Terrence Shannon Jr., the former star player from Illinois, is set to go on trial on June 10 for first-degree felony rape and felony sexual aggravated battery charges. This ruling was made by a Kansas judge at his preliminary hearing on Friday.
After being arraigned, Shannon entered a plea of not guilty before a judge determined that there was enough evidence to proceed with his trial.
In September of last year, Shannon faced an accusation from a woman who claimed he sexually penetrated her with his fingers at a bar in Lawrence, Kansas. The woman identified Shannon as the perpetrator after finding his picture through a Google search and reported the incident to the local police. Subsequently, Shannon was apprehended and charged with a severity level 1 person felony for engaging in sexual intercourse without the woman’s consent, and under circumstances where she was overwhelmed by force or fear.
In December, Illinois suspended him indefinitely, causing him to miss six games. However, his situation took a turn when a federal judge granted him a temporary restraining order. As a result, he was able to rejoin the team on January 21st. Despite the setback, Shannon persevered and played a pivotal role in leading the team to the Elite Eight. Following the season, the university decided to drop its investigation of Shannon.
According to his lawyers, Shannon is expected to finish his trial before the NBA draft on June 26-27, assuming the date remains as scheduled. Prior to his legal troubles, he was considered a first-round pick.
Shannon’s attorneys made a request before his preliminary hearing to exclude the DNA evidence from being used in the trial.
According to Shannon’s legal team, the judge’s ruling on Friday does not determine whether he is guilty or innocent in the case.
“We are not surprised or let down by the result of this event,” stated Mark Sutter, one of Shannon’s attorneys. “A preliminary hearing is a procedural step that simply assesses the amount of evidence and whether there is a possibility of a jury question. It does not determine guilt or innocence. These matters will be resolved during the trial, and we eagerly await our opportunity to present our case in court.”
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