I am really sorry for DeMarco and his family. I am sorry for the victim. But to give a young man 16 years? He has already lost his friend, he was in the hospital as a "critical" for weeks. They found no drugs/alcohol in their systems and the accident happened at approx. 7-8 pm. This is a young man, a person! Why can't he get 3-5 w/community service? Was this young girl beaten, a virgin, disfigured? I don't know the facts, and I was not present at the trial, but this is a heartbreak. He was a classmate of my son's and has been in my home, and he was a very respectable,kind young man who was getting his life together. I hate DuPage County!!!

Was the victim a virgin? Are you out of your mind? So Ann, if you were to be raped how would you like your perpetrator to be treated?

The whole story is very sad. I feel so bad for the families involved. That aside, "Ann's" comments about rape in general illustrate the kind of sexist, back-woods thinking that has allowed this crime to go unpunished for centuries. Whether or not a person was/was not beaten, is/isn't a virgin, disfigured or not, makes no difference to the damage inflicted by the crime of rape. Nobody deserves to be raped. Nobody.

I am saddened by the harsh punishment in this case as well.I am however a bit confused at why her parents allowed the girl to get in a car with two older boys like that.
Not saying its their fault and its still wrong what the kids all did however..she was dating a freshman in college too? I think there are a few lessons that people need to take away from this.I think her parents need to focus on parenting skills in the future.
This is sad for all involved.

There is never a valid excuse for rape! It is a violent and horrible crime and should be treated as such. Yes, they were young men, but that is no excuse.

Is sixteen years a minimum for rape? I believe there was an eight-year sentence for a man who raped a child while her mother listened to her scream for help outside the bedroom door. This sentence seems excessive, when from what I have read in preceding articles, Demarco could not remember what really happened before the car accident that killed Steele. Young people do terrible things because of peer pressure, and it seems Steele was the one who had a history of problems, ie being expelled from another high school, etc. And one article said Steele , while smoking pot, had exposed himself to this girl a year before the rape, while in her home. There is a murky area here. If this young man was less than completely coercive himself, this long sentence will bring no peace to this young girl, even though this is tragic for her and she was not willfully engaging in sex. It is sad for everyone, but I think the larger perpetrator of this crime is the football hero who is already dead.

I am sorry my comments were misconstrued. I by NO way, shape, or form condone this, blame the young teen. And no it does not matter her condition, whether or not she was beaten, etc. My heart goes out to her in what may have been extremely difficult time. I was on a Jury trial on a sexual abuse case, and we found the young defendant guilty. Judge Bakalis was very thorough w/his instructions, the victims in this case were not bright nor eloquent. In this case the boy entered her room thru an open window, he crawled in bed w/her;they were "friends." and were watching a movie, she feel asleep and while she was sleeping: he fondled her and penetrated her w/his fingers. The prosecution had to argue that penetration did take place. We, the jury decided it did. the facts are the facts no matter if they were friends, that she even allowed him in her bed to watch a movie. She was violated. So, I do understand this. I would Never side w/a rapist, I was upset, cuz I knew Demarco and knew he had charater defects. I have 2 young adult sons and could not image them Ever doing this! I did NOT intend to come off that way re: victim. I was abused as an 19 y.o. In the late 1970s way before victims felt ok to come forward! Sorry for my careless rant.

Everybody that is commenting on this,
Try to remember being a young adult that is the same age as Pierre Washington Steel and Demarco Whitley and think about what you went through everyday. He isnt a bad guy because I have seen worse at GBW in my four years. Before you guys start criticizing him for what he did just think about the pain he goes through everyday because he lost his bes friend. The girl got to keep her life and her friends. RIP PWS "KEEP SMILING!"

For everybody that is bashing Demarco he didnt do it im close friends with him i was there eveything and there wasnt alot of details o her side there was alot of lies to but the judge side with he is innocent and the truth will come out soon....

the truth has come out. There was DNA Found there isnt much more truth then that. Yes the only people that really truly know what happened where those involed. Ask yourself this. But why would a 15 year old girl lie about being Raped? That is nothing a 15 year old girl wants to go though no matter what age she is no girl or women wants to go through that. For every action there is a reaction and for those actions come consensuses. Is the jucie wroth the squeez? ( The Girl next door)

The bottom line is something went on that night.....consensual or not.....her motive, the boys motive we will never know. I just feel that we do not have a right to judge any of the parties....that is up to a higher power. I am never the one to take the judgement of the judicial system to heart as it has failed many many times. With that being said, guilty innocent whatever, that person, shall be judged on Judgement Day..... It still saddens me because there is no real justice in this or any case because someone life has been changed dramatically. May God be with all parties involved and their families

15 year old girl lie all the time there have been many cases that someone say someone raped them and then it turns around it didnt happen and this 15 year old girl was dating a freshmen in college when she was 15 that say alot about her this happens all the time and there the truth will come out for all that is bashing Demarco an then for all of you that just go against rapist when you dont even know them or the facts in the case yu guys are stuipd because you just hear what the the media gives you and you just automatcally go against the rapist that stupid and how you can just talk about someones child that even worse just think about if it was your child would you like just sit back and think about..

Not picking sides here but teen aged girls and boys are having sex these days more and more often. When the parents find out about it, then it becomes rape rather it was consenual or not if the parents don't apporve. Or if you piss they girl off afterwards... There have been times when teen agers have been presured to say it was not consenual. Just because there was his DNA was found there doesn't mean he raped her. I was once accused of rape in 1997 when it was consenual sex because she later found out that I was also with someone else. The case was thrown out because she finally admitted the truth after 1 year and a half of lying. But from experience, you can sleep with a female have consenual sex on both parts and all she has to do to get back at you for anything is say "he raped me" "I said no" "I told him to stop" "he wouldn't stop" it could be days, weeks, months later and what's the guy's defense??? Of course my DNA is there, she wanted just as much as I did. But a few days later, she found out that I was also seeing someone else and all of a sudden it bacame rape... Over a year and half of my life gone back and forth to court and my name ruined... She wasn't beaten, kidnapped, dragged in an alley, we actually talked and kissed for hours afterwards...

But when people here or see the word RAPE then they see you as a different person. Like you dragged her in an alley, beat her.... My thing is if she felt she was raped. why not as soon as you are free from your rapist why not call the police... Call your parents if you are under age? Try and get help as soon as possible? 911? If you are robbed or assalted whats the first thing you do when you can? call 911... So don't pass judgement... If she was raped and it wasn't consensual then he got what they system owed him. And may God bless them all.

Judges and juries are directed to pass judgement. I don't envy them. It can't be easy, and the stakes are so high.

What she wore, what her parents did or not do, who she dated still is never, ever an excuse for a vicious, hateful crime like rape!

+1, Ramona. There is still a subset of society who wants to set females back 50 years to the 60's when you could still say things like that and get away with it. "She had a mini skirt on . . . she deserved it. She was asking for it." Amazed people like that still exist, but they do.

I was under the impression that Demarco pretty much admitted he raped the girl after he got the sentence. There would be no reason to apologize for it otherwise. To be very honest, I think a 16 year sentence is light. It is even more disgusting that people our defending him based on the girl's parenting or even putting the blame on the victim.

A comment was deleted because it contained explicit language.

He got what he deserved. And to think people felt sorry for him and his rapist friend.