Their lives will never be the same.Sadly, the one kid also has to bear the burden of being named Stalin.
Embarrassed and humiliated by cries of rape that came from the twisted imagination of a Hofstra student, the five men involved in the bathroom orgy with her are terrified that being branded predators will haunt them for eternity.
"Anytime anyone Googles my name, rape is going to be right there beside it. My name is forever tarnished," said 19-year-old Stalin Felipe.
"What if I am applying for a job or whatever in the future? I feel like I am always going to have to offer some explanation."
The Bronx Community College student faced the dimmest of futures when Danmell Ndonye, 18, told cops she had been raped during a restroom romp at a Hofstra dorm early Sunday.
He and his stepbrother, Kevin Taveras, 20, and pals Jesus Ortiz, 19, and Rondell Bedward, 21, were all charged with first-degree rape, which could have landed them in jail for 25 years if convicted.
As cops hunted for the fifth man, the lives of the others quickly became a living hell.
"We went to Hofstra just to have some fun, and it turned out to be a nightmare," Felipe said. "Cops were telling us, 'You are going to rot in jail.' "
They were exonerated only after the fifth man -- Felipe's cousin Arvin Rivera, an 18-year-old senior at Harry S. Truman HS in The Bronx -- contacted prosecutors through his lawyer and said he had videotaped the sex romp with his cellphone. The video showed the sex was consensual.
"He saved us. He was our messiah," Felipe said. "If he hadn't had that, she would have continued with no remorse and I would be released from jail when I am 44 years old for something I didn't do."
Hopefully Danmell Ndonye gets prosecuted for this, just as Tawana Brawley and Al Sharpton should have been 22 years ago. These kids should also be thankful Mike Nifong isn't the DA in Nassau County.
Ace links. Thanks!
No comments:
Post a Comment