on so many levels to this young girl, to her family and to this community,” Clements said at a news conference.
He said the teenager had been offered counseling, housing and other services, and he thanked her and her family for coming forward to report the crime. Not only had she helped identify the men who assaulted her, he said, but she also faced the possibility of testifying in court and being sharply questioned by defense lawyers.
“I commend her bravery, her courage and her family for sticking by her,” the chief said.
“I give her a lot of credit,” he added.
The police said six men — Keith Erving Colon, 24; Jose Vargas, 18; Carlos Chacon, 19; Malcolm Baptista, 18; Luis A. Cabrera, 18; and Luis Luna, 19 — were arrested last week and charged with assault with intent to commit sexual assault and conspiracy.
A seventh man, Richard Tarell Chester, 19, was arrested and charged with first-degree sexual assault, the police said. The eighth, Carlos D. Vasquez, was being sought Wednesday on charges of assault with intent to commit sexual assault and conspiracy.
It’s unbelievable that this mother was able to record the entire video of her daughter being assaulted.
There aren’t many people who could do such a thing, but her courage led to her daughters rapists being found and brought to justice.
God bless this woman and her family.
This piece was written by Sophie O’Hara on September 3, 2020. It originally appeared in WayneDupree.com and is used by permission.
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