Bristol County, Massachusetts, prosecutors have dropped charges against an 18-year-old man accused of raping a 17-year-old girl in July at a Keith Urban concert south of Boston.
“Given the state of the evidence, the case was dismissed in the interest of justice,” said Gregg Miliote, a spokesman for the Bristol County district attorney.
Sean Murphy was charged with rape after an incident that happened in front of a large crowd on the lawn of the Xfinity Center, an outdoor amphitheater in Mansfield, Massachusetts, on July 26.
Multiple people recorded what happened on their cell phones and provided video to authorities for their investigation.
Murphy entered a not guilty plea in court and was released on $10,000 bond.
His attorney had always maintained his client’s innocence.
“Put simply, this was a consensual act, not a sexual assault,” lawyer Steven Brooks said at the time. “This was a private act that regrettably occurred in a public place.”
“Mr. Murphy deeply regrets this incident and I am sure the young woman does as well. The young woman was neither intoxicated nor overcome by drugs at the time. Mr. Murphy has no criminal history whatsoever.”
About 18,000 people attended the concert in Mansfield, about 30 miles south of Boston.
More than 20 people were hospitalized after the concert, police said. Another 50 were taken into protective custody, and several others were arrested over “alcohol-related issues,” local authorities said.
“In total, fire and EMS attended to 46 medicals resulting in 22 transports mostly alcohol-related,” Mansfield Police Chief Ron Sellon and Fire Chief Neal Boldrighini said in a joint statement. “Police dealt with a steady stream of intoxicated persons as well, resulting in over 50 people being taken into protective custody and a number of others arrested for alcohol-related issues.”
