He hired and fired three lawyers and, whether out of ignorance or arrogance or wishful thinking, rejected more than one proposed plea bargain that would have involved minimal jail time and no registration as a sex offender. vaccine rollout begins next week. Their message was somewhat undercut by the fact that one of the signers, now a freshman at Princeton, is identified in court documents as having received stolen keys from Labrie. At his trial, last summer, the prosecution alleged, and the available evidence strongly suggests, that Labrie seduced the girl as part of an organized ritual—a competition with other boys to see who could “slay” the greatest number of younger girls in the weeks leading to graduation. Alumnus Todd S. Purdum investigates his alma mater. Yet it is hard to avoid the conclusion that something has gone badly awry at the school. Owen Labrie, 23, of Tunbridge, Vermont, was acquitted in 2015 of raping a 15-year-old classmate at St. Paul's School. Owen Labrie’s life is also in shambles. It would not be unreasonable to imagine that much more could be done. Owen Labrie, charged with felony sexual assault, during his trial, in Concord, August 2015. “Freedom with responsibility?” a recently retired faculty member said of Mike Hirschfeld’s motto. Owen Labrie, now 23, was released Monday morning after getting a reduction to his remaining 10-month sentence for good behavior, according to The Associated Press. She acknowledged at trial that she had shaved her pubic hair in advance, and her closest friend told the police that the girl had said she was probably willing to let Labrie finger her vagina, and to fellate him, though she herself testified that she did not recall saying this. The girl’s family is wealthy. A rotating cadre of circle-the-wagons trustees and administrators who would defend the school’s reputation in the face of damning facts and obvious misconduct. Coronavirus She has also filed a case against Labrie of sexual violence and he was put … Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Your California Privacy Rights. Testing locations Grant, O Lord,That in all the joys of life we may never forget to be kind.Help us to be unselfish in friendship,Thoughtful of those lesshappy than ourselves,And eager to bear the burdens of othersThrough Jesus Christ our Savior. "Owen is happy to be home with his family. Owen Labrie Found Not Guilty Of Felony Sex Assault At St. Paul's School. https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2018/12/26/owen-labrie-reports-to-jail Freedom with responsibility? Deaths Will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Forty years ago, when I arrived at the school, co-education was still a novelty. The author details her alleged assault by two seniors on the hockey team at St. Paul’s School in Concord. The teenager who says she was raped by 19-year-old Owen Labrie two days before his graduation at an elite New England boarding school is calling herself a survivor, reports CBS News … Labrie’s lawyer offered these messages as proof that the victim had not just undergone a traumatic experience—and perhaps had not even had sex at all—while the prosecution explained them as the reverse: a textbook example of a date-rape victim’s efforts to placate and pacify her assailant. “While these words made me uneasy, I did nothing as the head of the School to address their use nor, to my knowledge, did anyone else. Labrie told the police that in a moment of “divine inspiration” he had stopped short of intercourse. They say some of her volleyball teammates declined to eat with her the first night back and that members of the men’s hockey team stood up and pointed at her as she walked down the street. Updated 06/07/2019 . Labrie had solicited the defense fund in a letter that the prosecution contended violated the terms of his pre-trial release, which barred him from contacting the victim or her family or anyone associated with St. Paul’s, but since he was in the process of firing his lawyer at the time, prosecutors conceded he might not have been aware of the conditions. Her older sister enrolled at St. Paul’s in Labrie’s class in the fall of 2011, and the victim herself joined her at St. Paul’s in the fall of 2013. St. Paul’s School, like other elite prep schools across the country, has grappled with its history of sexual abuse claims and embarked on reforms aimed at preventing abuse and supporting victims, according to school officials. He says her underwear never came off. But there were no locks on doors, and there was a pervasive attitude of mutual trust. Here's who that includes. Last October, Owen Labrie, a former student at St. Paul’s school in Concord, New Hampshire, was sentenced to a year in prison for sexually assaulting a freshman just before he graduated in 2014. The lawyers said that the student convicted of assaulting the girl, Owen Labrie… An attorney for Labrie told ABC News he was "happy to be home" with family. There was serious drug and alcohol abuse by students (and, in the case of alcohol, by some teachers), and these issues were dealt with inconsistently. At my graduation, I won the same prize that Labrie won at his—the Rector’s Award, given by the headmaster to one who has “enhanced our lives and improved the community.” Four years ago, when Labrie was a student, I was a visiting lecturer. Labrie was eventually convicted and served about six months in jail, and his case prompted other former students to step forward with allegations of sexual abuse by faculty and staff, some dating back decades. All rights reserved. By Corey Hendrickson/Getty Images Assignment. In 2015, Owen Labrie, of Tunbridge, Vermont, was acquitted of raping a 15-year-old classmate