Kobe Bryant sexual assault case

The Kobe Bryant sexual assault case began in the summer of 2003 when the news media reported that 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. [cite news | url = http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0924041kobea1.html | title = Kobe Bryant Police Interview | work = The Smoking Gun | accessdate = 2007-02-25 ] 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. [cite news | url = http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/basketball/nba/12/26/kobe.interview.ap/index.html?cnn-yes | date = 2003-12-23 | title = Bryant distracted, scared amid sex assault case | work = Associated Press | accessdate = 2007-02-25 ] [cite news | url = http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/2004-02-12-shaq-kobe_x.htm | title = Shaq, Kobe still main keys to Lakers' fortunes | first = David Leon | last = Moore | date = 2004-02-12 | work = USA Today | accessdate = 2007-02-25 ]

Hearings

As the hearings began, the prosecution accused Bryant's defense team of attacking Kate Faber's credibility. [cite news | url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3723073/ | title = Kobe accuser's credibility under fire | date = 2003-12-17 | work = Associated Press | accessdate = 2007-02-25 ] 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. [ [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,100131,00.html Kobe's Lawyers Introduce 'Compelling Evidence'] ] 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. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2003-12-18-shaw-analysis_x.htm Rulings on statement, T-shirt will set defense strategy] ]

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." [ [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/08/16/national/main636205.shtml Kobe Records Released] ] 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. [ [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,92892,00.html Kobe's Accuser Hospitalized Last Winter as a 'Danger to Herself'] ] 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. [ [http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/5866608/ A different spotlight for Bryant's accuser] ] Prosecutors dropped the case after spending at least $200,000 preparing for trial after she informed them that she was unwilling to testify. [ [http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/5861379/ Rape case against Bryant dismissed] ]

ettlement

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:

References

External links

* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,995069,00.html Kobe Rebounds]