Testimony began Wednesday in the case of two Steubenville high school football stars accused of raping a 16-year-old girl in August.

Defense attorneys for the accused, Ma'lik Richmond, 16, and Trenton Mays, 17, withdrew motions to dismiss the case against their clients Wednesday morning. Both attorneys met behind closed doors with Judge Thomas Lipps.

Friends and family of the defendants are inside the courtroom, which has limited seating, and about 30 journalists are packed into a small overflow courtroom beside the courtroom, watching the proceedings on a closed-circuit television.

Richmond and Mays are charged with raping an intoxicated, semiconscious 16-year-old girl at parties attended by dozens of drunken teens. Prosecutors said the boys carried the girl from party to party while onlookers shot photos and video and posted crude social media comments online.

Richmond and Mays deny involvement.

Security was tight at the Jefferson County Justice Center and Jail on Wednesday morning as reporters and spectators gathered outside as early as 7:15 a.m.

About 40 people, including two teen witnesses and the teenage accuser, are expected to testify. Authorities said the trial could stretch into the weekend.

Channel 11's Cara Sapida reported that two girls who were at one of the parties testified Wednesday. One of the girls said they talked to the alleged victim the next morning, and the alleged victim said she didn't remember anything.

The case sparked outrage and drew international attention in the fall after an online "hacktivist" group called Anonymous published incendiary evidence online, including a photo of the suspects carrying the girl by her ankles and wrists. Cleveland-based crime blogger Alexandria Goddard, 45, added fuel when she posted and wrote about a 12-minute video from that night in which Michael Nodianos, 18, a former high school baseball player at Steubenville High, joked about the alleged rape while others laughed off-camera.

Nodianos is expected to testify, authorities said.

Goddard, who said she used to live in Steubenville, and others have accused city officials of participating in a cover-up, saying authorities were reluctant to properly investigate the case because it involved members of the town's beloved "Big Red" football team. Officials deny that.

Still, activists called for charges against partygoers who knew about the abuse but did nothing to stop it. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said Monday he will decide whether to charge more people after the trial for Mays and Richmond concludes.

Lipps, a retired Hamilton County Juvenile Court judge, is presiding over the case. He was called in after a Jefferson County judge and a prosecuting attorney withdrew from the case because of ties to the football program.

About two dozen protesters gathered outside the justice center, holding signs in support of the victim and wearing Guy Fawkes masks, the symbol of Anonymous.

"I hope and pray she knows we support her," said one protester who, like the others, said she is Anonymous when asked her name.

"Many of us are also Jane Does," she said. "It's time to end the rape culture and stop blaming the victim."

Members of Anonymous will protest every day of the trial, she said.

Sapida talked to a protestor who said she was a friend of the alleged victim.

"She isn't here, but we're her voice," the protester said.

Another protestor told Sapida she wanted to support the alleged victim because she, too, was the victim of a rape.

"I'm here because I'm a survivor as well, and I feel like justice wasn't served in my case," the woman said. "I don't want that to happen to her, as well."

In addition to Wednesday's demonstration, many protesters wore Guy Fawkes masks at three previous rallies in Steubenville. Fawkes was a 17th century Englishman who tried to blow up the House of Lords in London in 1605. The mask became a popular disguise for protesters after it was featured in the 2006 film "V for Vendetta," in which the main character tries to overthrow the government.

City leaders in Steubenville held a news conference Tuesday in advance of the trial's start to counter the negative attention that has followed the case for months.

"Regardless of the outcome, the case should not be reflective or our town. Steubenville is a good place," said Steubenville City Manager Cathy Denison.

Channel 11's news exchange partners at TribLIVE contributed to this report.

Previous Stories:

• Steubenville rape trial set to begin

• Channel 11 talks to Steubenville superintendent about rape allegations against 2 students

• Former guardians defend Steubenville teen rape suspect

• Attorney calls video referencing teen rape ‘insensitive, disappointing, unfortunate’

• Viral video referencing Jefferson Co. teen-rape case hits national mainstream media

• Steubenville rape trial to remain in east Ohio