A 17 year old Ohio teen girl has been arrested and charged with multiple offenses for live streaming the rape of her friend on the Twitter app, Periscope. Maria Lonina, 18, grabbed her phone as her 17 year old female friend was attacked and raped at a house in Columbus by 29 year old Raymond Gates and just started streaming the event as it was happening live. Both Lonina and Gates are being charged with rape, kidnapping, pandering sexual matter and sexual battery.
Ron O’Brien, the prosecutor for Franklin County, Ohio, was stunned. “I have never seen a case such as this where you would actually live stream a sexual assault. Based on the video I saw, it didn’t appear as if for the most part of it that she was attempting to help the victim.”
Lonina and her soon to be raped friend, attended high school together in Columbus and met Gates at a local mall. Gates suggested they hang out the day day and the girls agreed. The met at a house outside of Columbus and that was when gates attacked and began to rape the 17 year old victim. Lonina grabbed her phone, launched Periscope, and began sending the scene out live. The previous night, prosecutors said that the two had taken naked photos of the 17 year old and had posted them out online.
Motive for Lonina’s actions seem murky but she claims that she was trying to help her friend but, O’Brien stated, she never did and she could be heard laughing and giggling in the background during the entire rape. Later, Lonina said she had become mesmerized by the comments that were coming in about the event and she said that she “just got caught up in the ‘likes'”.
One of Lonina’s friends actually saw the streaming taking place and called the police.
On Friday of last week, Lonina got out on $125,000 bail while Gates was locked up and his bail was set at $300,000. Both face a prison sentence of up to 40 years if convicted of the crimes with which they are charged.
Lonina’s lawyer, Sam Shamansky, stated that Lonina was trying to help. “She was swept up in the gravity of the situation. She immediately told police that she filming in order to preserve, not to embarrass or to shame or to titillate anybody.”
Prosecutor O’Brien also stated that for a ten second period on the tape, Lonina was yanking at her friend’s leg while she was being raped and screaming for help.
“For the most part”, said O’Brien, “she is just streaming it on the Periscope app and giggling and laughing.”
PHOTO SOURCE: Photos of Lonina and Gates courtesy of The Associated Press