One year and seventeen days after being arrested and charged with rape by the Farmville Police Department, former Longwood University student Gus Altschuler was found 'Not Guilty' in Prince Edward County Circuit Court this afternoon. It took the 12-person jury, which included 11 women, roughly 45 minutes to deliver a decision, bringing the two-day trial to a close.
"The jury is the first time I've been given a fair shake since the beginning," said Altschuler, moments after the decision was announced. "I felt like I was guilty until proven innocent."
Altschuler was arrested and charged with felonies of rape and abduction with the intent to defile of a female Longwood student on Feb. 23, 2014. The abduction charge was dismissed by Presiding Judge Hon. Kimberley S. White at the request of Altschuler's defense attorneys after the first day of trial. That would end up setting the tone for Altschuler's own testimony this morning.
The trial hung on comparisons between his story and that of the alleged victim as details of her initial police report faced significant scrutiny and cross examination. Specifically, her initial report to the Farmville Police Department described her being grabbed by the wrist, dragged up a flight of stairs and into a room. In her court testimony Tuesday, the alleged victim stated she was "guided" up the stairs, but said she couldn't recall how much force was used. A friend of Altschuler's testified today to witnessing seeing the two go upstairs together, holding hands.
In court today, Altschuler testified to initially lying to police when arrested, then claiming he did not recognize the reported victim and, out of shock and fear of the charges, denied having any sexual intercourse with her. He testified he later admitted to police he did know her and they had consensual sex that night.
Over the course of an intense trial, Altschuler's defense team called attention to inconsistencies in the alleged victim's reporting, as well as her behavior, including a recent conviction for falsifying a police report in a separate incident this past fall. That conviction played a critical role in the defense team's closing argument, while prosecutors worked to convince the jury any odd decisions made by the alleged victim were based on trauma she suffered.
Families of both Altschuler and the reported victim were overcome with emotion when the jury's decision was announced. Prince Edward County Assistant Commonwealth's Attorneys Morgan Greer and Robert Bauer denied comment when leaving the courtroom this afternoon.
Representing Altschuler's legal team, attorney Claire Cardwell of Stone, Cardwell & Dinkin, P.L.C. stood in the courtroom and spoke of the nearly 13-month-long journey to today's decision. "This case is a great example of how the system works. It was a long wait, but he is happy the jury was so careful."
According to Cardwell, the Altschuler family has not yet made any decision to seek further legal recourse. Altschuler, a senior when he left the university shortly after his arrest last spring, is uncertain if he will attempt to re-enroll in order to complete his degree at Longwood University.
Former student Gus Altschuler and his attorney Claire Cardwell leave the Prince Edward County Courthouse in Farmville on Wednesday March 11, 2015 after being found not guilty for charges relating to rape and abduction with the intent to defile of a female Longwood student on Feb. 23, 2014.
