A former Vanderbilt University football player will serve a minimum of 15 years in prison after a Tennessee jury convicted him on rape charges June 18.
Brandon Vandenburg, 23, was found guilty on five counts of aggravated rape, two counts of aggravated sexual battery and unlawful photography after prosecutors accused him of inviting three teammates into his dorm room to sexually assault an unconscious woman in 2013.
Of the three other men involved in the case, two have plead not guilty to sexual assault charges and one, Cory Batey, was found guilty of aggravated rape. Batey also faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, report the New York Times.
The trial has been closely covered in the media as the issue of sexual assault on college campuses has gained national attention.
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The rape occurred in Nashville after the victim, then a 21-year-old student at Vanderbilt, was drinking with Vandenburg at a bar. Vandenburg admitted to police he watched the assault when interrogated four days later.
Prosecutor’s accused Vandenburg of encouraging teammates to sexually assault the woman while he videotaped the attack. Some of those videos were seized by police and shown during the trial.
Defense lawyers argued Vandenburg was intoxicated during the incident and couldn’t be held responsible. The lawyers say they will appeal the jury’s verdict.
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