20 yr old Morgan Triplett, Student at University of California, Santa Barbara, Hired Man To Beat Her, Then Filed Rape Report With Police: D.A.

A California student accused of filing a false rape report with police had placed an ad on Craigslist in which she sought to hire someone to beat her in exchange for sex, according to prosecutors.

Morgan Triplett, a 20-year-old student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, pleaded not guilty to charges in court March 29.

Prosecutors said a police investigation revealed that the young woman had placed two separate ads on Craigslist on Feb. 16, while visiting UC Santa Cruz for a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender conference. In the first ad, Triplett wrote that she wanted to hire someone to shoot her. In the other, posted later that night, the woman wrote that she wanted someone with a "strong hand" to "punch, kick and bruise her," stated that she would compensate the participant with sex, and said that "no charges would be filed," according to police.

In an interview outside court on Friday, Assistant District Attorney Johanna Schonfield told Santa Cruz Patch (which, like The Huffington Post, is owned by AOL) that Triplett placed the ads because she "was suicidal and she wanted something to bring her back to reality."

Triplett wrote in the first ad, which was quoted in court records, that she was looking for someone to shoot her in the arm or shoulder "with the smallest caliber bullet possible," according to the San Jose Mercury News.

Schonfield said several people responded to the second ad. One of them, a man who is now cooperating with police, met with Triplett on the UC Santa Cruz campus Feb. 17, beat her and had sex with her as planned.

Court records stated that after having sex, Triplett "used a cellphone screen reflection as a mirror to see if [her] injuries were bad enough" then told the man to "hit her some more," according to NBC Central California affiliate KSBW.

Afterward, Triplett called 911 and claimed she had been raped on a campus trail. She provided UC Santa Cruz police with a description of her attacker, but police determined the rape report was false 10 days later.

"Ms. Triplett essentially orchestrated this event," Schonfield said in court. "This case caused a lot of widespread fear in the community."

In an interview with the Register-Pajaronian, Triplett's father disputed prosecutor’s claims, saying that the physical attack on his daughter was invited, but the sexual assault was not.

According to the San Jose Mercury News Triplett could face up to six months in jail, if convicted, and could be made to pay restitution to the UC Santa Cruz police.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Morgan Triplett, center, her father, left and Public Defender Jack Lamar, right.
Video at link

Modified: Friday, Mar 29th, 2013

SANTA CRUZ — The woman who allegedly falsely reported being sexually assaulted on the UC Santa Cruz campus Feb. 15 pleaded not guilty Friday, and she was released on her own recognizance.

Prosecutors and defense agreed that keeping her in jail before her next court date of May 23 was not appropriate, especially since Triplett is reportedly undergoing psychological treatment for depression.

Flanked by her father, Richard Triplett, and defense attorney Jack Lamar, Triplett quickly left the courthouse after the brief hearing.

Prosecutors said Friday that Triplett allegedly placed two ads on Craigslist, one requesting someone to shoot her in the shoulder with a small caliber gun in exchange for sex. The second ad was a request for someone to punch, kick and bruise her in exchange for sex.

In the ads, placed in the Santa Cruz County region of Craigslist, Triplett also stated that she would not file charges.

Prosecutor Johanna Schonfield said people did respond to the ads. One man reportedly beat Triplett, who was visiting UC Santa Cruz for a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender conference.

"She was suicidal, and she wanted something to almost bring her back to reality," Schonfeld said of Triplett’s reason for posting the ad.

In an interview outside court, Triplett’s father Richard Triplett disputed prosecutor’s claims, saying that the physical attack on his daughter was invited, but the sexual assault was not.

He said she gave a description of someone who doesn’t exist because she was scared of the man who responded to the ad.

“Morgan asked for some trouble, but she did not ask to be sexually assaulted,” he said.

He declined to elaborate, saying there are “two sides to every story.”

Richard Triplett said his daughter realized the impacts of filing the report.

“She is sorry for any problems or chaos that she has caused,” he said.

“What we're dealing with is a very scared, very upset, very confused 20-year-old girl who has made some poor choices,” he said. “This is the culmination of those choices.”

Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge John Gallagher ordered Triplett to avoid the Internet, except for schoolwork.

Schonfield told reporters outside the courtroom that police spent “dozens of man hours” investigating the case.

Schonfield said that she was not aware of any other false police reports in the past by Triplett.

Prosecutors say that Triplett, 20, called 911 and told police that she was severely beaten and sexually assaulted by a stranger she encountered while she was walking alone on a path between the upper quarry amphitheater and the classroom unit buildings on the UCSC campus looking for banana slugs.

