Birth Of A Nation Director Nate Parker's Rape Accuser Took Her Own Life In 2012

The woman who accused director Nate Parker of raping her while they were both students at Penn State University took her own life in 2012, her brother revealed.

Her older brother Johnny – who, speaking to Variety, asked for the family’s surname to be withheld – said that ‘she became detached from reality’, and overdosed on sleeping pills aged 30.

“The progression was very quick and she took her life,” he added.

It emerged last week that Parker and his college roommate Jean Celestin were charged with the rape of the fellow Penn State student, who was intoxicated, in 1999.

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Parker and Celestin, who claimed the encounter was consensual, were also accused of stalking and harassing the victim after she reported the assault to the police.

The victim also said during the trial that she had tried to kill herself twice after the assault, while the certificate of her death, obtained by Variety, confirmed that she suffered a ‘major depressive disorder with psychotic features’ and ‘PTSD due to physical and sexual abuse’.

They stood trial, and while Parker was acquitted of the charges, Celestin was found guilty of sexual assault and sentenced to six months in prison, though appealed the verdict and was granted a new trial.

However, the victim decided that she could not testify again.

In an interview with Variety, Parker said: “Seventeen years ago, I experienced a very painful moment in my life.

“It resulted in it being litigated. I was cleared of it. That’s that. Seventeen years later, I’m a filmmaker. I have a family. I have five beautiful daughters. I have a lovely wife. I get it. The reality is… I can’t relive 17 years ago. All I can do is be the best man I can be now.”

However, her brother added: “He may have litigated out of any kind of situation. My position is he got off on a technicality.

“If I were to look back at her very short life and point to one moment where I think she changed as a person, it was obviously that point.

“She was trying to find happiness. She moved around frequently and tried to hold a job. She had a boyfriend. She gave birth to a young boy. That brought her a good bit of happiness. I think the ghosts continued to haunt her.”

Parker’s forthcoming movie ‘The Birth of a Nation’, which he stars in and was also co-written with Celestin, was a Sundance hit that was the centre of a record-breaking bidding war. It tells the story of a slave revolt in the early 1800s led by enslaved plantation worker Nat Turner.

Asked whether the movie should be released, Johnny said: “If you removed these two people, the project is commendable. But there’s a moral and ethical stance you would expect from someone with regard to this movie.

“I think that’s up to the people. I don’t think a rapist should be celebrated. It’s really a cultural decision we’re making as a society to go to the theater and speak with our dollars and reward a sexual predator.

“It’s hard. Seeing my sister’s life slowly crumble while these men are by all accounts relatively successful and thriving.

“It’s been 17 years. We certainly as a family forgive them. I don’t know that [the victim] would forgive them. I don’t think that she would.”

Parker has now responded to the news that the victim took her own life.

In a lengthy post on Facebook, he said: “I myself just learned that the young woman ended her own life several years ago and I am filled with profound sorrow… I can’t tell you how hard it is to hear this news. I can’t help but think of all the implications this has for her family.

“As a 36-year-old father of daughters and person of faith, I look back on that time as a teenager and can say without hesitation that I should have used more wisdom.

“I have changed so much since nineteen. I’ve grown and matured in so many ways and still have more learning and growth to do. I have tried to conduct myself in a way that honors my entire community – and will continue to do this to the best of my ability.

“All of this said, I also know there are wounds that neither time nor words can heal.”

You can see the whole post here.

In a statement, Fox Searchlight, which will be releasing the film, said: “Fox Searchlight is aware of the incident that occurred while Nate Parker was at Penn State. We also know that he was found innocent and cleared of all charges. We stand behind Nate and are proud to help bring this important and powerful story to the screen.”

Image credits: AP/Fox Searchlight