Judge Complains but Finds Darien Man, 22, Not Guilty of Assault

A college student left with a scar across his cheek from a fight at a college party in 2011 agrees with a Salem District Court judge that justice was not served in the case.

The student did not want to use his name, but went on camera with WBZ-TV to show the mark he is left with on his face.

The man charged in the attack, lacrosse player Brendan Eppley 22, of Contentment Island Road, Darien, was found not guilty after a two-day bench trial (one without a jury) that ended on Wednesday.

The student victim, who attends Northeastern University, was in Beverly in December 2011, attending an off-campus Endicott College party as a guest of his cousin, who played on the college's lacrosse team, according to news accounts by WBZ-TV and The Salem News.

Judge Robert Brennan said both a "code of silence" among the college's lacrosse players and a lack of an adequate follow-up investigation by Beverly police led to the not guilty verdict, according to the report by the News.

The victim's face was sliced so severely that he required hundreds of stitches and several surgeries. Eppley was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in connection to the attack before being found not guilty by Brennan.

Beverly Police Chief Mark Ray told WBZ-TV in a statement that while he agreed that justice was not served in the case, Beverly officers encountered 100 drunk students at the party and were “significantly hindered by the many witnesses present refusing to identify the assailant.”

The victim told WBZ that he plans to file a civil suit in the case.

To read the complete coverage by WBZ, click here.

To read complete coverage by the Salem News, click here.

Editor's note: This article originally was published by Beverly Patch in Massachusetts.