Three More Men Arrested in Sexual Assault Case at Vanderbilt University
Aug. 17, 2013— -- A fifth Vanderbilt football player, along with two California men, were arrested in connection with an alleged rape in a dorm room on the Nashville, Tenn., campus, authorities said.
Vanderbilt Commodores wide receiver Chris Boyd, 21, turned himself in to Nashville police this morning after he was indicted for allegedly trying to help four of his former teammates engineer a cover-up in the case, which has now resulted in the four being charged with rape, according to the Nashville Police Department.
Brandon Vandenburg, 20, of Indio, Calif.; Cory Batey, 19, of Nashville; Brandon Banks, 19, of Brandywine, Md.; and Jaborian McKenzie, 19, of Woodville, Miss., were each charged with five counts of aggravated rape and two counts of aggravated sexual battery on Aug. 9.
The four men are charged with raping an unconscious 21-year-old victim in Vandenburg's Gillette House dorm room on June 23, police said. They were dismissed from the team on June 29 and banned from campus pending a six-week investigation.
READ MORE: Former Campus Athletes Indicted on Multiple Counts of Aggravated Rape, Aggravated Sexual Battery
Boyd is accused of taking part in an attempted cover-up of the sexual assault after he allegedly gave advice to certain defendants who were indicted last week, police said. He is charged with one felony count of being an accessory after the fact.
He was booked into Davidson County Sheriff's Office this morning and later released on $25,000 bond.
Vanderbilt issued a statement Friday in light of the indictment, saying Boyd was suspended from the team pending further review.
Boyd was indicted Friday along with Miles Finley, 19, of Bermuda Dunes, Calif., and Joseph Quinzio, 20, of Palm Desert, Calif., who were arrested and charged with one felony count each of tampering with evidence, the Nashville Police Department said.
Both Finley and Quinzio were arrested and taken into custody Friday in California, where they are being held as fugitives wanted by the state of Tennessee. The two men, whose bonds were set at $150,000, are acquaintances of Vanderburg, police said.
Vandenburg remains jailed on $350,000 bond, while three other former players have bonded out of jail. Their arraignment is set for Aug. 21, although McKenzie has already pleaded not guilty and waived his right to appear at the arraignment, The Associated Press reported.
It is possible that other acquaintances may also face charges, as the investigation remains open and active.
"We are looking at all persons who may have been involved in this event, before, during and after the fact," Nashville Police Department Chief Steve Anderson said. "Additional charges cannot be ruled out."