Triplett had extensive bruises that corroborated her story. She was treated at Dominican Hospital.

During the sexual assault exam Triplett requested that DNA samples not be taken, which raised red flags for investigators, Schonfield said.

In a brief interview outside court Friday, Morgan Triplett declined to talk about the allegations, saying that the details will emerge later.

“Right now I just want this to settle down,” she said. “I’m trying to move on with my life.”
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

On Feb. 16, Triplett broke up with a boyfriend and posted ads twice on Craigslist that day for someone to harm her, prosecutors said.
This is a must read! continue at: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Morgan Triplett's father attempts to hide her face from
photographers as she leaves a Santa Cruz courtroom

May 8, 2013
The trial for a UCSB student charged with filing a false police report after orchestrating a violent and bizarre series of events in Santa Cruz this February is scheduled to begin May 23.

Morgan Triplett, 20, told authorities she was beaten and raped by a stranger as she looked for banana slugs along a path on the UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) campus. She had traveled there for a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender conference. Over the course of their investigation, detectives determined Triplett had actually hired a man through Craigslist to beat her in exchange for sex. While the motive remains unclear, authorities have speculated she organized the entire affair in an attempt to save a troubled relationship.
Efforts to reach Triplett have been unsuccessful, and messages left with her attorney — Santa Cruz public defender Jack Lamar — have not been returned. If convicted of the misdemeanor charge, she faces up to six months in jail. She pleaded not guilty during her March 29 arraignment.

In the criminal complaint, Santa Cruz County Assistant District Attorney Johanna Schonfield claims that Triplett called 9-1-1 on February 17 to report she had been raped. Law enforcement arrived on the scene, interviewed Triplett, found no suspects, and sent her to a nearby hospital for a sexual assault exam. But, the complaint explains, Triplett refused to give the nurse her clothing despite being told it could contain evidence, and she asked that DNA samples not be sent to the Department of Justice, “which raised red flags in the minds of the investigators.”

Triplett helped a forensic artist sketch an image of the supposed suspect that was then disseminated to the public. As a result, several people were detained and questioned. Parents pulled their children out of school, Schonfield said, and “widespread fear” permeated the community.

Over the next few weeks, “police learned Ms. Triplett has a history of lying, particularly in efforts to save troubled relationships,” Schonfield wrote. The day before she filed the report, Triplett and her boyfriend at the time had broken up. “In response to the ending of this relationship, she claimed she was pregnant with her boyfriend’s child, which was not true,” the complaint reads. “She also previously had told this boyfriend her father had suffered from a heart attack, which he had not, that she had been lost in the desert with amnesia, and that she had ovarian cancer, none of which was true.”

That same day — February 16 — Triplett reportedly posted two ads on Craigslist. One sought a gun owner who would shoot her in the arm or shoulder “with the smallest caliber bullet possible.” She promised she wouldn’t press charges and offered undefined compensation. The other ad asked for someone to beat her up. “Punches, bruises, kicks,” she wrote.

An unnamed individual responded to the second ad and began texting with Triplett. “The two reached an agreement that in exchange for the physical assault Ms. Triplett would have sexual intercourse with him,” Schonfield said. They met February 17 on UCSC’s campus. “Ms. Triplett directed him to hit her repeatedly in the body and face. They had sex and afterwards she used his cell phone screen reflection as a mirror to see if the injuries were bad enough and then directed him to hit her some more.” They parted ways, and Triplett called 9-1-1.

“During the course of the investigation it became very clear that Ms. Triplett is a very troubled young woman who was engaged in self-injurious behavior and been suicidal at points,” the complaint concludes.

Outside a Santa Cruz courtroom after her arraignment in March, Triplett’s father, Richard Triplett, told the Register-Pajaronian that his daughter did arrange to be beaten, but was then forcibly raped. “Morgan asked for some trouble, but she did not ask to be sexually assaulted,” he said. “There are two sides to every story.”

Richard Triplett went on to say Morgan is remorseful for the entire incident. “She is sorry for any problems or chaos that she has caused,” he told the Register-Pajaronian. “What we’re dealing with is a very scared, very upset, very confused 20-year-old girl who has made some poor choices. This is the culmination of those choices.”

For her part, Morgan simply stated, “Right now, I just want this to settle down. I’m trying to move on with my life.”

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]


In My Opinion Morgan needs a psychiatric evaluation

In my opinion Morgan needs a lot of psychiatric evaluations and a huge amount of psychiatric or psychological help!!!!!

