Steubenville Teen Released

The Steubenville rape case is far from over for four school officials, but one chapter has ended for one of the teens convicted in the August 2012 rape of a 16-year-old girl. Ma'lik Richmond was released from an Ohio juvenile detention facility yesterday after less than a year there, his lawyer confirmed. Richmond had been sentenced to a minimum of a year in such a facility, but the Wire notes he began serving his sentence April 1; Trent Mays was handed an additional year. What's next for Richmond: As WTRF explains, he'll need to register as a sex offender twice a year for the next two decades.

But because he is a juvenile sex offender, his name won't be listed on public sex offender websites, and, pending his rehabilitation, he can request that the classification later be dropped. His lawyer released a statement, which reads in part, "While away, Ma'Lik has reflected, learned, matured, and grown in many ways. He is a better, stronger person and looks forward to school, life, and spending time with family. At this point, Ma'Lik wants most to be a high school teenager." Meanwhile, WTOV ran a statement from Jane Doe's attorney that noted, "Although everyone hopes convicted criminals are rehabilitated, it is disheartening that this convicted rapist's press release does not make a single reference to the victim and her family." (More Ma'lik Richmond stories.)