Former MIT Student Pleads Not Guilty To Raping BU Student

A student who had been enrolled at MIT and is now charged with raping a Boston University student in her dorm has been released on $10,000 cash bail. Prosecutors told the court on Wednesday that the alleged rape occurred when the then-MIT student and two other men were signed into the dorm late at night last October.

Samson Donick, 20, who lives in California, pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated rape, indecent assault and battery, and other crimes.

"We're sure that he's going to be found not guilty, because the American system is to have a jury trial, and that's what he's looking forward to," Donick's attorney, Norman Zalkind, told reporters.

The attorney for the female student is Wendy Murphy.

Murphy read a statement on her client's behalf: "As is well known, campus sexual assaults are rarely reported, and almost never lead to prosecution, which is unacceptable. The victim and her family hope this case inspires many more victims to immediately call police when sexual assaults happen, and to be resolute and proud in their fight for justice."

Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Lynn Feigenbaum told the court that sometime between 2:30 and 2:45 a.m. on a Saturday, the female student awoke to a man she did not know sexually assaulting her.

Fegenbaum said the student told the man to stop, and that he replied: "Baby, do you want some more?" She said the student yelled at the man to leave the room and went into the next room to wake her roommate.

Murphy said the alleged rape is not a typical campus sexual assault.

"She had no idea who this guy was," Murphy said. "This is a bit unusual in the sense that it happened in the middle of the night to a victim who was sound asleep in her bed. It's the last thing you expect to happen when you are a college student in your own dorm room; you expect to be safe."

Murphy said the female student had not been drinking. She is still a student at BU.

Boston University declined to comment.

Dressed in tan chino pants, a checkered gray blazer and a striped blue-and-navy tie, Donick seemed calmer than his family, who were at his side.

Donick was a sophomore at MIT at the time of the alleged rape. MIT would only say that Donick is not currently registered at the school.

As a condition of his release on bail, Donick, who lives in Tiburon, California, may only return to Massachusetts for meetings with his attorney or for court appearances. The trial is scheduled for February.