The Torrington High School rape case refers to five separate rape cases in Torrington, Connecticut, United States, involving six former Torrington High School football players and two other Torrington teenagers.[1]
In a 2013 case, Joan Toribio and Edgar Gonzalez, both 18-year-old former football players from Torrington High School, were convicted in the sexual assault of two 13-year-old girls in Torrington, Connecticut.[2][3][4] Joan Toribio was sentenced to 9 months in prison.[5] Edgar Gonzalez was sentenced to six years in prison.[6]
In a 2011 case, Kenuel Weaver-Hunt, 17, and Dylan Rodriguez, 16, pleaded guilty to charges of risk of injury to a minor with illicit sexual contact, a class "D" felony.[7] Both were sentenced to five years in prison, suspended after four months served.[8] Alec Berkemeier, 16, was charged with second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor with illicit sexual contact, but reached a deal with the prosecutors that included a provision to seal the records of the case.[9]
Controversy
Torrington High School gained notoriety for its students' victim blamingcyberbullying of the two 13-year-old girls through social media. The Register Citizen, a local newspaper, published images of Twitter posts that defended the accused and attacked the victims.[10][2][3][4] A Houston-based law firm that specializes in defense of those accused of sex crimes claimed a possible failure in responsibility on the part of parents and teachers to make students aware of the legal implications of their actions.[11]