Cheryl Araujo

Cheryl Ann Araujo (1961 – 1986) was an American rape survivor whose case became national news, and was the basis of the 1988 film The Accused. Araujo was gang-raped in 1983 at age 21 by four men on a pool table in a tavern while other patrons watched but did not interfere. During the prosecution, the defendants' attorneys cross-examined Araujo to such an extent that the case became widely seen as a template for "blaming the victim" in rape cases. The case also raised tensions between the Portuguese-American community and other ethnic groups in New Bedford, as the defendants were Portuguese immigrants. Her case was widely known as the "Big Dan's rape" after the name of the bar in which the attack occurred.

Rape
On March 6, 1983, after putting her two daughters to sleep following the older daughter's third birthday party, Araujo left her home to buy cigarettes. The store she usually purchased from was closed, so she stopped at Big Dan's tavern in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Two men approached and asked her to leave with them. When she refused, a third man grabbed her from behind and threw her onto the bar's pool table. She was stripped below the waist, and several men raped her. According to Araujo, she heard people "laughing, cheering, yelling", but no one responded to her cries for help. Eventually, Araujo fought off her attackers and ran half-naked into the street, screaming that she had been raped. Three college students passing by in a van came upon Araujo in the street and drove her to the nearest hospital.

Six men were originally charged with the rape, though only four were eventually tried in two separate trials because some of them implicated each other. The trials attracted international attention. The three college students who drove Araujo to the hospital testified as to the state of terror she was in when they encountered her. The four defendants were convicted of aggravated rape, two men were acquitted of the charges.

Later life and death
Although her identity was shielded during the trial, Araujo subsequently went public and became an activist for women's and victims' rights. Araujo was essentially ostracized in New Bedford, however, and shortly after the trial, she moved to Miami along with her two daughters and their father—Araujo's high school sweetheart—to find anonymity. Araujo had entered school to become a secretary, was making a life for herself and had found some measure of happiness.

On December 14, 1986, she lost control of her car while taking her daughters to a Christmas show and struck a utility pole. The girls were injured, but survived. Araujo, however, died in the crash. She was 25 years old.

Legacy
The 1988 feature film drama, The Accused, starring Jodie Foster and Kelly McGillis, was inspired by the case. Foster won an Academy Award for her portrayal of the character based on Araujo.