The charges filed against the teen who was accused of raping another teen during Keith Urban's "Raise 'Em Up" concert in July have been dropped, Billboard reports.
Prosecutors dismissed the charges against Sean Murphy, 18, who was alleged to have raped a 17-year-old girl in the lawn section of the Mansfield Xfinity Center in Massachusetts where the concert took place.
Assistant District Attorney Mary-Elizabeth Mack informed District Court Judge Daniel O'Shea that the prosecutors engaged the accuser in "extensive" conversations, and what transpired led them to decide to drop the charges. The girl agreed with the decision.
Murphy's lawyers said they were able to convince 15-20 witnesses to issue statements on what they know about the incident. The lawyers also hired a private investigator to help them with the case.
"What we thought all along has been borne out," said defense lawyer Neil Crowley. "No crime was committed," he said.
It is uncommon for such a serious allegation to be quickly dismissed, noted The Sun Chronicle. Meanwhile, Crowley's defense partner, Steven Brooks, was delighted that the case was dropped now rather than waiting six months.
"We knew this was going to happen. Obviously the prosecution stepped up to the plate here," Brooks said. "Thankfully people came forward and stepped up and said what they saw happened," he continued.
According to testimonies, Murphy and the accuser, who had not known each other prior to that night, had been drinking at the concert. They began to be intimate near a concession stand and eventually Murphy led the girl to the lawn section where the incident happened.
People looked on as the two did the sexual act, and some onlookers took photos and videos. One of the witnesses ultimately separated the two. The girl told them, and police later, she did not consent to the act, according to court documents.
