Boston Criminal Lawyer Blog
The Massachusetts sexual crime case against Austin Renaud, one of the ex-South Hadley High School students charged with statutory rape in the Phoebe Prince suicide-bullying case, is scheduled go to trial next year. The 18-year-old has been charged as an adult. He has pleaded not guilty to the rape charge.
Renaud is accused of having sexual contact with Prince, the South Hadley High School freshman who killed herself in January. However, according to his criminal defense attorney, Renaud considered Prince a friend and had even cut ties with his ex-girlfriend and the others who are accused of bullying her.
According to prosecutors, the girls accused of bullying Prince resented Prince’s relationships with Renaud and Sean Mulveyhill, then 17, who has also been charged with statutory rape against Prince. Four other teens face Massachusetts criminal charges related to Prince’s suicide. The teens are accused of bullying Prince in person and online.
If Renaud is convicted of statutory rape, he could go to prison for life. He and the other five teens have been suspended indefinitely from their high school.
The crime of Massachusetts statutory rape is a serious offense that involves sexual intercourse or unnatural intercourse with a person under age 16. Even if a defendant didn’t know that the person was that young, he/she can still be convicted of Massachusetts statutory rape.
Trial date slated in bullying case, MassLive, October 27, 2010
Teen charged in Mass. bullying case heads to trial, Washington Post, October 26, 2010
Life a struggle for six teens accused in Phoebe Prince case, IrishCentral, October 14, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Phoebe Prince Timeline
Massachusetts Law About Sex
It is important that you are represented by an experienced Boston sexual crimes law firm that knows how to defend you against the criminal charges while protecting your civil rights. Even if you did not commit a crime, the fact that you have been charged with one can irrevocably alter your life.
