Former Carnegie Mellon Student Convicted of Date Rape

College students are not the only people who are vulnerable to sexual assault, but sex crimes, from rape to simple sexual harassment are widespread on college campuses and among student populations.  It is not hard to find opinion pieces on news sites attributing the origins of the problem to causes ranging from peer pressure to drink, victims being afraid to say “no,” and misinformation about the meaning of consent, to name just a few causes.  The story of the former Carnegie Mellon student accused of raping a young woman who attended the University of Pittsburgh does not fit any of the stereotypes about sleazy frat parties, hazy memories the morning after, and gray areas around the subject of consent.  The charges were serious, including rape and false imprisonment.  No matter how serious the accusations, all defendants accused of sex crimes are entitled to representation by a sex crimes defense attorney.

What Is Date Rape? 

Simply put, date rape is rape.  It is a penetrative sexual act that takes place without the victim’s consent.  The majority of rapes are perpetrated by someone the victim knew before the crime, but date rape is even more specific than acquaintance rape.  In a case of date rape, there must be a romantic relationship or prospective romantic relationship between the perpetrator and the victim.  In some cases of date rape, the perpetrator and the victim have had consensual sex with each other previously.  Some cases of date rape occur when the victim is unable to consent because he or she is drunk or under the influence of drugs.

In the News 

The crime, which took place on September 22, 2018 sounds like a case of “Netflix and chill” gone nightmarishly wrong.  Jason Baik, who had attended Carnegie Mellon University until the spring 2018 semester, had invited a female acquaintance to his apartment in Shadyside.  The young woman, a student at the University of Pittsburgh, came to Baik’s apartment where they drank alcohol and watched a movie in his living room.  Then, according to court documents, he carried her into the bedroom and raped her.  Neighbors called the police when they heard screams and sounds of a struggle coming from Baik’s apartment.  The victim was eventually able to fight him off and escape from the apartment. Neighbors saw her in the hallway, unclothed and with marks on her neck that looked like someone had been choking her.

After his arrest, Baik told police that the sexual encounter was consensual; he had even recorded it on his phone.  The recording turned out to be a decisive piece of evidence about whether the woman had given consent; in the recording, she can clearly be heard telling him to stop.

Reach Out to Us Today for Help 

The rights of defendants in criminal cases are still the same, even if the accusations are for offenses of a sexual nature.  Contact Pittsburgh sex crimes attorney Gary E. Gerson to discuss your case if you are facing criminal charges.

Resource:

post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2019/05/01/CMU-Joon-Woo-Jason-Baik-convicted-sexual-assault-Pitt-Shadyside-pittsburgh/stories/201905010142