Ex-Vanderbilt Student Guilty of Rape—Again

Unlike Brock Turner, Brandon Vandenburg faces minimum 15 years
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 20, 2016 1:41 AM CDT
Ex-Vanderbilt Student Guilty in Rape Retrial
Brandon Vandenburg, right, a former Vanderbilt football player, waits in court for proceedings to begin in his rape trial on Tuesday in Nashville, Tenn.   (Samuel M. Simpkins/The Tennessean via AP, Pool)

Years before the Brock Turner uproar, there was the shocking Vanderbilt rape case, which is still going through the courts. In the latest development, ex-Vanderbilt football player Brandon Vandenburg was found guilty Saturday of taking part in the rape of an unconscious woman in his dorm room in June 2013. At his retrial, the 23-year-old was found guilty on all eight counts: five counts of aggravated rape, two counts of aggravated sexual battery, and one count of unlawful photography, the Tennessean reports. Vandenburg was found guilty early last year, but a mistrial was declared months later after it emerged that a juror failed to disclose that he had been raped, reports NPR.

Another ex-Vanderbilt player, Cory Batey, was found guilty in April and two others are awaiting trial. Vandenburg was the only one who knew the victim before the rape. She testified that she had no memory of the hours after Vandenburg gave her a drink. Video and images from cellphones revealed that he had carried her back to his dorm, where his teammates laughed, texted, and shot video as they sexually abused her, egged on by Vandenburg. His defense—much like that of Brock Turner—blamed alcohol and campus culture. The AP reports that Vandenburg, who appeared to be weeping as he was taken away after the verdict was read, faces a minimum of 15 years in prison with no parole. (More Vanderbilt University stories.)

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