Background: Assumption University (WBTS). Insets, left to right: Isabella Trudeau, Kevin Carroll, Kelsy Brainard, Easton Randall and Joaquin Smith appear in district court as the Massachusetts college students made their first appearance on conspiracy and kidnapping charges in Worcester, Mass, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025 (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The Massachusetts college students accused of hatching a plot to frame a man and label him a predator — which resulted in his assault — say the criminal charges against them should be dropped.
As Law&Crime previously reported, the Assumption University students allegedly lured a 22-year-old man to the campus, falsely accused him of seeking sex with an underage girl, and then chased him down and beat him while recording the attack as part of a so-called “To Catch a Predator” trend on TikTok. The students, all teens, are facing felony kidnapping and conspiracy charges.
Now, the students — Isabella Trudeau, 18, Kevin Carroll, 18, Joaquin Smith, 18, Easton Randall, 19, and Kelsy Brainard, 18 — have asked the judge overseeing the case to drop at least some of the charges against them, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported.
Leonardo Angiulo, a lawyer for one of the students, reportedly described the incident as “a bunch of kids making bad decisions” — but not something that warranted serious charges.
Defense lawyers also said the video that was taken by students to share on social media not only misrepresents what happened, it shows that the man’s movement was not restricted as he ran away. Attorneys also attacked the statement of facts written by police, saying that it relied on the students’ accounts even as officers openly questioned the truth of what they were saying.
At one point, Angiulo argued that the students were simply being students.
“They decided they wanted to confront a person they disagreed with,” he said, according to the Telegram & Gazette. “Isn’t that what college is all about?”
