Nate Parker’s 1999 Sexual Assault Case: What We Know
Nate Parker’s 1999 Sexual Assault Case:
TheWrap’s timeline from accusations to Parker’s acquittal, and the resurfacing of the incident as his film “The Birth of a Nation” prepares to launch
The retreading of a 17-year-old rape case involving director Nate Parker has sent the awards campaign for his critically acclaimed film “The Birth of a Nation” into a tailspin — but what exactly happened nearly two decades ago?
In 1999, Parker and his longtime friend, Jean Celestin, were arrested and tried for the sexual assault of an unnamed woman and fellow classmate at Penn State University, where both men were sophomores and members of the wrestling team.
Parker was acquitted of the charges in 2001, while Celestin was found guilty of sexual assault (a verdict that was later overturned on appeal and never re-tried in court).
[...] the case is mired with claims of emotional distress by the accuser — who took her own life in 2012 — and charges of intimidation and stalking on campus once she came forward.
Accounts of the woman’s life between the incident and her suicide are grim, with family members claiming she suffered from both post-traumatic stress and drug abuse.
Parker, historically vocal about his innocence, said he was “devastated” to learn of her death but refuses to run from his past.
Here’s what we know, per court documents and family accounts, about the case:
The Sexual Assault Accusation
The unnamed woman, an 18-year-old Penn State student, alleged that Parker and Celestin both engaged in nonconsensual sex with her while she was unconscious, according to criminal complaints reviewed by The Daily Beast.
The accuser addressed the incident with her college counselor two and a half weeks after it allegedly occurred, according to a civil complaint obtained by TheWrap, which was filed after criminal charges.
The counselor advised the woman to call the police and see a doctor.
Fake 'Birth of a Nation' Posters Tag Director-Star Nate Parker as 'Rapist?'
Both Parker and Celestin, who were then 19, said at the time the sex was consensual, and Parker has restated this position in interviews throughout the years, and again on Tuesday by calling the encounter “unambiguously consensual.”
Parker and Celestin charged with “rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault and indecent assault,” according to The Daily Collegian, an independent publication run by Penn State students.
[...] Parker acknowledged in his Tuesday Facebook post, While I maintain my innocence … there are things more important than the law.
There is morality; no one who calls himself a man of faith should even be in that situation.
Inside Historic Sundance Bidding War for 'Birth of a Nation': Why Netflix Offered More But Still Lost
“I look back on that time as a teenager and can say without hesitation that I should have used more wisdom,” he added.
According to the civil complaint the accuser filed in 2002 against Penn State with the help of Philadelphia-based firm Women’s Law Project, the alleged assault itself was only the start of the emotional trauma she suffered.
The filing claims that the November 1999 attempt on her life was the result of a harassment campaign undertaken Parker and Celestin, whom she alleged had hired a private investigator who circulated photos around campus revealing her identity.
“Parker and Celestin hired a private investigator who showed an enlarged photograph of Jane Doe to students on campus, including to Jane Doe’s acquaintances and friends, and sought information about Jane Doe,” the civil filing said.
The private investigator’s actions disclosed to parts of the campus community the identity of Jane Doe, whose rape had been publicized but whose name had, until then, been kept confidential.
The woman claimed that she felt unsafe to eat or socialize in common areas, a condition that denied her equal access to education.
Penn State sent notice to all three involved in the case warning them not to engage in any contact at the consequence of disciplinary actions from the university, but the accuser’s filing claimed that Parker and Celestin persisted.
Parker, Celestin, and their friends constantly hurled sexual epithets at Jane Doe while shadowing her as she moved throughout campus and frequently made harassing phone calls to Jane Doe’s dorm room.
The harassment and intimidation made Jane Doe fear for her general safety on campus.
The college settled the suit in December 2002 for $17,500.
The Criminal Trial
Parker was acquitted of all charges in a 2001 criminal trial that some outlets described as “swift.”
Celestin, who is listed as a story contributor on the “Birth of a Nation” screenplay, was convicted sexual assault and sentenced to six months of jail time.
In 2002, the accuser gave birth to a son whom her family referred to as the only bright spot in her adult life.
The accuser’s sister, whom the New York Times identified as Sharon Loeffler, was not as gentle in describing the case’s effect on her deceased sibling.
“These guys sucked the soul and life out of her,” she told the Times, adding that if her sister could comment, she would say, ‘I fought long and hard, it overcame me.
Parker left Penn State and earned a bachelor’s degree in computer programming from Oklahoma State in 2003.
Parker’s hometown newspaper the Virginian-Pilot profiled him for the film, and made mention of the case.
On Tuesday, Variety revealed the accuser committed suicide, leaving behind her 10-year-old son.
Parker responded to the news, as well as numerous reports that Fox Searchlight was scrambling to re-position “Birth” in advance of an expected awards campaign.
At one point in the statement, he wrote: I look back on that time, my indignant attitude and my heartfelt mission to prove my innocence with eyes that are more wise with time.
Empathy for the young woman and empathy for the seriousness of the situation I put myself and others in.
Parker concluded by asking his response not be taken as an attempt to solve this with a statement.
TheWrap picks the movies you need to see before the year's end, from superhero films to critically acclaimed indies.
