In March 2018, McKenzie became the only of the four defendants to not receive any jail time after accepting a plea deal which included 10 years probation and a lifetime registration as a sex offender.
(meta data) TITLE: Vanderbilt rape case: Jaborian 'Tip' McKenzie, final defendant, takes plea deal SUBSCRIBE NOWfor full access Get the news # Jaborian McKenzie, final Vanderbilt rape suspect, gets plea deal: 10 years probation, lifelong sex offender Adam Tamburin, USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee Published 9:17 a.m. CT May 21, 2018 | Updated 5:43 p.m. CT May 21, 2018Fourth and final defendant in Vanderbilt rape case pleads guilty Fullscreen #### Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Buy PhotoJaborian McKenzie, the fourth defendant in the Vanderbilt rape case, appears in court with his attorney Jodie Bell in Nashville on Monday, May 21, 2018. Shelley Mays / The TennesseanBuy PhotoFullscreenBuy PhotoJaborian McKenzie, the fourth defendant in the Vanderbilt rape case, appears in court with his attorney Jodie Bell in Nashville on Monday, May 21, 2018. Shelley Mays / The TennesseanBuy PhotoFullscreenBuy PhotoAssistant District Attorney Jan Norman speaks as Jaborian McKenzie, the fourth defendant in the Vanderbilt rape case, appears in court in Nashville on Monday, May 21, 2018. Shelley Mays / The TennesseanBuy PhotoFullscreenBuy PhotoJaborian McKenzie, the fourth defendant in the Vanderbilt rape case, appears in court with his attorney Jodie Bell in Nashville on Monday, May 21, 2018. Shelley Mays / The TennesseanBuy PhotoFullscreenBuy PhotoDeputy District Attorney Roger Moore and defense attorney Jodie Bell confer before Jaborian McKenzie, the fourth defendant in the Vandy rape case, appears in court in Nashville on Monday, May 21, 2018. Shelley Mays / The TennesseanBuy PhotoFullscreenBuy PhotoJaborian McKenzie, the fourth defendant in the Vanderbilt rape case, appears in court in Nashville on Monday, May 21, 2018. Shelley Mays / The TennesseanBuy PhotoFullscreenBuy PhotoJaborian McKenzie, the fourth defendant in the Vanderbilt rape case, appears in court in Nashville on Monday, May 21, 2018. Shelley Mays / The TennesseanBuy PhotoFullscreenBuy PhotoJudge Monte Watkins gives instructions in court as Jaborian McKenzie, the fourth defendant in the Vanderbilt rape case, listens to his plea agreement in Nashville on Monday, May 21, 2018. Shelley Mays / The TennesseanBuy PhotoFullscreenBuy PhotoJaborian McKenzie, the fourth defendant in the Vandy rape case, appears in court with attorney Jodie Bell in Nashville on Monday, May 21, 2018. He accepted a plead guilty to facilitation of aggravated rape. Shelley Mays / The TennesseanBuy PhotoFullscreen ### Interested in this topic? You may also want to view these photo galleries: Replay1 of 92 of 93 of 94 of 95 of 96 of 97 of 98 of 99 of 9AutoplayShow ThumbnailsShow CaptionsLast SlideNext SlideBuy Photo Jaborian McKenzie, the fourth defendant in the Vanderbilt rape case, appears in court in Nashville on Monday, May 21, 2018.(Photo: Shelley Mays / The Tennessean)Buy Photo Justice came quietly in Courtroom 5A. After nearly five years, the final defendant in the rape case against four former Vanderbilt University football players stepped forward Monday and took responsibility for what he did. Jaborian "Tip" McKenzie, who testified against his three co-defendants, accepted a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to facilitation of the aggravated rape of an unconscious female student, closing a case that shook the community and challenged one of its bedrock institutions. Jaborian "Tip" McKenzie, who cooperated with prosecutors and testified against his three co-defendants, accepted a plea deal on Monday and pleaded guilty to facilitation of aggravated rape. The Tennessean Prosecutors hope his guilty plea will bring peace to the young woman who has testified four times about the rape, each time identifying herself in pictures and videos of the brutal assault. McKenzie, who is now 23, will serve 10 years of probation for his role in the crime. He also will register as a sex offender, a label he will carry for life. He will not serve prison time. ► Timeline: See a list of key events in the Vanderbilt rape case ► More: Rape case prompted changes at Vanderbilt, but more work remains McKenzie hung his head while Assistant District Attorney Jan Norman described the case against him during a muted, seven-minute hearing. On June 23, 2013, McKenzie helped his three teammates carry the woman into a dorm room at Gillette Hall after a night out drinking with co-defendant Brandon Vandenburg. Then, for 32 minutes, the men took photos and videos while three of them raped her. There was no evidence McKenzie touched the woman. But he was standing next to his teammates while they raped and slapped her, something he had described under oath. McKenzie answered Criminal Court Judge Monte Watkins' questions with "yes, sir" and "no, sir" before pleading guilty. His mother watched silently from the front row, where she sat alone. ## Prosecutors wondered 'would this day ever come?' There was none of the frenetic energy that colored the trials against McKenzie's three co-defendants. But there was palpable sense of relief. "Almost five years," Deputy District Attorney Roger Moore said after the hearing. "There was times when