Example Of A Victim Daisy Case

A victim “is an individual who suffer injuries, losses, or hardships for any reason”, (Karmen, 2013). Persons may become victims of “accidents, natural disasters, diseases, or social problems such as warfare, discrimination, political witch hunts, and other injustices”, (Karmen, 2013). Being a victim of a crime can be very traumatic at times. People often tend to forget the damage it may cause to family, friends, and significant others. Indirect, also known as secondary victims, “are not immediately involved or physically injured in confrontations, but they might be burdened or devastated from the incident that may occur”, (Christiansen, 2012). For example, as you continue reading this case, you will find that the victim Daisy is the victim
whilst her family will be the secondary victims of this rape case. The Maryville case is a rape case arising out of Missouri, wherein Daisy Coleman (the victim), 14 years old, was raped by one of the high school football players, Matthew Barnett (the offender), 17 years old, at a house party in 2012. Barnett pleaded guilty to misdemeanor child endangerment: a far less serious crime than the rape charges Coleman and her family had been pursuing.

Further within this paper, there will be a discussion of; the events of this case, the offenses in which Matthew Barnett has been charged, a clear explanation of what a victim is, the difficulties and self-destruction the victims and secondary victims may go through, the victim being victimized, and the satisfaction the family had felt after two years of an ongoing rape case.
On the day of the alleged rape Jan 8, 2012, Daisy and her friend who are both cheerleaders were already drinking at her home. Until, Daisy decided to text Barnett (albeit her brother who is a football player as well, telling her to stay away from him), she refuses to listen. She had already had a few drinks in her and because of that, she let her emotions and her attraction towards Barnett cloud her judgment and crept out of the house at 1:00 am to head to Barnett’s house for a house party along with her friend and four other boys in the car. Upon arriving at the party, Daisy claimed she was given something to drink whilst being taken into a bedroom and raped while another boy was recoding the explicit act with a cellphone. While the case was going on in court, Barnett stated that the sex was consensual and therefore, he did not rape Coleman. Evidence was able to prove that the sex was not consensual; therefore, Barnett did rape her and his friend who had recorded the obscenity of an under-aged girl, wasn’t charged, but rather excused him.
Melinda Coleman, (Daisy’s mother), who is a veterinarian and her husband a doctor, who had passed away six years ago in a car accident, sounded like she had did everything right.
Melinda woke up the morning Daisy was left in front of her house around 5:00 am and heard clawing on the door. Then is when she found her daughter in her shirtsleeves and sweatpants outside her door in mid-freezing temperatures and was left outside her home for about three hours. After questioning her daughter Daisy about her whereabouts and what had happened to her, Melinda did what any concerned parent would have done for their child and gave her daughter a warm bath. This is when Melinda found indications that her daughter had been raped and tried reporting the incident to the authorities. Daisy claimed that she doesn’t remember anything after arriving at Barnett’s house and was given a liquid to drink while Barnett raped her and his friend video-taped from his phone. At this point, Melinda believes her daughter was given a date-rape drug and was then under the influence of the involuntary act. When she relayed that information to the authorities (Nodaway County prosecutor Robert Rice), they did nothing to support her accusations for her daughter who was under the influenced and was raped by a teenage boy who was two years older than she was. Rather, he said that there was not enough evidence to pursue a felony charge for a case that is lacking evidence, so he closed the case. It was also said
that a long time Missouri attorney believes Coleman status as relative outsiders played a part in the cases being dismissed. Because the family was not originally from Maryville, it made it easier for the prosecutor to drop those charges which was supposed to be a more severe one than the initial one that he was later then charged with further down within this paper. (Bazelon, 2013) Melinda was then under the impression that due to the fact that Barnett’s grandfather was a four term Missouri state representative, that it had to do with favoritism and because of that, it was the reason for the case to be closed. (New York Daily News, 2014). Even though daisy’s friend stated that, “although the girl said ‘no’ multiple times, he undressed her, put a condom on and had sex with her”, (Bazelon, 2013) Melinda desperately felt as though that should be more than enough evidence that her daughter was raped. Withstanding such a reliable witness, the charges should be pursued upon Barnett and his friend so that Daisy and her family can then be at peace. What Melinda finds baffling, is that one of the boys who were at Barnett’s party had had sex with a younger girl and was ultimately prosecuted for having sex with her and sent to juvenile court, yet, they are finding it difficult to prosecute a case with yet another under-aged girl who was drugged and raped without consent. Later down within the case, Daisy and her family were harassed mercilessly on social media sites and at school. Even worse, there was series of victim blaming towards Daisy. Some comments were, “if she had stayed at home she wouldn’t have been raped.” “She wanted to be raped.” “She is a slut. She put herself out there to be raped.” And the list of comments of victim blaming continues. Some people went as far too as blaming the mother stating, “If she had full control and security on her daughter, none of this would have happened to her.” After reporting the victim blaming from society, the world, and the constant harassment from the media, they advised Melinda that she should take her family and move to Albany, about forty miles west of Maryville. Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker was appointed as a special prosecutor in the case in November 2012 to open and re-examine the case.

CHARGES
Barnett was wearing a dark blue shirt, a pale necktie, and a solemn expression as he acknowledged that he encouraged Coleman with vodka and later leaving her in her shirtsleeves outside her home in mid-freezing temperatures. (TIME, 2014) The terms imposed by Missouri Circuit Judge Glen Dietrich, Barnett was sentenced to four months in jail: however, the sentence was suspended in favor of two years’ probation. During the time he is carrying out his sentence, Barnett must; avoid alcohol, undergo substance abuse counseling and routing drug testing, and have no contact with the Coleman family whatsoever. He also must undergo one hundred hours of community service and pay restitution of $1,800 to provide counseling service for the victims, Daisy. (TIME, 2014)
Conclusion
After two years of an ongoing case, the Coleman family can now live a happy life of free press and media. As you are aware now, the Coleman family started out as victims, which transition into being victimizers, and then switched again back to victims. The discussion also stated a series in where the family was proven to be secondary victims in the rape case. It also proves that the family was traumatize throughout the entire case and were more than undermined and defamed by the media. This case also teaches one all the terminologies that one would have been or would be taught in class about victims. For example, Daisy at one time wanted to commit suicide because of all the pressure and humiliation that she was receiving from the press, media, and the bullying at school. Within that example, two things were taught. Suicide, in which the party can no longer take the pressure of being victimize for a crime that was not her fault, and lastly, the traumatic experience that most rape victims may go through when they have been raped.