Big Dan's Rape

Cheryl Araujo was 21 years old when she was raped in 1983. She was the mother of two young children and lived with their father, who was her high school sweetheart. It was the day of her daughter's 3rd birthday. They had thrown a party for the little girl that day and after the events, with the girls tucked into bed Cheryl decided to go to the store to purchase some cigarettes. The store that she normally purchased her cigarettes from was closed, so she went to a local bar where she could get them instead. She sat down with another woman at the bar and had a drink. The other woman left and she was approached by two men who wanted her to go home with them. She declined and a third man grabbed her from behind. She was raped on the floor by two of the men and was then taken into the game room where she was held down on the top of a pin ball machine, and was brutally raped by four men for over 2 hours. She finally was let go and ran out into the road naked from the waist down into the street screaming for help. A truck stopped for her and the three men in the car helped her and called the police. When the story came out Cheryl was blamed for going to a bar alone at night. She was ridiculed for wearing provocative clothing with the defense saying that she was looking for that kind of attention and that she even wanted it. Four men were charged with rape and all of them served less than 6.5 years. Because Cheryl's name and story were let out so lackadaisically into the community she and her family were forced to move due to harassment. Cheryl died at the young age of 25 due to a car crash.