As mentioned in Sunday Morning News, the two Stubenville teenagers charged with raping a 16-year-old student were found guilty this morning.

CNN's Candy Crowley and Poppy Harlowe reported on the verdict by pointing out what a tragedy this whole situation is, especially because of how sad the young men were when the verdict was delivered.

Rawstory.com says:

Harlow explained that it had been “incredibly difficult” to watch “as these two young men — who had such promising futures, star football players, very good students — literally watched as they believed their life fell apart.”

“One of the young men, Ma’lik Richmond, as that sentence came down, he collapsed,” the CNN reporter recalled, adding that the convicted rapist told his attorney that “my life is over, no one is going to want me now.”

At that point, CNN played video of Richmond crying and hugging his lawyer in the courtroom.

“I was sitting about three feet from Ma’lik when he gave that statement,” Harlow said. “It was very difficult to watch.”

OH HOW SAD. Is this guilty verdict really what turned you into a horrible person, Ma'lik? Is the judge delivering the guilty verdict the worst point of their young lives? NO. The reason you're horrible, the reason your life is ruined, is because you thought it was okay to rape a young woman, a fellow student.

I know it makes for dramatic news stories, recalling all the emotion in the courtroom, but let's stop pretending that a rapist's life is ruined the moment he or she is caught, convicted, and forced to register as a sex offender for the remainder of their life. Let's stop giving their grief any amount of attention or compassion. Getting caught isn't what makes a rapist a monster. Their life was ruined the moment they decided to rape another human being.