Molestation and the ‘perp’s’ recovery

from a NY Times newsletter:

• Quotation of the day

“The feeling at Oregon State right now is that our team is winning, so they’ve moved on. What does that say to the little girl in this case? What does it say to all survivors?”

— Brenda Tracy, a victims’ rights activist, on fans who cheer for Luke Heimlich, a star college pitcher who pleaded guilty to sexually molesting his 6-year-old niece when he was 15, but now denies wrongdoing.

The brief note raises a lot of questions.  A fuller article here cannot really answer them.  This is because 6 year olds can too often be got to report just about anything, including grotesque rituals run by their teachers.  And there are good reasons for pleading guilty even when one isn’t.

let me be clear:  I mean to say that readers are NOT given deciding evidence.