re: One of Ohio's best HS football teams/town going to be all over the news

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cnn is in steubenville now.

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The case has been complicated by a lack of physical evidence -- the family did not report the alleged assaults until August 14. It also apparently hinges largely on witness statements, social media images and messages posted after the incident and possibly some information gleaned from cell phones seized by police. The family gathered many of the materials and delivered them to police on a portable computer drive, McCafferty told CNN.

Police have heard of a video showing the alleged attack, McCafferty said. But authorities don't have it or know whether it even exists, he said.

Police did seize several cell phones and iPads during the investigation, and "there was evidence on some of the phones," McCafferty said without elaborating.

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The attorney for the girl's family told CNN that the girl is in counseling and is "doing as well as one can expect."

"She's trying to go about her life right now, which is difficult because of all the media attention," Fitzsimmons said. "It's as if she's just flown into this barnstorm. She'll make it through."

Speaking on CNN's "AC360," he said: "I think we lose sight; this is a 16-year-old girl. She's a high school kid, basically."

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"A right to a fair trial for these young men has been hijacked," Madison said, adding that social media episodes such as this have become a major threat to a criminal defendant's right to a fair trial.

"It's very, very serious and fairness is essential to getting the right decision here," he said.

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"This media has become so astronomically ingrained on the Internet and within that society, I am concerned witnesses might not want to come forward at this point. I would be surprised now, if there weren't witnesses now who might want to start taking the Fifth Amendment," Nemann told the station.

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