Charges Dropped Against Alleged Rapist at Keith Urban Concert
The Keith Urban concert on July 26th in Mansfield, Mass. at the Xfinity Center that saw 55 arrests, 46 medical incidents, and 22 people transported to hospitals came to symbolize the downward spiral that country music’s concert environment experienced this summer amidst a rash of incidents where both medical and police statistics shocked much of the public. After the raw numbers on the Keith Urban concert were released, further details days later of an alleged rape that occurred in the venue’s lawn section while as many as 15 witnesses stood around and took video and pictures of the incident came to light, adding to additional outrage about the concert.
18-year-old concertgoer Sean Murphy was accused of raping a 17-year-old girl and was arrested on the scene. The incident ended when a woman attending the concert asked the girl if what was happening was consensual, and she said, “No,” according to the Sun Chronicle, and the woman pulled the suspect off the girl who then fled. Apparently Sean Murphy stood around for a short period, looking for positive acknowledgement from the crowd that had gathered about what happened, before disappearing into the lawn crowd. The girl’s friends took her to police, and the gates to the concert were temporarily closed until Sean Murphy could be found and detained.
Sean Murphy did not know the girl previously, and the two met at the concert according to police. They began kissing near a concession stand before moving to the lawn area. According to the young girl, she went with Sean Murphy because “she was afraid of what would happen” if she didn’t go. Both teens had been drinking at the concert.
Sean Murphy’s parents posted his $10,000 bond the next day and he was released. The attorney for the 18-year-old claimed at the time that the incident was a consensual act, and that there was no sign of force or violence in the case. According to prosecutors, this claim was correct, and on Thursday (9-25), the Bristol County prosecutors dropped all charges against the teen.
“Given the state of the evidence, the case had to be dismissed in the interest of justice,” said Bristol County spokesman Gregg Miliote to The Boston Globe. “The family [of the woman] is on board with this decision.”
The attorney for Sean Murphy, Steven Brooks, said about the dismissal, “This is still a completely devastating accusation to be made of someone who’s 18 years old and never been in trouble his whole life. He spent the night in [jail]… It happened in a crowd and people saw it and assumed that because it was a young man on top of a young woman, and they both got up and went in different directions after, that it may have been a sexual assault. It became unmistakably clear that this was a consensual act. There were people videotaping.”
According to police, right after the incident they overheard Sean Murphy telling his parents he “messed up” over the phone, and Murphy’s attorney says that his client recognizes he “demonstrated bad judgement.” But in the end investigators decided the incident was either consensual, or at least consensual enough to not prosecute in the case.
September 25, 2014 @ 5:55 pm
But she was 17…isn’t that statutory rape?
September 25, 2014 @ 6:41 pm
Nate just wanted to add this to clear up any questions…here in Massachusetts the age of consent is 17. So no, not statutory in MA. My girlfriend and I were at a show at this venue 3 weeks after the Keith Urban concert and there was a couple laying wrapped up in a blanket (it was cold) about 15-20 feet from us. We were surprised at how dark is was and how we could barely see them. Thinking about this suspected rape incident, we were saying how if the couple we were watching was doin something wrong we wouldn’t even be able to tell. So maybe the answer is overhead lighting that won’t affect the performers?
September 25, 2014 @ 6:48 pm
Don’t know about Mass. but in NC the age of consent is 16. Depends on the state but yes some states are 17. I believe the majority are 16 though. I was not going to judge the boy regardless. The idea of sex in public at a concert is disgusting but i personally don’t know what happened and its like my grandfather always told me “believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see.”
September 25, 2014 @ 6:56 pm
who bought these idiots they’re booze? why aren’t these people not being held accountable for pissing away a bunch of taxpayer money?
September 25, 2014 @ 7:13 pm
You may be hitting on the much larger issue here of how there’s so much money being made at these concerts including on concessions, there’s a culture of looking the other way.
September 26, 2014 @ 8:11 am
I have been to this venue many times. It’s actually in the parking lot where people generally get drunk. Inside the venue itself they are very strict and not only card you no matter how old you are but will also card anybody they see you handing a drink to and if either cannot show valid in state ID they will dump the drink. The parking lot, on the other hand, is a whole other story.
September 25, 2014 @ 6:58 pm
I wish that security would keep these shows from becoming melees.
September 26, 2014 @ 6:27 am
At some venues, the security is summer jobs for local kids and they clearly have no interest in getting involved unless forced. My local venue is good and hires professionals.
September 26, 2014 @ 7:47 am
Every show I’ve ever been to, the security is always greatly outnumbered.
Indoors, I’ve seen 100-1.
Outdoors, easily 1000-1.
I don’t fault the security for not being able to be everywhere at once. But I do keep more of an eye on my surroundings than the show itself. Which is why I don’t go to many shows anymore.
Perhaps what we’re seeing is the result of organizers relying on people policing themselves, and the people no longer doing that as much.
Or maybe bad publicity doesn’t cost as much as hiring a decent security staff.
September 26, 2014 @ 7:57 am
Same reason I stopped going to shows. I’m a metalhead from way back, but haven’t been to a metal show since Mayhem Fest 2010 right after I got home from Afghanistan. Damn crowd was just too out of control. Used to be, that sort of thing was only at the metal shows, but the past few summers have proven that it’s spilled over into mainstream country, as well. Last concert of any kind I went to was Dale Watson last year at a local Eagles Club. 1000 times better than any of those big festivals would have been. lol
September 26, 2014 @ 10:49 am
I quit going to shows when it became nothing but a bunch of idiots staring at their phones. It’s hard to see a concert with a thousand Facebook statuses shining in your face.
September 26, 2014 @ 10:49 am
There are still a few metal bands that I have seen where i didn’t have to worry about anything. One of the main ones being ASG a local band that was signed to volcom records for years. pretty huge in the area and have a decent fanbase. The couple of shows of theirs i have been to were all respectful fans. If a person hit the ground in the pit it was the kind of group where you would instantly be helped back up. cant say that for a lot of metal fans now. Metal has evolved from being a place where teens like i was could channel their anger problems to being a haven for jackasses. its a shame. I will always be a huge panterahead no matter what though.
September 26, 2014 @ 11:12 am
Mike, I’m a metalhead as well and I gotta tell you, metalheads are well behaved. I’m not sure about at festivals — those pretty much always suck — but I go to metal shows at clubs all the time and everyone is pretty much respectful and polite.
September 26, 2014 @ 9:14 am
This is exactly why I go to small club shows and house concerts. My one larger venue I will go to is Billy Bobs Texas in Fort Worth. Their security is tight and always has been. So far, knock on wood, The Texas Red Dirt scene seems to be not having huge problems with assualts, fights etc. I fight started at a Randy Rodgers Band Show a few years back and he stopped the show called the guy out and that was it. I hope this continues to be the way it is.
September 27, 2014 @ 11:57 am
They got Cody Canada on record doing the same thing at Cain’s Ballroom.
“I tell you what, my friend down there throwin’ beer, if you throw one more beer at Grady Cross, Imma kick your fuckin’ ass.”
September 26, 2014 @ 9:21 am
OK, so the rape charges were dropped-I don’t know enough about this particular incident to comment on the validity of that particular aspect
But are there no “public lewdness”, “public nudity”, or such laws, on the books anymore? Putting aside the matter of whether it was consensual, whether the girl was underage, and such (not being dismissive of those, just setting them aside for a different point)–are there no laws against having sex in public? Good gravy.
September 27, 2014 @ 10:23 am
Yeah I hear ya. Yikes.