Morgan Triplett, the 20-year-old UCSB student charged with faking her rape on the UC Santa Cruz campus has been offered a chance to go to jail or a work program for 60 days by the Santa Cruz County District Attorney's office.

In the deal offered before Judge John Gallagher, Assistant District Attorney Johanna Schonfield asked for a doubling of the hours of mandatory counseling Triplett would receive to 60 hours. Triplett didn't appear in court. Her public defender Jack Lamar will discuss the terms with his client and they are due back in court July 25.

After investigation UCSC Police linked her to an ad posted on Craigslist asking for a strong man to exchange beating her in return for sex. In their charges, police said she let the man beat her, had sex with him and then had him beat her again.

Then, she called police.

“Well, I think anyone who goes to the lengths of posting an ad on Craigslist seeking somebody to harm her or shoot her has some serious mental health issues, so I think it’s appropriate that she receive significant mental health treatment as part of her term of probation,” Schonfield said.

The new terms passed by Judge Gallagher include a possible ban from social media sites including Craigslist for the remainder of her probation. The terms also include a written letter of apology to UCSC and its faculty, staff, administration, and students, the admission of a false report, and standard fines.

If Triplett declines to accept the terms her case will be set for trial. Triplett has missed two previously scheduled court dates, saying she was getting mental health counseling and attending school," Schonfield said.

“I’m hoping that at some point she’s going to show up in person to deliver that letter of apology and she proves that she has in fact been engaging in the mental health treatment.

“Given the impact this has had on our community because of the nature of her report was that it was a stranger who grabbed her on a path on campus, dragged her to a secluded area and sexually assaulted her invoked total fear in the UC community but also the Santa Cruz community,” Schonfield said.

The Assistant DA added that some parents even wanted to withdraw their children from the school after the report.

"And so the court and my office feel that it is appropriate for her to write a letter of apology for the fear and panic she caused,” Schonfield said.

The maximum sentence for a misdemeanor false report to police is six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

July 30, 2013

Morgan Triplett, a 20-year-old UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) student, has been charged with filing a false rape report. According to a report from the Santa Barbara Independent, Triplett solicited a man to beat her up in exchange for sex.

She was sentenced last Thursday to 60 days in the Santa Barbara County Jail, three years probation, and as part of a no-contest plea, 200 hours of community service, 60 hours of mental health treatment, and a $710 fine.

Authorities believe that Morgan Triplett traveled to UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) in February for a LGBT conference. While there, authorities said Triplett put together a bizarre scenario to save her relationship.

Triplett dialed 911 on February 17 claiming she was the victim of a rape while searching for banana slugs on the UCSC campus. She provided a detailed description of her attacker, pushing detectives to detain several people for questioning and place Santa Cruz on alert. The story immediately started breaking down, however, when Triplett refused to submit her clothing as evidence.

She would also not allow DNA samples to be taken for testing.

Police launched an 11-day investigation, at the end of which they determined Triplett had met a man on Craigslist, who agreed to brutalize her provided she pay him afterward with sexual intercourse. Triplett finally broke down and admitted rape had never happened.

Santa Cruz County assistant district attorney Johanna Schonfield said the male subject would not face charges as there was no evidence he knew Triplett would submit the false rape report. Since the assault was consensual, he could not be charged with battery, Schonfield added.

Surprisingly, this is not the first time that Morgan Triplett has filed a rape report. In March 2012, she called the Santa Barbara’s Sheriff’s Office to report an attempted rape. In that incident, Triplett said, she was taking out her trash just outside her home.

That’s when Triplett claimed that a man assailed her from behind, pushing a knife to her neck, and attempting to remove her pants. Her complaint to police said that a skateboarder had scared off the assailant. Schofield said that no suspects were ever caught, adding that it wasn’t clear if the report was accurate. In both cases, Triplett said her attacker smelled like cigarette smoke.

Morgan Triplett is reportedly in counseling and is near graduation from UCSB with a bachelor’s degree in sociology.

While false rape reports are certainly rare, they can still be an issue for law enforcement. Earlier this month, 32-year-old Leanne Black was sentenced to two years in prison for falsely claiming she was raped.

And in June, we brought you the story of Brian Banks, who spent more than five years in jail based on false rape allegations leveled at him from accuser Wanetta Gibson.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

This was another case I let fall thru' the cracks, thanks Nite! I'm glad this girl was charged but I hope most of the effort is placed on helping her mentally as she sounds pretty sick to me. MOO.