Terrence Shannon Jr., the former Illinois basketball star, is set to face trial on June 10 for first-degree felony rape and felony sexual aggravated battery charges. This decision was made by a Kansas judge following a preliminary hearing on Friday, as reported by ESPN.
Shannon appeared in court on Friday and entered a plea of not guilty before a judge. The judge determined that there was enough evidence to proceed with a trial in Shannon’s case. The incident in question took place when Shannon was in Lawrence, Kansas, for an Illinois football game, where he was accused of sexually penetrating a woman in September. The woman identified Shannon’s picture through a Google search and reported the incident to the police, which ultimately led to Shannon’s arrest.
In December, Shannon faced indefinite suspension from Illinois after being charged with a severity level 1 person felony. The charge stated that he engaged in sexual intercourse without consent, when the other person was overcome by force or fear. As a result, he missed six games during his suspension.
Shannon received a temporary restraining order from a federal judge, allowing him to rejoin the team. He made his comeback on January 21 and played a pivotal role in leading the Fighting Illini to the Elite Eight.
If the court date on June 10 stays the same, Shannon is expected to complete his trial before the NBA Draft, which is scheduled for June 26-27.
According to ESPN, Shannon’s legal team issued a statement on Friday clarifying that the judge’s ruling does not impact his guilt or innocence in the case.
“Our legal team is not surprised or let down by the outcome of this event,” stated Mark Sutter, one of Shannon’s attorneys. “A preliminary hearing is simply a procedural step that assesses the level of evidence and determines if there is a possibility of a trial. It does not determine guilt or innocence. Those matters will be decided during the trial, and we are eagerly anticipating our opportunity to present our case in court.”
Former Illinois basketball player Terrence Shannon Jr. will be heading to trial on a rape charge.