N.J. Judge Accused Of Showing Leniency To Rape Suspect 'From A Good Family' Steps Down
FREEHOLD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – A judge accused of showing leniency to a 16-year-old rape suspect because he was "from a good family" has stepped down.
According to court documents, the New Jersey teen recorded himself penetrating a 16-year-old girl from behind. Prosecutors said he then sent the video to his friends, saying "when your first time having sex was rape."
Monmouth County Judge James Troiano denied the prosecution's request to move the case to adult court, describing the teen as an Eagle Scout who came "from a good family" and "was doing extremely well" in school.
Troiano also questioned whether the incident was a rape, saying rapes usually involve two or more males using a weapon, sometimes in an abandoned house or shed.
His decision was reversed last month, allowing prosecutors to pursue an indictment in adult court.
New Jersey's high court has also removed Ocean County Superior Court Judge John Russo Jr. from the bench following a separate case in which he told a rape victim she should have "shut your legs."
Both judges' comments sparked protests, as did those of Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Marcia Silva, who decided a 16-year-old boy did not have to be tried as an adult for allegedly assaulting a 12-year-old girl. That decision has been reversed, as well.
