Court overturns Dixon's child molestation conviction

[CatWoman]

This is great news!!!

I don't know how many of you followed this story, so read on.

The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday reversed the conviction of a Floyd County football star and student who had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexual offenses against a 15-year-old classmate.

In a 4-3 decision, the court overturned the aggravated child molestation conviction against Marcus Dixon. The ruling, written by Chief Justice Norman Fletcher, said "the General Assembly intended to punish Dixon's conduct as a misdemeanor statutory rape rather than child molestation."


The ruling will lower substantially Dixon's prison time. Aggravated child molestation carries a mandatory 10-year sentence. Dixon's conviction for statutory rape, which still stands, carries a maximum one-year sentence.

Dixon was 18 at the time of the offense with a 3.96 grade point average. His football scholarship to attend Vanderbilt University was revoked after his arrest. His case drew national publicity and strong criticism from the NAACP. Dixon is African-American; his victim is white.

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/0504/03dixon.html

[DrWeird]

1. Took long enough. Fucking racist pigs.

Poor kid.

[NuckinFutz]

2. Will Vanderbilt reinstate his scholarship..

or is it still toast due to the arrest?

[ps1074]

3. one year maximum sentence for a rape?

WTF? Rapist are not better than child molesotors.

[samsingh]

6. there is NO evidence it was rape

it seemed entirely consensual.

[AP]

9. I believe (from memory) the jury found him innocent of rape and were

shocked that there was a mandatory sentence for what they thought was a much less serious crime for which they did convinct him.

[meow2u3]

13. STATUTORY rape: consent not relevant

The kid was too young to consent legally to sexual relations. Hence, the statutory rape conviction stood, while the child molestation rap was thrown out. It's not like the kid was little.

[Christ was Socialist]

8. ????

It was statutory, in fact this law is bullshit. I know so many younger women who are with older men, this is such rascist bullshit. Name a few women who have ever dted within a year of thier age.

[samsingh]

4. thank you for the update!

this was a tragic error from the beginning.

[samsingh]

5. who were the 3 stupid judgest that voted against Dixon?

they're scary.

[Christ was Socialist]

7. How is 18 and 15 child molestation?

I knew many girls in fact all women date older man, the average age is 24 months. Many high school women in thier senior year take college seniors to proms. This is bullshit. 36 months is not child molestation, or statutory rape. That's a damn shame.

[samsingh]

10. i don't think he should be convicted of any crime.

this whole thing reeks of racism.

[Vladimir]

11. Loving while black... tut tut n/t

[AspenRose]

16. But I thought

ALL black men who had sexual relations with white women were raping them against their will. /sarcasm OFF

Sometimes, rape happens, and it's tragic and unfortunate, regardless of ethnicity; sometimes, however, sex is consensual, which, when interracial, pisses a lot of people off to no end. It is twisted when a family would rather cry rape than admit that their chaste, pure, lily white daughter CHOSE to be with a young black man.

And in the 21st century, that's a damn shame.

[Catherine Vincent]

12. I just read it on CNN. This is great news.

Thank goodness the Georgia supreme court had sense to do the right thing!

[0007]

14. Yeah, I've followed it and that boy got screwed royally

If Dixon can't get his scholarship back I'd like to see him sue the fuck out of the system.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

15. Cry, punishists, cry. I want you to come to this thread

and sob uncontrollably while I sip a margarita and watch.