COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A West Virginia judge has rejected requests that three juveniles be called to testify at the Ohio trial of two high school football players charged with raping a 16-year-old girl.
The juveniles' testimony was expected to bolster the players' defense against the charges. The victim of the alleged rape is from West Virginia.
Hancock County Judge Ronald Wilson ruled Wednesday in an order obtained by The Associated Press that no legal case was cited to support the argument he can compel the three West Virginia children to testify in Ohio.
Wilson says in the four-page order that Ohio and West Virginia law is different for a juvenile delinquency hearing compared to a criminal trial.
Walter Madison, representing defendant Ma'Lik Richmond, says the ruling puts his client in a tough situation.