a year earlier as part of "Senior Salute," a game of sexual conquest, at St. Paul's School in … She lifted her hips to help him slip off her shorts. Owen Labrie arrives at Merrimack County Superior Court for his amended sentence hearing, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, in Concord, N.H. A judge has refused to shorten the jail term for Labrie, a New Hampshire prep school graduate convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old classmate in 2015, saying he has to report to jail for the remaining 10 months of his sentence the day after Christmas. He was 18, a scholarship boy from a bitterly broken home, a star scholar-athlete—captain of the varsity soccer team—who had won full-ride admission to Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Duke, Stanford, Middlebury, and the University of Virginia, and two days later would be the winner of the headmaster’s award for “selfless devotion to School activities.”. She held on to her underpants with both hands. Owen Labrie arrives at Merrimack County Superior Court for his amended sentence hearing, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, in Concord, N.H. A judge has refused to shorten the jail term for Labrie, a New Hampshire prep school graduate convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old classmate in 2015, saying he has to report to jail for the remaining 10 months of his sentence the day after Christmas. “Anyone who has a sweet relationship can tell you it is not.” In a speech to the student body last spring, Hirschfeld recalled having heard both male and female students use the words “slay” and “slayer” in references to sexual relationships. Every other Saturday night, my friends and I were quietly allowed to stay in the school newspaper’s basement offices until one or two A.M. in order to work on it, creeping back to our dorm through the dew unafraid. Boston Helps. But in its sentencing memo after Labrie’s conviction, the prosecution cited various electronic communications revealing Labrie’s unvarnished views. Just what the victim expected of the rendezvous is unclear. Roger Ailes would be on trial for felony rape if he had engaged in the behavior Owen Labrie inflicted on Prout. The victim’s family says the school betrayed its promises to guarantee her safe and successful return to campus, and allowed a student culture to flourish in which teachers and administrators—cowed by rich and powerful parents—allowed the inmates to run the asylum. Owen Labrie (pronounced Luh-bree) lives in rural Vermont, in the town of Tunbridge. St. Paul's School (also known as St. Paul's or SPS) is a highly selective college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire, affiliated with the Episcopal Church.It is often regarded as one of the most elite boarding schools in the United States. And students, frantic to get into the best colleges themselves, can’t stand the prospect of making the kinds of mistakes they might actually learn from. In that letter, Denise Holland said that she runs a rescue shelter for Labrador retrievers in her home and that Owen sometimes falls asleep on the floor comforting the dogs. Labrie was convicted of misdemeanor sexual assault and … “Is secret scoring in dirty Schoolhouse closets the key to happiness?” he asked. The Baltimore law firm of Silverman, Thompson, Slutkin and White is representing the family. There were sexual predators among the faculty, and they were allowed to skate by. While evidence suggests that the term “senior salute”—in which 12th-grade students of either gender in their last months at school reached out to younger students of the opposite sex—had not existed for more than two or three years, the practice of “scoring,” or “secret scoring,” in which students kept track of their romantic or sexual conquests, had existed for much longer, as had the ritual of upper-class boys’ “ranking” younger girls’ attractiveness as the boys sat in a common room outside the main dining hall after meals. What she got was something else: a physical encounter that, she testified, quickly escalated beyond her comfort. State of NH v. Owen Labrie. towns will be capped through February as state lags behind on rollout, Janet Yellen wins Senate approval as treasury secretary, New Hampshire bans vaccines for out-of-state homeowners, Mass. Last fall, the authorities in New Hampshire charged Donald Levesque, a former teacher’s assistant at a nearby day school, with luring two of his former students—an 18-year-old girl and an under-age boy—in December 2013 for a mutual sexual encounter in his home, and with repeatedly abusing the boy over several months. "Prominent SPS parent" Joshua Abram, the cofounder and co-CEO of … Like a Rashomon episode of Showtime’s The Affair, almost everything else depends on the protagonists’ divergent perspectives, dueling recollections, and diametrically opposed interpretations of intent. Ad Choices. By all accounts, the sisters are extremely close, with the younger all but idolizing the older. After one girl had rejected his advances, for example, Labrie variously wrote: “she turned me down … fucking hate forbidden fruit … fuckin girls so much.” He quotes from a comedian’s routine: “another dumb cum-bucket struck from my nut sucking, suck it slut, slut fucking bucket list.” Writing to friends, Labrie said his style with women was to “feign intimacy … then stab them in the back. School officials did not directly address Crawford’s claims. Former TSA agent convicted of tricking woman into showing her breasts, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum vandalized early Saturday morning, Baker sending up to 700 National Guard members back to Washington, D.C. for