Former Vanderbilt player Cory Batey found guilty in rape retrial
Cory Batey has been found guilty again.
The former Vanderbilt player was found guilty of aggravated rape and assault of an unconscious woman by a Nashville jury on Friday night. The trial was a retrial for the mistrial declared in June. In that trial, Batey and teammate Brandon Vandenburg were found guilty on rape charges but the mistrial was declared because it was discovered a juror was the victim in a statuatory rape case.
Batey and Vandenburg were accused of raping an unconscious woman in a dorm room in 2013. Two other former players, Jaborian McKenzie and Brandon Banks, have charges pending in the case.
The victim has said she did not remember anything about the 2013 incident. Video footage from the building showed players carrying an unconscious woman to the room and also taking pictures of her.
Batey testified at the retrial and said he did not remember the entire evening, only a party and waking up to go to church the following morning. His attorney put the onus on Vandenburg for being the incident's leader.
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The woman has since graduated from Vanderbilt and, according to the Tennesseean, took an exam for her neurosciences program the day before the verdict. And while Batey was found guilty Friday, the retrial for Vandenburg has yet to happen.
She hugged former prosecutor Kathy Morante and held back tears. Morante worked on this case and is now with the Metro Nashville Police Department.
"She's my hero, she really is," Morante said of the woman. Because of the mistrial and separating the retrials of Batey and Vandenburg, the woman will have to testify at least three times.
"For everyone she's going to stick it through to the end," Morante said. "I'll be here for her."
Batey's sentencing is scheduled for May 20. He could face upwards of 15-25 years in prison.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
