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Terrence Shannon Jr. was found not guilty in his rape trial Thursday.
The former Illinois men’s basketball star faced charges for rape and aggravated sexual battery in a Kansas courtroom, based on allegations made by an 18-year-old woman at a bar near the University of Kansas campus in September.
A jury found him not guilty on both counts after deliberating for 90 minutes on Thursday.
Shannon took the stand Thursday while family members looked on. He vehemently denied the allegations, which came from an incident during a trip he had made to watch an Illinois-Kansas football game last fall.
“I never touched, grabbed, pulled over. … That did not happen,” Shannon told the jury, according to published reports.
The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Chicago native is projected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft.
The Illini suspended him from Dec. 27 through Jan. 19 when the allegations surfaced, during which he missed six games.
Shannon was reinstated after a court ruling and went on to lead the team in scoring, ranking second in the Big Ten and third in the NCAA at 23 points per game. He was named first team All-Big Ten by the coaches, media and The Associated Press. He was chosen second team All-America by 247Sports and CBS Sports, third team All-America by the AP, and honorable mention All-America by the USBWA.
Emotions in Kansas court as the verdict is read NOT GUILTY for former #Illini Terrence Shannon Jr.
The immediate reaction from his legal team, family and friends in Lawrence pic.twitter.com/bL1bhAGYQ0
— Bret Beherns (@WCIA3Bret) June 13, 2024
The prosecution’s closing arguments referred to the 18-year-old woman as a typical student from a junior college who went with her friend to a bar, despite liking neither crowds nor drinking, because it’s what college students do. They referred to the other student — Shannon — as a star college athlete who “Might as well be the king of the University of Illinois. When he wants something, he gets it.”
Shannon’s defense…
Source link : https://www.yahoo.com/news/former-illinois-mens-basketball-star-012015856.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2024-06-14 01:20:15
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