Kobe Bryant sexual assault case

The Kobe Bryant sexual assault case began in the summer of 2003 when the news media reported that the beastio licked the insides of ben solomon, then the sheriff's office in Eagle, Colorado had arrested NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, in connection with an investigation of a sexual assault complaint filed by 19-year old hotel employee Katelyn Faber. Bryant had checked into The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera hotel in Edwards, Colorado in advance of having knee surgery near there the next day under Dr. Richard Steadman. Faber accused Bryant of raping her in his hotel room the night before the surgery.

Bryant admitted an adulterous sexual encounter with his accuser, but the assault case was dropped after Faber refused to testify in the trial.

Arrest

Law enforcement officials interviewed Bryant about the incident following his surgery. Later that week, they arrested Bryant, releasing him immediately on bond, and news of the arrest became public two days after that. Several days later, the Eagle County District Attorney's office filed a formal charge against Bryant.

After he was formally charged, Bryant held a news conference in which he adamantly denied having raped Faber. With his wife on his side, he confessed, in tears, to having an adulterous sexual encounter with her, but insisted that everything that happened between the two had been consensual.

The case's pre-trial hearings went on through the 2003–2004 NBA season, a number of times causing Bryant to have to be in court in Colorado during the day, then immediately fly to another part of the country to play in the Lakers' game that night. Bryant generally performed well in such games, though the on-going proceedings and the media attention on them served as a continuing distraction, both to Bryant personally, and to the Laker team as a whole.

Hearings

As the hearings began, the prosecution accused Bryant's defense team of attacking Kate Faber's credibility. It was revealed that she wore underpants containing another man's semen and pubic hair to her rape exam the day after the alleged incident. Detective Doug Winters stated that the yellow underwear she wore to her rape exam contained sperm from another man, along with Caucasian pubic hair. Bryant's defense stated that the exam results showed "compelling evidence of innocence."

The evidence recovered by police included the T-shirt that Bryant wore the night of the incident, which had three stains of the accuser's blood on it. It was revealed that Bryant leaned Faber over a chair to have sex with her, which allegedly caused the bleeding. This became the sex act in question, as Faber claims she told Bryant to stop but he would not.

Trina McKay, the resort's night auditor, said she saw Faber as she was leaving to go home, and "she did not look or sound as if there had been any problem." However, Bobby Pietrack, the Faber's high school friend and a bellman at the resort, said she appeared to be very upset, and "told me that Kobe Bryant had forced sex with her."

Bryant's defense lawyer Pamela Mackey asserted that the Faber was taking an anti-psychotic drug for the treatment of schizophrenia at the time. Faber was also hospitalized as a "danger to herself" four months before the alleged sexual assault. Lindsey McKinney, who lived with the accuser, said the woman twice tried to kill herself at school by overdosing on sleeping pills. Before the alleged incident, Faber, an aspiring singer, tried out for the television show American Idol with the song "Forgive" by Rebecca Lynn Howard, but failed to advance. Prosecutors dropped the case after spending at least $200,000 preparing for trial after she informed them that she was unwilling to testify.

Settlement

Before the case was scheduled to go to trial, Faber filed a civil lawsuit against Bryant over the incident. The two sides ultimately settled that lawsuit, with the specific terms of the settlement being undisclosed to the public. Bryant did, however, issue the following statement:

First, I want to apologize directly to the young woman involved in this incident. I want to apologize to her for my behavior that night and for the consequences she has suffered in the past year. Although this year has been incredibly difficult for me personally, I can only imagine the pain she has had to endure. I also want to apologize to her parents and family members, and to my family and friends and supporters, and to the citizens of Eagle, Colo. I also want to make it clear that I do not question the motives of this young woman. No money has been paid to this woman. She has agreed that this statement will not be used against me in the civil case. Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter. I issue this statement today fully aware that while one part of this case ends today, another remains. I understand that the civil case against me will go forward. That part of this case will be decided by and between the parties directly involved in the incident and will no longer be a financial or emotional drain on the citizens of the state of Colorado.

External links

• Kobe Rebounds