Vermont prep school grad convicted of sexually assaulting teen classmate released for good behavior after just 6 months
A prep school graduate from New Hampshire, convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old female classmate, was released from prison on Monday.
The convict, 23-year-old Owen Labrie, reportedly turned himself in to Merrimack County jail in December 26, 2018, over a week after a judge refused to shorten his year-long prison sentence.
Labrie had reportedly served two months in prison for flouting his curfew and was set to serve the remaining of his sentence, 10 months, however, his attorney on Monday confirmed to ABC News of his release.
He was reportedly released on account of good behavior.
Labrie, of Tunbridge, Vermont, was acquitted of raping his 15-year-old classmate Chessy Prout as part of 'Senior Salute,' a game of sexual conquest, at St. Paul's School in 2015. However, a jury found him guilty of misdemeanor sexual assault charges and endangering the welfare of a child.
Labrie was also convicted of using a computer to lure an underage student for sex, which resulted in him being required to register as a sex offender.
The 23-year-old had been free pending appeals, except for the two months he served in prison for curfew violation in 2016. However, the court, last year, had upheld Labrie's conviction on the computer charge when he requested an appeal, according to reports.
The Vermont court also dismissed Labrie's lawyers' arguments, which stated that the prosecutors had not provided intent in his use of computer. They had also argued that the law was meant to be used to target pedophiles and sexual predators on the internet, not in cases like Labrie's.
The court dismissing these arguments, in its 3-0 ruling, stated that the prep school graduate's trial lawyers failed to mount a defense against the computer charge, including arguing that his use of the school's intranet network did not constitute computer services under the law.
The court also stated that neither did the defense's arguments effectively state that Labrie had no intention of engaging in sexual activity with Prout when he sent her the messages from the computer.
Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi, in her decision, wrote: "Counsel's decision to focus his opening statement and closing argument on attacking the victim's credibility and to defend all of the charges the defendant faced by focusing on penetration and consent are tactical decisions that fall within the wide range of reasonable professional assistance."
"Given the wide latitude of discretion available to defense counsel to conduct the defense in the manner of his or her own choosing, the opening statement and closing argument and defense mounted by the defendant's trial counsel cannot be deemed ineffective assistance of counsel," the statement added.