Videotaped beating was not used in courtroom

By JIM FORMAN / KING 5 News

LYNNWOOD, Wash. - The case of the Florida cheerleader beating that was videotaped has ignited a storm of controversy and concern over violence among young people.

But long before the Florida case, there was a brutal beating in Lynnwood, Wash.

Laura Eberhard was on the receiving end of the attack by her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend. The incidence was videotaped and, within days, it was on YouTube and MySpace.

Now nearly a year after the beating, Laura is working two jobs, and working to move on. But while the bruises have healed, the emotional scars remain.

After the beating, Laura went to police. During their investigation, they took pictures, interviewed witnesses, and even got a confession.

But it was the video that would make the case. At least that's what Laura thought.

“Like what case? There never was a case. It was like in and out, a slap on the hand, here you go, like have a nice life,” she said.

Laura says, when it came time for trial, the judge never looked at the video, ultimately sentencing the aggressor simply to home monitoring and 8 hours of anger management classes.

Laura believes there need to be tougher penalties for those who decide to turn to violence and then turn around and share it with the world.

Laura says YouTube took the video down right away, but it took a lot more work with MySpace.