As a follower of true crime stories and someone who believes in speaking out against sexual assault and cyberbullying, I am deeply saddened by the tragic lives of Audrie Pott and Daisy Coleman as depicted in the Netflix documentary “Audrie & Daisy.” The unjust experiences these two young women went through is a stark reminder of the harsh realities faced by victims of sexual assault.
The 2016 true-crime documentary “Audrie & Daisy” brings attention to the experiences of two teenage girls who were victims of sexual assault and endured cyberbullying. Sadly, one of the film’s subjects, 15-year-old Audrie Pott, took her own life just days after being assaulted. Tragically, Daisy Coleman, a survivor and co-founder of a sexual assault prevention organization, also passed away by suicide in 2020 at the age of 23. Heartbreakingly, Coleman’s mother joined them in death only months later, also taking her own life.
According to The US Sun, seventeen-year-old Matthew Barnett stood accused of sexually assaulting Daisy Coleman at a rowdy house party in Maryville, Missouri, back in 2012. One night, Daisy and a friend of hers, who was only thirteen, slipped out of the house. Barnett and his companions then drove them to a gathering at his place. Daisy declared that she had been raped in one of the bedrooms following being given an intoxicating clear liquid. She also asserted that another boy filmed the incident on his cellphone. Regrettably, the law enforcement discovered that the video was no longer available. The thirteen-year-old friend alleged that a fifteen-year-old boy had raped her as well. Later, Barnett is said to have left Daisy on her porch in freezing temperatures while she was still under the influence of alcohol and barely conscious.
What charges did Matthew Barnett face in Daisy Coleman’s case?
I was shocked when I first heard about Barnett’s arrest back in 2014, as reported by both The US Sun and CBS News. He was accused of sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, but he claimed that their encounters were consensual. Consequently, he was only charged with a misdemeanor for child endangerment. In simpler terms, at 19 years old, Barnett admitted to his guilt in this case and received a sentence of two years of probation and a suspended four-month jail term.
After the court decision, Daisy’s family expressed their disappointment over the dropped felony charges against Barnett and the other teenager, as reported by The US Sun. Nodaway County Prosecutor Robert Rice explained that insufficient evidence led him to dismiss the charges against Barnett, who is the grandson of a former Republican Missouri state representative. Melinda Coleman, Daisy’s mother, accused Rice of acting under political pressure but received denial from him.
After that, Jean Peters-Baker, the prosecutor of Jackson County, decided to reopen the case. She concluded that there wasn’t enough evidence for a sexual assault charge, so she filed a misdemeanor charge instead. According to CBS News, Barnett confessed to this lesser offense in the plea deal. In exchange for his guilty plea, he was required to pay $1,800 in compensation to the victim, enabling him to receive necessary mental health care. Furthermore, Barnett had to perform 100 hours of community service and offer an apology to the affected individual.
Audrie & Daisy is available to watch on Netflix.
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2024-07-25 19:40