[Trigger Warnings: rape, sexual assault, suicide]
We talked about Steubenville, Ohio. We talked about Dartmouth, Novia Scotia, Canada. We talked about Vista Murrieta, CA. Now it’s time to talk about Maryville, Missouri.
According to a story in the Kansas City Star, in January 2012, 14 year-old Daisy Coleman (whose name is in the story thanks to cooperation from her family), was allegedly raped by 17 year-old Matthew Barnett and then left unconscious on her family’s lawn in freezing temperatures. Her 13 year-old unnamed friend was also raped by an unnamed friend of Barnett’s. And a third friend of the boys, Jordan Zech, taped the events before later deleting the video (and admitting to the deletion).
If Barnett’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s the grandson of Republican representative Rex Barnett. And in a move that surprises absolutely no one, this rape case was dropped two months after it began, despite the sheriff’s office confirming that evidence all supported the girls claims. According to prosecutor Robert Rice, the rape kits and interviews, as well as Zech’s admission that he deleted the video of the rapes, were not enough to convict.
What the fuck?
Of course, this isn’t the first time that well-connected white boys have faced little to no consequences for sexual assault, nor the first time that they’ve been coddled by the media for the “distress” of being charged for their crimes. Unfortunately, we see this pattern a lot.
But in Maryville, the Coleman family is fighting back. Despite the dismissal, they are continuing to push for justice and as a result, they have been totally crucified. The family has been harassed in real life as well as through social media, Daisy Coleman was kicked off the cheerleading team for her “involvement” in her rape, and at least one of the boys’ families have requested an apology for what they have been through.
Even the sheriff claims that Coleman should just “move on.” He said the Coleman family “are just going to have to get over it.”
Multiple attempts to re-open the case, including a Change.org petition, have been shot down. Meanwhile, Daisy Coleman has twice attempted suicide and her family moved after her mother was fired from her job — recently, their house burned down and investigators can’t figure out why.
But Barnett and Zech — the boys who “deserve an apology for what they’ve been through” — are in college and playing football. I’d like to say I’m surprised, but of course, I’m not. Maryville isn’t the “new Steubenville” — it’s just another paradigm of the rape culture we’ve created and continue to cultivate on a daily basis.