Crash Into Me_ A Survivor's Search for Justice - Liz Seccuro [58]
THE COURT: I’ll allow the question. I think it—
CHAPMAN: Judge, here’s— [M]y objection is to the reference of other statements.
THE COURT: Okay, let’s delete the point about other statements but let’s get to—you can ask her that question.
QUAGLIANA: Do you think there were other people involved?
CHAPMAN: Objection. Her belief in that regard is something quite different from the knowledge or recollection or the like, and I object to that question.
THE COURT: Rephrase the question.
QUAGLIANA: What do you remember about other people being involved?
THE COURT: At what point?
QUAGLIANA: At that point at which you testified that there were other people in the room.
ME: I will answer this the best way I can. Because I had been unconscious, and I recalled other people in the room at some point of the night, because of something I heard subsequently from one of the other brothers that was pledging and because of the fact that I was aware of other people in the room, that is why it remains an unanswered question. The only person I recall assaulting me is—
THE COURT: There is not a question for you right now.
ME: I’m sorry.
QUAGLIANA: Do you recall speaking to Detective Rudman about this matter? A Charlottesville Police Officer?
ME: About which matter specifically?
QUAGLIANA: Well, about the allegation that you’re making that Mr. Beebe raped you?
ME: Yes.
QUAGLIANA: Okay. And did you know that your conversation was being recorded?
ME: Yes.
QUAGLIANA: And do you remember telling him that you have a vague recollection of people in the room, perhaps spectators?
ME: Yes.
I was scared of going down this path, and also worried it was a distraction from the charges against Beebe.
QUAGLIANA: And that you may remember other people taking part, but you’re not sure, is that what you told Detective Rudman?
ME: That may be what I told him.
QUAGLIANA: And by other people taking part, you mean other people sexually assaulting you, correct?
ME: I mean that in the sense that it was told to me afterwards that that happened, so—in giving my statement, which took a long time—
THE COURT: You’ve answered the question.
ME: Okay.
QUAGLIANA: Are you saying that information you received from other people after this incident may have influenced what you think happened?
ME: Not with respect to your client.
QUAGLIANA: With respect to anything, including the presence of other people who may have participated in a gang rape?
ME: I know that other people were on the floor. I know that other people were present and were able to open the door because it was not locked.
QUAGLIANA: When were you given this information about other people’s presence and who did you talk to about that?
ME: Mere days afterwards.
QUAGLIANA: And who told you about that?
ME: There was a fellow student named Ned Cullen, who was in one of my classes, who was rushing the fraternity.
Ned was a friend whom I’d seen some days later at lunch. He’d sat down and said, “Did you hear about the girl who was gang-raped at Phi Psi?” I jumped, but I didn’t know whether that girl was me, or whether some other girl had been assaulted, too. I asked whether he was still planning to rush the house after what had happened. He said, “Of course, my whole family is Phi Kappa Psi, so, what can you do?” But we didn’t get to that story.
QUAGLIANA: And what did he tell you?
THE COURT: Now, I think we’re getting far afield.
QUAGLIANA: Well, it goes—this is what she’s testified to, Your Honor.
THE COURT: No, ma’am,