Teen Accused of Live Streaming Friend Being Raped On Periscope

An Ohio teenager is accused of watching her 17-year-old friend being raped in addition to streaming a live video of it on the Periscope app.

The teen, 18, and the 29-year-old man accused of rape have both been charged with kidnapping, rape, sexual battery and pandering sexual matter involving a minor.

The prosecutor’s office said the two friends from the same high school met the man accused of rape for the first time while hanging out at a shopping mall the day before the alleged assault. He apparently suggested they meet the next day.

On the evening of Feb. 27, all three were apparently together when the 29-year-old man allegedly pinned down the 17-year-old and raped her. The 18-year-old friend apparently used Periscope, an app owned by Twitter, to live-stream the attack, the authorities said.

A friend of the teen’s in another state saw the video and contacted the authorities.

The teen allegedly told the police that she filmed the encounter to gather evidence of a crime.

In addition to the plethora of charges the teen faces, authorities have also charged her with an additional felony for photographing her friend in the nude.

Both the teen and the man accused of rape face more than 40 years in prison if convicted.

Court records show that the teen was released Friday on a bond of $125,000, while the 29-year-old man remained incarcerated after his bond was set at $300,000.

Since Twitter introduced Periscope last spring, it has been used for more than 100 million broadcasts.

This is quite a unique case. Certainly with the changes in technology and social media, new types of criminal cases are introduced on a daily basis. Internet crimes tend to complicate legal matters, which is why prosecutors aggressively seek to punish those accused of any wrongdoing. Sex crimes in general create much controversy, but adding in social media and the Internet only further complicates these cases.

The charges the pair faces in this case are serious crimes carrying serious potential sentences. Our Florida Sex Crimes Defense Lawyers at Whittel & Melton will defend you vigorously, fight for your rights and, if necessary, work towards negotiating a plea deal that is in your best interests. If you have been accused of a sexual offense and wish to speak with us, please call us today at 866-608-5529 or contact us online.