(TL;DR at the end)

Defendant (19): Tyler Strong

'Victim' (18) : M* [Redacted by media] (I don't remember her name, but I saw her)

Charges:

  • One count of First Degree Sexual Assault [Maximum 20 Years]

  • One count of Third Degree Sexual Assault [Maximum 5 Years]

  • Doesn't make sense because it is defined as: " person is guilty of third degree sexual assault if he or she is over the age of eighteen (18) years and engaged in sexual penetration with another person over the age of fourteen (14) years and under the age of consent, sixteen (16) years of age. " (Source)

  • Total: 20-25 years in prison if found guilty

Evidence of My "Testimony":

I was at his dorm party down the hall from mine and hung out with him until just two or three hours before this supposed event occurred. When I woke up, police officers were sitting in the common area waiting for him to return to his dorm. Never saw him or the girl again.

Article: Tyler Strong testifies in UH rape trial

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Tyler Strong, the 19-year old former UH Manoa student on trial for raping a classmate in September, took the stand in his own defense Thursday.

Strong said he was close friends with the accuser before the incident on the morning of September 21.

“We were flirtatious. We also shared intellectually intimate moments with each other."

I can confirm. When I asked about her in his dorm (she's cute), he told me that they were close friends and spend time together.

Strong, now living at home in Oregon, testified he and the accuser had spent the night with each other on a previous occasion. "We kissed and cuddled all night, then slept."

He said on the night of September 20, there was drinking in his dorm room. The girl was there, but left between 11:30 and midnight. Later, after a series of text messages between the two, the girl returned to Strong's dorm.

There was only one girl that left that night at this time, she was feeling sick. The same girl I asked about. I witnessed Tyler carry her to the bathroom and make sure she was okay before resuming the party.

"What was going through your head at this point?” asked his attorney Jeffrey Hawk.

“That she wanted to sleep with me, tonight," Strong answered.

Once in his bed, the two started kissing, and had sex.

"When you started to have sex with her, did she say no?” Hawk asked.

“No she did not,” replied Strong from the stand.

“Did she say stop?” Hawk continued.

“No she did not,” Strong answered.

Strong testified it was after the encounter that the girl became distraught and started crying before leaving the dorm room. Under cross examination, the state tried to show that the alleged victim did not give consent.

"--- didn't say 'yes, give it to me,' right?” asked Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kristen Yamamoto.

“No she did not,” Strong answered.

“She didn't say 'yes Tyler, I want to have sex with you,'” said Yamamoto during cross examination.

“No she did not," Strong replied.

Both sides rested their cases. Closing arguments will be heard Friday morning. Jury deliberation will commence Monday.

Article: UH Manoa campus rape trial underway

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The trial of a former University of Hawaii Manoa freshman accused of raping another student on campus began in Circuit Court Thursday.

19-year-old Tyler Strong is charged with one count of first-degree sexual assault and one count of third-degree sexual assault for the alleged incident that happened in September 2014 at Johnson Hall.

The 19-year old, from Oregon, says the sex was consensual.

"She makes up a story so that Tyler's the bad guy. She's not the bad guy. She's not the loose girl that came over. She can point the finger and say Tyler forced me," said Jeff Hawk, Strong's defense attorney, during opening statements Thursday.

Prosecutors say Tyler Strong raped a fellow freshman he was friends with inside his dorm room.

"M said, 'No! No stop! Get off me!' M was crying trying to get the defendant Tyler Strong to get off of her," said prosecutor Kristin Yamamoto, turning to point at the defendant.

I call bullshit, someone, especially the dorm next door, would have heard this

The defense says the victim drank all night and is claiming she didn't consent to having sex after the fact because she doesn't want to appear promiscuous.

*"M went to Tyler's room knowing full well what was going to happen. He had sent her a text saying, 'Come over baby, I want to give it to you', and she came. She came over in her underwear and a tiny little top at 5 a.m.," said Hawk.**

Prosecutors say the 18-year-old expected some kissing and cuddling, but not for Strong to pin her down on his bed.

She came in her underwear and skimpy shirt to 'kiss and cuddle'. You keep telling yourself that sweetheart.

"Even when M* was telling him, 'Please, just stop. No, I don't want this.' Crying. Trying to struggle and squirm away from him -- she still can't move," said Yamamoto.

According to the defense, the victim only reported the alleged rape because her friend insisted. Strong's attorney says a doctor found no evidence of a sexual assault.

"There was nothing about the sexual encounter that was forced. He never held her down, he never forced her. She never said no. They had a consensual sexual encounter on that morning," said Hawk.

The trial comes at a time when UH Manoa has been under intense scrutiny following a Title IX audit on-campus.

While officials couldn't comment on the case directly, they say the school has a zero tolerance policy they believe has been strengthened by a new intiative.

"One sexual assault on campus is one too many and it's something that we don't tolerate here and we're doing everything we can to create a culture where that doesn't exist," said UH spokesperson Dan Meisenzahl. "We have a brand new policy in place -- you don't need a 'no', you need a 'yes'."

The "affirmative consent" policy, which defines consent not as waiting for a person to say "no," but rather seeking an explicit "yes" before engaging in any sexual activity, is widely considered the new standard to be used when investigating sexual assault complaints on campus. Officials say alleged attackers can no longer claim reported victims "didn't say no".

This was the event that triggered the adoption 'Yes Means Yes' at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Prosecutors say the alleged victim will take the stand to testify against Strong. The trial is expected to last about a week.

Article ('Victim' Admits Motive): AFTER ‘SIX MONTHS OF HELL,’ STUDENT ACCUSED OF RAPE ACQUITTED BY JURY

In closing arguments, Hawk pointed out that the young lady had admitted that she went to Strong’s room to get a guy she liked jealous.

Article: Here's Tyler Crying Tears of Joy in the Embrace of his Mother and Family Friend after Verdict

Article (After Verdict Press Speech): Former UH student Tyler Strong found not guilty of sexual assault

“Understand that society today doesn’t favor young men, and you need to, as a young man, protect yourself,” he said.

His mother, Dawn Strong, offered similar sentiments.

“It’s been six months of hell,” she said. “I would just say that, like my son said, if you are a young man in today’s society, our pendulum has swung the wrong way.”


TL;Dr: Tyler Strong threw a dorm party. Tyler texted a girl that was there a few hours after she left, asking if she wanted to come over and have sex. She came to make another guy jealous and arrived at Tyler's dorm in a skimpy shirt and underwear. A couple hours later, she cries rape. At the end of the trial, Tyler is determined not guilty.

edit: Excuse me if "Evidence of My Testimony" was misleading. I was not at his trial. If he would have called me and asked for my testimony after I read her defense, I would have accepted.