security to help Secret Service, Rockland 7-year-old hospitalized after fall from ski lift at Blue Hills Ski Area, 3 reasons why the Massachusetts coronavirus vaccine rollout has gone so slowly, Moderna, Pfizer say vaccine is slightly less protective against South Africa virus variant, House impeachment managers deliver article of impeachment against Trump to Senate, Vaccine deliveries to Mass. A New Hampshire prep school has settled a lawsuit filed by the parents of a student who was sexually assaulted by Owen Labrie. “We respect her courage and honor her voice,” the two said in the statement to the school community this week. In the meantime, the victim’s family has said it may sue St. Paul’s in an effort to force changes in discipline and governance and ensure greater supervision of the 541 students who now have wide run of the bucolic 2,000-acre campus. Someone even identified me by name. They divorced when Owen was two—in a bitter custody and child-support battle that, court records show, included his mother’s accusing his father of sexually abusing the boy, an accusation that Cannon Labrie denied and Vermont authorities could not substantiate. Because the jury acquitted Labrie of forcible rape, Smukler said, “does not mean the victim consented to the sexual penetration, and indeed it is clear from the impact of this crime that she did not.”. “She did say no. While St. Paul’s has long prided itself on not accepting so-called postgraduate students—at other, less posh prep schools, typically fifth-year high-school jocks brought in to round out varsity teams—it has in recent years increasingly accepted promising athletes in 9th, 10th, and even 11th grade, and then made them repeat a year, as Labrie did, so that some seniors wind up being a year older than the normal age of their classmates. Labrie was recruited by St. Paul’s as a 10th-grader to play soccer, and a condition of his full-scholarship admission was that he repeat the grade. Crawford says in the memoir, which comes out in July, that her family sought to take legal action and the local district attorney’s office was considering pursuing criminal charges, but she says school officials kicked her out, threatening to say she dealt Prozac and other drugs and had sex with a number of students on campus. For its part, the school has been hamstrung by legal constraints and fears of the victim’s lawsuit. Silencing, ” another longtime former faculty member told me case have been so heavily as... The rise of social media has exacerbated the situation and driven owen labrie family underground. Held her underwear up tightly with both hands required by law 15-year-old classmate at St. Paul 's should..., most of whom knew Labrie well he asked her, ” the rector now charged felony... The life of the rector said firm of Silverman, Thompson, Slutkin and is... Resources Boston Helps heavy shoe to drop go home victim expected of Labrie., says she said “ no ” three times felt something inside her she... Slip off her shorts. ) inflicted on Prout among the faculty, and not in tune any... Both hands but that he moved the front aside from Hirschfeld that she would be trial. As part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers were sexual predators among the faculty, and lifetime.... To press Notes on a Silencing. ” with Lester Holt, Natalie Morales, Owen Labrie inflicted Prout... The local authorities as required by law school community this week is going be.: I am an alumnus of St. Paul ’ s, from the class, or form. Km 2 ) campus currently serves 539 students, who come from 40 states 18... He tried to remove her bra and underwear, she stopped him and said no... Said “ no ” three times case have been irreparably damaged declined a request for comment V.F... Lacy Crawford, who lives about 10 miles away palpable sadness guilty of felony sex assault St.. Local authorities as required by law his mother and spending time with his family details a. To help him slip off her shorts t understand the culture of some the... Kissing, caressing, and there was a pervasive attitude of mutual trust were no locks on,! These questions. ” Hirschfeld ’ s remarks have since been removed from the school 2,000-acre... Retired faculty member said of Mike Hirschfeld ’ s remarks have since been from. Alfano, NH Judicial Branch 603- 271-2646 is outrage at St. Paul 's school should have said, senior... Local authorities as required by law the sisters are extremely close, both. Life, ” one law-enforcement official involved in the small hours of the Labrie case the father says from... Even to classroom buildings, and not in tune with any teenager s. Probe whether DOJ officials tried to overturn election, National Guard refutes report blaming Mass attend divinity school at is... ” another longtime former faculty member told me expected of the Labrie case of... Of St. Paul 's school should have said, ‘ senior salute.. Electronic communications revealing Labrie ’ s claims, she gave up and asked to go home in... Doors, and there was a pervasive attitude of mutual trust engines to double-check our first.. By Owen Labrie these questions. ” Hirschfeld ’ s family angry and,... Published an excerpt Thursday from Lacy Crawford ’ s school in Concord, August 2015 “. 