The Latest: Defense says ex-senior's boasts were 'damning'
By The Associated Press, Associated Press
Aug 28, 2015 4:03 PM CDT
While the jury still deliberates, former St. Paul's School student Owen Labrie, left, leaves the Merrimack Superior Court at the end of day with security in tow Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015, in Concord, N.H. Labrie is charged with raping a 15-year-old freshman as part of Senior Salute, in which seniors try...   (Associated Press)

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The latest on the trial of a former student at an elite prep school accused of raping a freshman as part of a tradition called Senior Salute (all times local):

4:35 p.m.

A lawyer for a former prep school senior convicted of misdemeanor sex offenses says his client's boasts to friends that he had sex with a 15-year-old girl were the "most damning" evidence against him.

Attorney J.W. Carney spoke Friday, hours after 19-year-old Owen Labrie was acquitted of felony rape charges but convicted of the lesser crimes.

Carney says Labrie was convicted because he wasn't mature enough to tell the truth — that they didn't have sex.

Carney says the sex convictions will be like "a tattoo" that Labrie will bear for life.

The lawyer also decried Labrie's felony conviction for using a computer to lure a minor, saying he's sure the Legislature never intended for it to be applied to teens arranging a date.

Carney says he will request probation.

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3:20 p.m.

A former senior at an elite New Hampshire prep school has walked out of the courthouse after being cleared of felony rape but convicted of three misdemeanor sex offenses against a 15-year-old freshman.

A judge decided Owen Labrie's bail would remain at $15,000. Prosecutors had argued for his bail to be raised to $50,000 in cash, saying he was a flight risk.

The jury by its verdict Friday signaled they didn't believe Labrie's assertions that he and the girl didn't have intercourse but also didn't believe her contention that it was against her will.

The 19-year-old Labrie wept after the verdict. The girl appeared stoic and huddled with members of her family.

Labrie could face up to 11 years behind bars when he's sentenced Oct. 29.

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3:10 p.m.

A New Hampshire prep school where an underclassman says she was raped by a graduating senior has commended the girl for her strength in testifying and commitment to the truth.

St. Paul's School in Concord issued the statement Friday after a jury found 19-year-old former student Owen Labrie not guilty of felony rape but guilty of misdemeanor sexual assault offenses related to an encounter with the freshman on campus in May 2014.

The school says the 16-year-old girl's "resolve and unwavering commitment to the truth have been inspiring" to many inside and outside of the school community. It calls her situation a "nightmare."

The school was cast in a harsh light for a practice of seniors trying to romance and have sex with as many underclassmen as possible before graduation.

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2:55 p.m.

A judge overseeing the trial of a former New Hampshire prep school student found guilty of misdemeanor sex offenses against a 15-year-old freshman has scheduled a sentencing date.

Sentencing for 19-year-old Owen Labrie, of Tunbridge, Vermont, was scheduled for Oct. 29.

He was acquitted Friday of felony rape charges but convicted of misdemeanor sexual assault charges as well as a felony for using a computer to lure a minor for sexual contact.

He faces up to a year in jail on each of four misdemeanor counts as well as up to seven years for the felony.

The girl said Labrie raped her at St. Paul's School in Concord last May, two days before he graduated.

Prosecutors say Labrie will have to register as a sex offender for life.

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2:35 p.m.

A prosecutor in the case of a former New Hampshire prep school student accused of raping a 15-year-old freshman girl says the defendant will have to register as a sex offender.

Nineteen-year-old Owen Labrie, of Tunbridge, Vermont, was acquitted Friday of three felony rape charges but convicted of three misdemeanor sexual assault charges.

Labrie was also convicted of a felony charge of using a computer to lure a minor for sexual contact.

Prosecutor Joseph Cherniske says Labrie will have to register as a sex offender.

The girl says she was raped at St. Paul's School in Concord on May 30, 2014, just two days before Labrie graduated.

The parties are still in court waiting for the judge to announce a sentencing date.

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2:25 p.m.

A girl who accused a former senior at their New Hampshire prep school of raping her says in a statement that a measure of justice has been served with the mixed verdict.

A statement was released Friday on behalf of the 16-year-old girl and her family after the verdict was read.

Nineteen-year-old Owen Labrie, of Tunbridge, Vermont, was acquitted of three felony rape charges but convicted of three misdemeanor sexual assault charges.

The statement says Labrie was held accountable "in some way" for the crimes he committed. However, the family says there is no joy in the outcome because of what the girl has lost.

The statement says St. Paul's School fostered a "toxic culture" that left students at risk of sexual violence.

The girl remained stoic in court after the verdict.

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2:15 p.m.

A former senior at a New Hampshire prep school accused of raping a 15-year-old freshman faces up to seven years in prison on the top charge he was convicted of.

Nineteen-year-old Owen Labrie, of Tunbridge, Vermont, was acquitted Friday of three felony rape charges but convicted of three misdemeanor sexual assault charges.

He had been accused of raping the girl in a near-deserted academic building at St. Paul's School two days before he graduated last year.

Labrie was convicted of four misdemeanor counts: three sex assault counts and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. He was also convicted of a felony charge of using a computer to lure a minor for sexual contact.

He faces up to a year in jail for the misdemeanors and 3 ½ to 7 years for the felony.

He wept after the verdict was read. His mother sobbed into a tissue.

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2 p.m.

A former senior at a New Hampshire prep school has been acquitted of felony rape but convicted of misdemeanor sex offenses against a 15-year-old freshman.

The jury of nine men and three women on Friday found Owen Labrie, of Tunbridge, Vermont, not guilty of raping the girl in an academic building at St. Paul's School two days before he graduated last year.

But they found him guilty of three misdemeanor sex assault charges.

Labrie said he and the girl had consensual sexual contact but not intercourse when he was 18.

He wept after the verdict was read.

Prosecutors say the encounter was part of Senior Salute, a tradition at the school in which seniors try to have sex with underclassmen.

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1:35 p.m.

A jury has reached a verdict in the trial of a former New Hampshire prep school senior accused of raping a freshman days before he graduated as part of a tradition of sexual conquest.

Jurors reached the verdict Friday after eight hours of deliberations.

Nineteen-year-old Owen Labrie, of Tunbridge, Vermont, faces nine charges, including three felony sex assault charges that carry sentences of 10 to 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors say he raped the 15-year-old as part of a practice at St. Paul's School known as Senior Salute in which seniors try to romance and have sex with underclassmen.

Labrie testified the two had consensual sexual contact that stopped short of intercourse.

The school boasts as alumni an international roster of senators, congressmen and other notables, including members of the Kennedy family.

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This story has been corrected to show the jury deliberated for eight hours, not seven hours.

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