WheresWallace
Superstar
Teen pleads not guilty to livestreaming friend's rape
William Cummings, USA TODAY 7:05 a.m. EDT April 16, 2016
An 18 year-old Columbus, Ohio woman pleaded not guilty to charges that she livestreamed her friend's rape on the Periscope app. The man who allegedly raped her friend also pleaded not guilty. (April 15) AP
(Photo: Franklin County Sheriff's Office/AP)
2426 CONNECTTWEET 11 LINKEDIN 124 COMMENTEMAILMORE
An 18-year-old Ohio high school student pleaded not guilty Friday to using a social media app to livestream the rape of her 17-year-old friend.
Marina Lonina told police she recorded the assault on Periscope in an effort to build evidence, and her attorney said the teen was trying to get her friend out of the house where the alleged attack occurred.
Lonina faces charges including rape, kidnapping, sexual battery and pandering sexual matter involving a minor and a judge set her bond at $125,000.
Lonina's 29-year-old co-defendant Raymond Gates also pleaded not guilty in the case and his bond was set at $300,000.
According to Lonina's attorney, Sam Shamansky, she and her friend met Gates at a Columbus shopping mall the day before the assault where he bought them a bottle of vodka and proposed meeting the following the day.
Police documents say the New Albany High School students were drinking at Gates' home on Feb. 27 when he held the victim down with his body weight and raped her, NBC affiliate WCMH reported.
At some point Lonina began using her phone to record the attack.
"She got, I guess, taken up with all the 'likes' that her livestream was getting and therefore continued to do it, and did nothing to aid the victim," Franklin County prosecutor Ron O'Brien said.
This photo provided by the Franklin County, Ohio, Sheriff's Office shows Raymond Gates. (Photo: AP/Franklin County Sheriff's Office)
O'Brien said the victim is heard screaming "stop" and "no" during the 10-minute video.
A friend of the victim, who was out of state, saw the video and contacted police, O'Brien said.
Shamansky acknowledges Lonina used Periscope to livestream the event, but said his client did "everything possible to contain the situation, even to the point of asking while it's being filmed to these Periscope followers, 'What should I do now? What should I do now?'"
Lonina and her friend are naturalized U.S. citizens from Russia, O'Brien said, and the comments on the Periscope video were in Russian.
Lonina is also charged with a felony for photographing her friend nude while she was at her house Feb. 26, the night before the assault, O'Brien said.
If convicted, Lonina and Gates could face sentences of more than 40 years in prison, O'Brien said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
William Cummings, USA TODAY 7:05 a.m. EDT April 16, 2016
An 18 year-old Columbus, Ohio woman pleaded not guilty to charges that she livestreamed her friend's rape on the Periscope app. The man who allegedly raped her friend also pleaded not guilty. (April 15) AP
(Photo: Franklin County Sheriff's Office/AP)
2426 CONNECTTWEET 11 LINKEDIN 124 COMMENTEMAILMORE
An 18-year-old Ohio high school student pleaded not guilty Friday to using a social media app to livestream the rape of her 17-year-old friend.
Marina Lonina told police she recorded the assault on Periscope in an effort to build evidence, and her attorney said the teen was trying to get her friend out of the house where the alleged attack occurred.
Lonina faces charges including rape, kidnapping, sexual battery and pandering sexual matter involving a minor and a judge set her bond at $125,000.
Lonina's 29-year-old co-defendant Raymond Gates also pleaded not guilty in the case and his bond was set at $300,000.
According to Lonina's attorney, Sam Shamansky, she and her friend met Gates at a Columbus shopping mall the day before the assault where he bought them a bottle of vodka and proposed meeting the following the day.
Police documents say the New Albany High School students were drinking at Gates' home on Feb. 27 when he held the victim down with his body weight and raped her, NBC affiliate WCMH reported.
At some point Lonina began using her phone to record the attack.
"She got, I guess, taken up with all the 'likes' that her livestream was getting and therefore continued to do it, and did nothing to aid the victim," Franklin County prosecutor Ron O'Brien said.
This photo provided by the Franklin County, Ohio, Sheriff's Office shows Raymond Gates. (Photo: AP/Franklin County Sheriff's Office)
O'Brien said the victim is heard screaming "stop" and "no" during the 10-minute video.
A friend of the victim, who was out of state, saw the video and contacted police, O'Brien said.
Shamansky acknowledges Lonina used Periscope to livestream the event, but said his client did "everything possible to contain the situation, even to the point of asking while it's being filmed to these Periscope followers, 'What should I do now? What should I do now?'"
Lonina and her friend are naturalized U.S. citizens from Russia, O'Brien said, and the comments on the Periscope video were in Russian.
Lonina is also charged with a felony for photographing her friend nude while she was at her house Feb. 26, the night before the assault, O'Brien said.
If convicted, Lonina and Gates could face sentences of more than 40 years in prison, O'Brien said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
