After a mass protest in front of Jefferson County Court House, it seems that the trial for the two high school football players facing rape charges may be moved from Steubenville, Ohio to another location.
Attorneys Brian Duncan and Walter Madison, who represent the juvenile suspects, told The Associated Press that potential witnesses were hesitant to come forward for fear of retaliation and worry that their names and addresses could be published on the Internet by protesters.
Madison stated that if the motion is filed, they would be moving the Feb. 13 scheduled trial and the closing proceedings to a different location.
The suspects allegedly raped a 16 year old girl at a party on August 11-12, 2012. The town became the center of the rape scandal when an anonymous video leaked online of Steubenville high school athletes mocking the 16-year-old girl and making crude references to the alleged rape.
On Saturday Jan 5, authorities created a new website entitled Steubenville Facts to counter the allegations of a cover up. They stated that it is a resource for the community and that the "site is not designed to be a forum for how the Juvenile Court ought to rule in this matter." It also includes a timeline of events and summaries of Ohio law relating to the case and facts about the local police force.
The police investigated the case and charged two athletes on August 22. On January 5th, 1,300 people attended a rally wearing Guy Fawkes masks after a grassroots group Occupy Steubenville posted an online call to organize. The names of the two suspects have not been released because they are protected under the law for being juveniles.
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