High Profile Cases – Toxicology of Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault

The Power of White Privilege: The Brock Turner Case

In 2015, 19-year-old Brock Turner sexually assaulted 22-year-old Chanel Miller behind a dumpster on Standford’s campus. Miller was invited by her sister to a Stanford fraternity party in which she became intoxicated to the point of unconsciousness. Two men saw Turner raping Miller behind a dumpster and tackled Turner to the ground, immediately calling the police. Miller had no recollection of the incident and was woken up in a hospital to staff handing her rape pamphlets. In 2016, Turner was convicted of three counts of felony charges that are as follows: assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated person, penetration of an intoxicated person, and penetration of an unconscious person.

For these felony charges, Turner had the potential to receive a maximum of 14 years in prison but instead received 6 months in prison, 3 years on probation and must register as a sexual offender. This leniency in sentencing highlights the immense societal privilege provided to rich white men.

Although a lenient sentence was given, Miller was able to see her assailant be sent to jail unlike other sexual assault cases.

IMPORTANT: Although Miller was intoxicated, this does not mean in any way she was to blame for what happened. The responsibility is on the perpetrator who took advantage of the situation.

Miller wrote, “Alcohol is not an excuse…Regretting drinking is not the same as regretting sexual assault…We were both drunk; the difference is I did not take off your pants and underwear, touch you inappropriately and run away.”

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Beloved Father Figure Turned Predator: The Bill Cosby Case

Bill Cosby was famously known for being on an American television show known as the “The Cosby Show”, and was seen by many as a role model and father figure. In 2014, 60 women came forward accusing Bill Cosby of sexual battery, rape, and drug-facilitated sexual assault. The accusations date back to the 1960s, however, due to their dated nature, these have reached the statute of limitations, meaning after a certain period of time the individual cannot be tried for past crimes. Victims allege that they were drugged and sexually assaulted by Cosby on several occasions. In 2018, he was convicted of sexually assaulting and drugging Andrea Constand who came to visit him in his Pennsylvania home in 2004. Constand was working at Temple University with Cosby at the time and saw him as a mentor and friend. Cosby was sentenced to 3 to 10 years in a maximum-security prison for these charges. This was considered a major milestone in the #MeToo movement and for victims of sexual assault everywhere. However, Cosby was recently released from prison in 2021 after serving only 3 years of his sentence.

“The man I had come to know as a mentor and friend drugged and sexually assaulted me. Instead of being able to run, jump and pretty much do anything I wanted physically, during the assault I was paralyzed and completely helpless. I could not move my arms or legs. I couldn’t speak or even remain conscious. I was completely vulnerable, and powerless to protect myself.”

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A Dark Twist in Hollywood: The Roman Polanski Case

Forty years ago, Roman Polanski was one of the most respected filmmakers and considered one of the best in the world. In 1977, he drugged and raped 13-year-old Samantha Geimer during a photoshoot. At the photo shoot, which took place in his friend’s home, Polanski gave Geimer champagne with methaqualone and then forced her to have sex with him. The next day, Samantha told her mother about the incident, leading to his arrest and the beginning of the 40-year trial. After 42 days in jail, Polanski fled from the US to France while awaiting final sentencing, in which he plead guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Since he fled in 1978, Polanski has continued to reside in France. Since the statute of limitations for rape is 20 years in France, the accusations made by Geimer’s cannot lead to an investigation or prosecution. Polanski continued to evade extradition and international arrest warrants by avoiding travel to any countries that are likely to extradite him back to the United States.

In June 2017, Samantha Geimer appeared in a Los Angeles court and requested a judge to end the case. She described it as a “40-year-sentence” imposed on both her and the director.

Contributed By: Aida Mansour, Lina Nasir Kadir and Meggie Vo

References

Header Image: https://bizcoachinfo.com/archives/8137

Image 1: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/07/us/outrage-in-stanford-rape-case-over-dueling-statements-of-victim-and-attackers-father.html

Image 2: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-irrepressibly-political-survivorship-of-chanel-miller

Image 3: https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/bill-cosby-andrea-constand-speaks-out-after-conviction-tossed

Image 4: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jan/30/hollywood-reverence-child-rapist-roman-polanski-convicted-40-years-on-run