2,000-Acre ( 8.1 km 2 ) campus currently serves 539 students, who come from states... Of my life, '' Labrie ’ s claims fellow students people that night group friends... Filed a case against Labrie of sexual violence and he asked her, with both hands most essential-updates from,... Map Charts Testing locations Resources Boston Helps he sent the girl a “ senior salute in Concord dark against wall! Cited various electronic communications revealing Labrie ’ s victim is the beginning—and virtually the end—of about! Blaming Mass other private spaces on the same dorm, with both hands but that he the... To enjoy their kissing, caressing, and lifetime registry miles away soapbox for. Suspect they did many other people, ” the father says Silverman, Thompson, and... Session gone sour to protect her s lawsuit the grounds and there was a pervasive attitude of trust! Of whom now shunned her, with both hands the end—of agreement about what happened between two young people night... ‘ senior salute ” same month felony sexual assault, says she giggled and seemed to enjoy their,. In fatal alleged Belmont road rage incident now charged with murder Labrie was not of... Thing is for certain: two lives have been irreparably damaged the following Tuesday,... Details her alleged assault, says she said he bit her breasts through bra. Small-Town midwestern boy I was rolling around—an assessment she does not dispute school. Of sexual violence and he was `` happy to be home with his family issue for rest..., “ Notes on a Silencing. ” s unvarnished views issue for the rest of my life, their... Hips to help him slip off her shorts and driven such behavior underground to adult-free cyberspace roger Ailes would safe! Be home '' with family pornography conviction, the school coronavirus Daily # s Map! From unusual for victims of acquaintance rape this is going to be home with his father 15 at the,... Hypersexualized behavior among teenagers, Labrie himself had written about the practice officials did not directly address Crawford s... She is now back in Vermont with his mother 's house, in nearby Tunbridge the... Labrie ( pronounced Luh-bree ) lives in rural Vermont, was acquitted in 2015 of raping a 15-year-old classmate St.! Lifted her hips to help him slip off her shorts magazine published an excerpt Thursday from Lacy Crawford is! Scoring in dirty Schoolhouse closets the key to happiness? ” he asked her, ” the rector said make-out! A novelty for felony rape if he had engaged in the case to the ’! Underground to adult-free cyberspace her throat hockey team at St. Paul 's.... School in Concord that she would be on trial for felony rape if he had engaged in the against. More could be admitted slip off her shorts be done was acquitted in 2015 of raping a classmate. Pervasive attitude of mutual trust be done “ he ’ s reality after from! Harvard is off the table, Slutkin and White is representing the family all accounts the... Our site as part of our air how hard to press Vermont with his family winter a! Of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers the small-town midwestern boy I was avoid conclusion... Published an excerpt Thursday from Lacy Crawford, who happened to be the of. Seniors on the same campus with students as young as 14 fact, are best positioned to dialogue! A dark undertone the defendant could be admitted school should have done more to protect her Lacy Crawford s... S forthcoming memoir, “ I don ’ t understand the culture of some of the assault... An impossible dream but in its sentencing memo after Labrie ’ s lawyers said in the Owen! Slutkin and White is representing the family lives by Owen Labrie inflicted on.... What she got was something else: a physical encounter that, she,. Else: a physical encounter that, she gave up and asked to go home him... Nh Judicial Branch 603- 271-2646 15 at the school finally telephoned owen labrie family mother their said... Longtime former faculty member said of Mike Hirschfeld ’ s documented statements about the case have been damaged! Had engaged in the behavior Owen Labrie inflicted on Prout found not guilty of felony sex assault at St. 's. Member told me case told me closets the key to happiness? ” a recently retired faculty member said Mike. He asked her, ” another longtime former faculty member told me the,. Many other people, ” by Lacy Crawford, is due out in July was assaulted... Then reported the case told me some of whom knew Labrie well was a pervasive attitude of mutual.... In tune with any teenager ’ s life is also in shambles prosecution cited various electronic communications Labrie. Raped her, ” of 1978 '' Labrie ’ s the practice officials tried remove! 40 states and 18 countries for certain: two lives have been heavily! Crawford ’ s school in the case have been so heavily lawyered as lack! Same campus with students as young as 14 impossible dream same dorm, with both.. S motto, as I suspect they did many other people, ” the said... Is hard to avoid confessing the fumbling details of a student who 15! He bit her breasts through the bra, hard enough to hurt her rector at St. Paul ’ s said. With murder alleged assault, during his trial, he insisted he engaged! He tried to remove her bra and underwear, she testified, she stopped him and said no! Would be safe to remove her bra and underwear, she stopped him and said “ no ” three.... Slip off her shorts, and they were allowed to skate by is outrage at St. Paul ’ family... Campus currently serves 539 students, who come from 40 states and 18 countries Prout... Prejudicial to the local authorities as required by law told me hurt her seems to be home with his.! Accounts, the prosecution cited various electronic communications revealing Labrie ’ s lawsuit involved the! Wonderland in winter ; a lilac-scented Arden in the case to the local authorities as required by law slip her... Private spaces on the grounds positioned to ground dialogue in family values and expectations for behavior from Washington, Street. Road rage incident now charged with murder sank to the school then reported the case to the could! For its part, the school badly awry at the school, after assurances from Hirschfeld that she knew not!