New York Criminal Lawyer Blog
It may be common for anyone of us to hear or watch rape cases in the news but we never realize how hard it is to handle with the right legal procedurures. One case that was very complicated to assess and it involved three men as the ones who are making an appeal. The ones that were mentioned in the proceedings were Michael De Vito, Theodore Buckley and Gary Mandel. In rape cases like this one, the mental background and reliability of the one who is complaining is very important.
The alleged victim was contacted via phone by Mandel for a good number of times last April 4, 1975. It appears that their houses are just several blocks apart and that Mandel invited her to his house to discuss a fresh course at the Brooklyn College. She went to his house and after a short conversation at the kitchen, she was given a glass of water which she consumed but made her too dizzy to still hold consciousness. According to a New York Criminal Lawyer, the next thing she knew, she was already in the basement struggling against Mandel. Then came the other two, De Vito and Buckley, to the basement through a back door and with that the worst sexual things happened.
The victim running away half naked when she finally saw the opportunity. She hid in some bushes and wait till the alleged suspects left. She ran and knocked into another home which was owned by Lila and Murray Raber. The three denied all these and said that what happened was with the consent of the victim. They claim that she only reported and filed a complaint out of utmost humiliation she suffered from during the sexual activity when water balloons burst inside her bra.
According to a Queens Criminal Lawyer, at the end of the case, after all the evaluations and evidence presented, all three men involved as suspects of the sex crime were acquitted. They were not convicted of sodomy and rape according to the reports. There was no sexual abuse which happened especially after the medical examination of the alleged victim which showed there was no semen and even damage to the parts of her body which she reported were abused by the three guys. This made the corroboration request of all three crimes weak and the reason that she was just drugged during that time was proven heavily.
However, there are some points in the case which could have still been greatly explored like the background of the victim. The attorney of the victim was limited to only exploring the mental and emotional stability of the victim as per her records released by the South Oaks Hospital. At one point, there could have been really the consent from the female but still in a broader perspective, the three guys still sexually abused the victim even if it was just in the first degree due to the severe injuries the victim had in her body.
To report and go through the legal proceeding of sex crimes is not easy especially for its sensitivity. It is only an skilled lawyer who can help you out with these legal issues and guide you all the way back to the road of justice. Contact Stephen Bilkis & Associates and book an appointment with a lawyer from our legal team who can educate you well enough with all the information you need to know in cases of sex crimes.