What it's about: A lighthouse keeper (Fassbender) and his wife (Vikander) rescue a baby girl who washes up in a rowboat and unofficially adopt her.
When the girl grows older, an encounter with a certain woman on the mainland threatens to break up their happy life.
What it's about: A remake of the classic Western about seven outlaws as they help a town under siege by an industrialist villain.
[...] Antoine Fuqua directed "Training Day," in which Denzel Washington won an Academy Award for Best Actor.
What it's about: A biographical drama about Phiona Mutesi, a Ugandan chess prodigy who earned Woman Candidate Master at the World Chess Olympiads.
Rarely do we get to see feel-good stories about Africa on the big screen.
The story follows a recently divorced woman (Blunt) who fantasizes during her daily commute about the seemingly perfect couple who live in a house that her train passes every day, until she sees something shocking and becomes entangled in a mystery.
Universal Pictures
Parker stars as the 19th-century slave Nat Turner, who was taught to read the Bible to preach to fellow slaves but wound up leading a famous rebellion in 1831.
What it's about: A stand-up comedy film that features his performance from the recently concluded "What Now?" tour.
Universal Pictures
What it's about: A young boy deals with a terminally ill mother and bullies at school with the help of an ancient monster tree (voiced by Liam Neeson).
Patrick Ness' fantastical children's novel, based on an idea from a woman with terminal cancer, was adapted for the screen by Ness himself.
Dr. Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) is an egotistical but brilliant surgeon whose career is destroyed after a car accident ruins his hands.
Searching the globe to repair them, he encounters the Ancient One (Swinton), a sorcerer who trains Strange to defend the world from evil.
Doctor Strange is one of Marvel’s more eccentric (and lesser known) heroes and the trailers have promised plenty some seriously trippy, magical mayhem.
Doss refused to kill anybody or bear arms, becoming the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor from President Harry Truman.
The story sounds fascinating, and this is Mel Gibson’s first film as a director since 2006’s “Apocalypto.”
An interracial couple wages a legal fight against imprisonment in the mid-20th-century South, leading to the landmark 1967 Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia.
The film has been building buzz since its debut at Cannes, particularly for co-star Ruth Negga.
What it's about: A biopic on Tupac Shaku's rise to fame all the way to his death during a drive-by in Las Vegas.
The film has a strong pedigree, Adams has been nominated for five Oscars and the director's last film, "Sicario," received three Oscar nominations.
Based on a novel of the same name, the film follows an Iraq war hero whose victory tour back in the U.S. is interrupted by jarring flashbacks.
Great source material, and Ang Lee's first film since another eye-catching literary adaptation, "The Life of Pi."
The wizard -- and future author of a textbook mainstay at Hogwarts — visits the Magical Congress of the United States in 1926, but loses control of a special briefcase containing a number of dangerous beasts.
In an adaptation of Austin Wright's 1933 novel “Tony and Susan,” Adams stars as an art gallery owner who begins receiving the manuscript of her ex-husband’s violent thriller novel.
The dynamic cast is sure to make this thriller a memorable one.
An uncle (Affleck) must take care of his teenage nephew (Hedge) and return to his hometown after the death of the boy’s father.
The film received high praise when it premiered at Sundance and Lucas Hedge delivers a breakout performance as the nephew, Patrick.
What it’s about: A young woman, Moana (Cravalho), sets sail for a fabled island and is joined by demigod Maui (Johnson) along the way.
The animated musical is Disney’s first story about a Polynesian princess and will feature original music by “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Stone and Gosling star as an aspiring actress and a jazz pianist, respectively, in modern-day L.A. The two meet and soon fall in love, but as each begins to find success in their dream careers, their relationship threatens to tear apart.
What's it about: A once-promising baseball player ends up working as a garbageman in 1950s Pittsburgh.
August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize winning play with two amazing actors -- who won Tonys in 2010 for playing these very roles on Broadway.
Essentially a prequel to “Star Wars: A New Hope,” the film follows a group of Rebel spies as they attempt to steal plans for the Death Star.
Not only is it the first standalone film in the "Star Wars" franchise, but the trailer promises a badass female lead and plenty of fight scenes.
An advertising executive in New York faces a downward spiral after a tragic event, prompting his colleagues to seek a plan to get him out his funk.
Why we’re excited to see it: “The Devil Wears Prada” director returns to New York City with an all-star cast.
Getty Images
The biographical film follows Ray Kroc (Keaton) meeting Mac and Dick McDonald and developing the first McDonald’s franchise.
Lawrence and Pratt play two passengers aboard a spacecraft that’s on a 120-year journey to a distant planet.
Due to a malfunction, two passengers are prematurely woken up with 90 years left to go on the voyage.
Two of Hollywood's biggest stars team for a sci-fi romance that seemed very promising from the first footage shown at CinemaCon in April.
Getty Images
What it’s about: A father (Cranston) meets his daughter’s wealthy and eccentric boyfriend (Franco) and immediately dislikes him -- and resists all of Franco's attempts to win him over.
An older father (Simonischek) tries to reconnect with his adult daughter (Hüller) by playing pranks on her.
The comedic film, a hit at Cannes, boasts a 91 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
TheWrap picks the movies you need to see before the year's end, from superhero films to critically acclaimed indies.