The woman, who was a freshman at Ohio State when she said she was raped, came forward to defend herself.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Opening arguments were heard Tuesday in the case of two former Ohio State football players, both allegations of kidnapping and rape.
Amir Rip and Jahsen Wint pleaded not guilty.
Taking the stand in her own defense, the woman who told police she was raped by Rip and Wint.
The judge ordered the media not to show images of the woman being used as evidence in the case, and the victim’s advocate also asked us not to show her face or name. Our camera did not record her testimony.
Affidavits showed that before the alleged incident, the woman and Rip had been exchanging Snapchat messages, and they eventually agreed to hang out.
She testified that there was no romantic undertone in their messages. She agreed to play with Rip on the night of February 4, 2020.
She said Rip forced her to have sex and she had no choice but to say no. She also said that Rip held her down and Vint forced her to perform oral sex.
A mobile phone video allegedly taken after the incident was shown in court. Both sides said that this particular video serves as an important piece of evidence.
“Amir Rip took out his cell phone and forced her to record the video you’re about to see, saying it was consensual,” State’s Attorney Dan Meyer told jurors. “I want you to pay attention to who is saying what and how it sounds.”
“You’re going to hear the reason Amir uses this video is because that’s what he was taught,” said Dan Sabol, who represents Amir Rip. with the Ohio State players where they said “always make sure you record that everything you did was consensual.”
Attorneys representing Rip and Wint say their clients are innocent, and they both questioned the detective’s documentation of the time and details of the event, questioning her account of what happened.
To the man’s questions during the interrogation, the woman answered: “I don’t remember.”
When Riepa and Vinta were arrested, they were fired from the football team.
If convicted, both men face up to 33 years in prison and will be registered as sex offenders. Testimony is expected to resume on Wednesday.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the Ohio Sexual Assault Hotline at 844-644-6435 or online.
https://www.10tv.com/article/news/crime/testimony-begins-in-rape-trial-of-former-buckeye-football-players/530-bcbb1eba-f1ba-49f0-a75d-c930b3309692
