Daisy Coleman rape: Maryville case reopened after Anonymous demands justice
- 9 years ago
Daisy Coleman, the teen at the center of the explosive Maryville, Missouri rape case, may yet find justice after nationwide attention, including pressure from "hacktivist" group Anonymous, forced small-town prosecutor Robert Rice to reopen the case.
As part of an effort to help spur a re-examination of the case, Coleman recently recounted her version of events to xoJane.com.
On the night of January 7, 2012, the then 14-year-old and her 13-year-old best friend snuck out of her home during a slumber party to meet 17-year-old senior football player Matthew Barnett.
He took the pair to his parent's home where he and four friends plied the young girls with shot after shot of vodka.
The last thing either remembers is being surrounded by the popular football players, coaxed to drink more and more.
Less than an hour later, they discarded Coleman in front of her parent's home.
Hearing what sounded like dog scratches hours later, her mother found Coleman lying bruised and half-dressed in below freezing temperatures.
Doctors examining a rape kit later confirmed the nightmare scenario Daisy's mother had already been forced to come to grips with.
Police quickly rounded up the suspects and recorded their confessions.
It seemed as if the Daisy's nightmare would soon be over, but the quaint all-American town of Maryville, Missouri conspired to work against the Coleman family's search for justice.
As word of the incident got out, many students at Maryville High School made it known they stood by the accused athletes.
Students took to Facebook and Twitter to call her a "whore" and a liar and encouraged her to take her own life.
Daisy also found herself suspended from the cheerleading squad for her apparent "role" in the events.
She recalls arriving at a dance competition to find a schoolmate sporting a homemade T-shirt reading: Matt 1, Daisy 0.
As the member of a prominent political family, support for Barnett also extended into Maryville's adult world.
Daisy's mot
As part of an effort to help spur a re-examination of the case, Coleman recently recounted her version of events to xoJane.com.
On the night of January 7, 2012, the then 14-year-old and her 13-year-old best friend snuck out of her home during a slumber party to meet 17-year-old senior football player Matthew Barnett.
He took the pair to his parent's home where he and four friends plied the young girls with shot after shot of vodka.
The last thing either remembers is being surrounded by the popular football players, coaxed to drink more and more.
Less than an hour later, they discarded Coleman in front of her parent's home.
Hearing what sounded like dog scratches hours later, her mother found Coleman lying bruised and half-dressed in below freezing temperatures.
Doctors examining a rape kit later confirmed the nightmare scenario Daisy's mother had already been forced to come to grips with.
Police quickly rounded up the suspects and recorded their confessions.
It seemed as if the Daisy's nightmare would soon be over, but the quaint all-American town of Maryville, Missouri conspired to work against the Coleman family's search for justice.
As word of the incident got out, many students at Maryville High School made it known they stood by the accused athletes.
Students took to Facebook and Twitter to call her a "whore" and a liar and encouraged her to take her own life.
Daisy also found herself suspended from the cheerleading squad for her apparent "role" in the events.
She recalls arriving at a dance competition to find a schoolmate sporting a homemade T-shirt reading: Matt 1, Daisy 0.
As the member of a prominent political family, support for Barnett also extended into Maryville's adult world.
Daisy's mot