Vanderbilt rape victim 'deeply disappointed' by verdicts

The woman who was raped in a Vanderbilt University dorm in 2013 released a statement Saturday, one day after a man was found guilty in the high-profile case.

She praised the hard work of prosecutors, and called for more protections for victims in the court system and a change in the law that led to a mistrial last year.

Cory Batey, 22, was found guilty late Friday of a single count aggravated rape and other charges. But at a prior trial in January 2015, he was found guilty of four counts of aggravated rape and other charges.

"I am deeply disappointed with the jury’s verdict," the woman's statement reads, saying Batey was "no less guilty today" than after the prior trial. That was in January 2015. Batey stood trial then with Brandon Vandenburg.

The sentence Batey receives is not likely to change because in each trial he was convicted of at least one count of aggravated rape, which carries a 15 to 25-year prison term. But the woman said "the result was no less unjust."

Lawyers react to Vanderbilt rape trial verdict

The end of Batey's trial comes nearly three years after the June 2013 rape, and after multiple delays, a prior trial and a mistrial. Two other former Vanderbilt football players have been charged in the case, which prosecutors have called the gang-rape of the woman while she was unconscious. Their cases are pending.

The first trial verdict was overturned in June after it was revealed that the jury foreman did not disclose he was a past victim in a statutory rape case. Judge Monte Watkins said that risked the man was biased in deciding the case, and granted new trials. Batey's began Monday. Vandenburg's is scheduled for June.

That split means the victim, who testified in January 2015 and again Friday, may return to the witness stand at least once more.

"Last year, the defendants received a fair trial," the woman's statement reads. "If the law required a new trial due to a juror’s dishonesty that did not impact deliberations, the law should change, and the juror should face consequences.

"So, too, must protections for victims improve. For three years, defense counsel have broken rules, flouted the Court’s orders, and harassed me with impunity.

"Despite the hard work of the exemplary prosecutors who've worked tirelessly on this case, I can only conclude that our system of justice is broken.

"I deserved better. Victims of sexual assault deserve better. Our community deserves better."

Who to call

The Nashville Sexual Assault Center helps victims of sexual assault and their families. For help, call the crisis and support line at 800-879-1999. 

Here is the woman's statement, released by a representative, in full:

"I am deeply disappointed with the jury’s verdict.

Cory Batey was guilty of multiple counts of aggravated rape beyond a reasonable doubt last year, and he is no less guilty today.

But this result is not the first injustice I have endured in this process.

Last year, the defendants received a fair trial. If the law required a new trial due to a juror’s dishonesty that did not impact deliberations, the law should change, and the juror should face consequences.

So, too, must protections for victims improve. For three years, defense counsel have broken rules, flouted the Court’s orders, and harassed me with impunity.

As a result, the jury failed to apply the law to the facts of the case for four of the seven charged offenses. Although the potential sentence may be the same, the result is no less unjust.

Despite the hard work of the exemplary prosecutors who've worked tirelessly on this case, I can only conclude that our system of justice is broken.

I deserved better. Victims of sexual assault deserve better. Our community deserves better."

Reach Stacey Barchenger at 615-726-8968 or on Twitter @sbarchenger.