Judge Under Fire For Touting Boy's 'Good Family,' 'Excellent School' In Rape Case

Source: Huffington Post

07/03/2019 12:11 am ET

In explaining why a teen accused of rape deserved leniency, a New Jersey family court judge said the boy was an Eagle Scout with good college prospects.

By Dominique Mosbergen

A family court judge in New Jersey has been roundly admonished by the state’s appeals court for ruling that a teenager accused of raping an intoxicated girl and then sharing a video of the assault with friends deserved leniency because he came from a “good family,” was an Eagle Scout and attended “an excellent school.”

“He is clearly a candidate for not just college but probably for a good college,” Judge James Troiano of Superior Court wrote of the 16-year-old defendant, identified only as G.M.C. in court documents. Troiano went on to question whether the rape victim and her family had understood “the devastating effect” that pressing charges would have “on G.M.C.’s life.”

The judge also argued that rape “tradition[ally]” involved two or more males using a weapon to threaten a victim in an “abandon[ed] house,” “shed” or “shack” — circumstances not matching G.M.C.’s alleged crime.

Prosecutors say the boy filmed himself penetrating a 16-year-old girl from behind at a dark basement party in New Jersey. The victim was allegedly so intoxicated at the time that she staggered as she walked.

Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/james-troiano-new-jersey-judge-teen-rape_n_5d1c1579e4b03d6116441252