we thought, 'Would this day ever come?'" ► Final defendant: After nearly 5 years, fourth and final defendant in Vanderbilt rape case appears in court ► Related: Co-defendant, Banks remained friends after Vanderbilt rape case McKenzie's three co-defendants — Vandenburg, 24; Cory Batey, 24; and Brandon Banks, 24 — have all been convicted of aggravated rape and are serving time in Tennessee prisons. The verdicts followed a 2015 mistrial against Vandenburg and Batey. After the final trial against Banks wrapped in June 2017, prosecutors began "lengthy discussions" with McKenzie and his attorney Jodie Bell that led to Monday's deal, Moore said. McKenzie's three co-defendants all have appeals pending, but he will not be able to appeal the decision. And his deal bars him from discussing the case in any public forum during his 10-year probation. ## McKenzie's role as a key witness for the state figured into his deal McKenzie came to prosecutors and police in 2013 before charges were filed in the case. His cooperation as a key witness in four trials "merited significant consideration," Moore said. "In any case, cooperation is something that is going to be taken into consideration," Moore said. "His cooperation spanned literally almost five years." ► From 2016:McKenzie said Brandon Vandenburg was 'bossy' during rape The victim, who had attended the trials against McKenzie's co-defendants, was not in the courtroom Monday. But Norman said prosecutors had kept her informed throughout the case. "We've talked to her about everything that has occurred in this case from the beginning," Norman said. "She has been supportive of the prosecution of this case." An attorney who represents the woman declined to comment Monday. The USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee generally does not name victims of sexual assault. In 2013, an unconscious woman was gang-raped in a Vanderbilt dorm. Since then, three men have been convicted and sentenced. Another will have a hearing Monday. Karen Grigsby, USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee ## After the plea, prosecutor says, 'the victim in this case can get some peace' The rape case became a lightning rod in the conversation about sexual assault on college campuses. It drew international attention and transformed Vanderbilt's approach to campus assaults, with the university rolling out new training and resources around the issue. ### More from The Tennessean Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Subscribe In a statement, Vanderbilt praised the victim, a student who has since graduated from the university. "She has shown incredible strength and courage, and we are grateful that she will be spared the burden of testifying at another trial," the statement read. "As a university community, we continue to build upon our efforts to combat sexual violence and are deeply committed to ensuring the safety of our campus. Sexual violence will never be tolerated at Vanderbilt – we will continue to investigate incidents, support victims and hold perpetrators accountable." Norman said she was hopeful Monday's hearing could close an arduous and painful chapter in the victim's life. "The victim in this case can get some peace," Jan Norman said. "It's been almost five entire years, and for her to have that moment of this ending and this not being something that is talked about in the public on a regular basis, she absolutely deserves that." ► More: Vanderbilt rape victim: 'I am the only person ... who never had a choice' Norman said the victim's resilience during the grueling crawl to justice was a motivating force for prosecutors. "I take hope and strength in her strength because she has been so amazing through this process, and I don't think that another person would be able to get through this process the way that she has," Norman said. "She really is a truly remarkable woman." Reach Adam Tamburin at 615-726-5986 and atamburin@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter @tamburintweets. Read or Share this story: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2018/05/21/vanderbilt-rape-case-final-defendant-jaborian-tip-mckenzie-agrees-plea-deal/623957002/Share your feedback to help improve our site experience! ###### More Stories ###### Sentenced to life at 16, Cyntoia Brown will soon walk free. Here's how it happened. 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Vanderbilt rape case
Abstract.

 On August 9, 2013, Brandon Vandenburg, Cory Batey, Brandon Banks and Jaborian McKenzie were indicted for rape and had been arrested. All four men were charged with five counts of aggravated rape and two counts of aggravated sexual battery. They had raped an unconscious 21-year-old victim in the school's Gillette House dorm on June 23, 2013. The defendants were dismissed from the football team on June 29, 2013 and banned from campus during the six-week investigation that followed. A fifth player, Chris Boyd, pleaded guilty to criminal attempt to commit accessory after the fact and was dismissed from the team but not the university for his role in helping to cover up the rape. 
 In July 2016, Batey received a 15-year prison sentence after being convicted. In November 2016, Vanderburg was sentenced to 17 years in prison after being convicted. In August 2017, Banks received a 15-year sentence after being convicted.