|
Rape case goes to court after two decades |
|
|
|
|
Written by Reyne
|
|
Apr 05, 2006 at 08:09 PM |
A woman finally gets her chance at justice after her alleged rapist emailed her an apology 2 decades later.
'84 rape trial set to begin
Rape charge in '84 case certified
In 1984, William Beebe reportedly raped Liz Seccuro when they were college students at the University of Virginia. Following the rape, Liz Seccuro reported it to university administrators. Instead of offering support, the university forbade her to report the rape to the police. In a possible attempt to protect the school's public image, administrators chose to meet with Beebe privately, instead. After the meeting, Beebe withdrew from the University.
It might be hard to imagine now that a university would bully a young woman into accepting rape without pursuing justice, but in the 1980's, rape victims like Liz Seccuro had very few sources of help. The stigma of rape on the victim was stronger than it is today. Resources like the National Sexual Assault Hotline didn't start until 1994. There was more ambivalence about rape; although, many would argue that the ambivalence towards sexual violence against young women persists today.
Countless number of rape cases has gone by without going to court. Fortunately for Liz Seccuro, her chance for seeking justice came 21 years later. William Beebe wrote a letter to Seccuro, apologizing for having harmed her while following a 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous recovery program, which asked people to apologize to past victims. They continued to exchange emails, and later, Beebe admitted to having raped Seccuro. Using the emails as evidence, Seccuro brought the case to prosecutors. However, Beebe's defense attorney claims that the emails were referring to thoughtless sexual encounter, not rape. The grand jury for the case meets April 17.
|
Science Sunday 