Former Illinois star Terrence Shannon Jr. will stand trial on first-degree felony rape and felony sexual aggravated battery prices June 10, a Kansas decide dominated at his preliminary listening to Friday.
Shannon was arraigned and pleaded not responsible earlier than a decide dominated there was possible trigger for trial to proceed in his case.
Final yr, a lady accused Shannon of sexually penetrating her together with his fingers at a bar in Lawrence, Kansas, on Sept. 9. The girl discovered Shannon’s image by way of a Google search and advised native police he was the assailant. Shannon was arrested and charged with “unlawfully, feloniously, and knowingly [engaging] in sexual activity with an individual … who didn’t consent to the sexual activity beneath circumstances when she was overcome by power or concern, a severity stage 1 particular person felony.”
In December, Shannon was suspended indefinitely by Illinois and missed six video games, however he was granted a brief restraining order by a federal decide and returned to the staff Jan. 21. He performed the remainder of the season and led the staff to the Elite Eight. In April, the college dropped its investigation of Shannon.
Shannon, per his attorneys, is anticipated to finish his trial — if the June 10 date stays — earlier than the NBA draft June 26-27. Earlier than his authorized case, he was a projected first-round decide.
Earlier than Shannon’s preliminary listening to, his attorneys requested that the DNA proof within the case not be admissible within the trial.
In an announcement Friday, Shannon’s authorized staff mentioned the decide’s ruling has no bearing on his guilt or innocence within the case.
“Our authorized staff is neither shocked nor disillusioned by the result of this occasion,” Mark Sutter, one in every of Shannon’s attorneys, mentioned in an announcement. “A preliminary listening to is a procedural course of that merely speaks to the edge of proof and whether or not a query of reality could exist for a jury. It has nothing to do with guilt or innocence. These points will probably be determined at trial, and we proceed to sit up for our day in courtroom.”