Jury convicts OSU basketball player of rape

Darrell Williams weeps as he is escorted from the courtroom in Stillwater, Okla., Monday, July 23, 2012. / AP Photo

(AP) STILLWATER, Okla. - A suspended Oklahoma State basketball player accused of sexually assaulting two women at a house party was convicted Monday night of sexual battery and rape by instrumentation, but jurors acquitted him on two other counts.

Darrell Williams broke down in tears as the verdicts were read, saying "Oh my Jesus God" as he bent over and banged his hands on the defense table. He then turned to the jury and yelled, "I didn't do it." Others in the packed courtroom, including his teammates and coach, left without commenting, and an inconsolable female relative was helped out as Williams was taken away by sheriff's deputies.

The 22-year-old was charged with four counts of rape by instrumentation, but he was acquitted on two of those counts. Jurors, who deliberated for about eight hours, recommended that he be sentenced to a year in prison for each of the rape counts. His formal sentencing is set for Aug. 24.

Payne County prosecutors accused Williams of groping the two women and reaching inside their pants without their consent during a party in December 2010. With little physical evidence to bolster their case, Assistant District Attorney Jill Tontz had to rely on testimony from the two women.

"`No' means just that: It means `no,"' Tontz said during closing arguments earlier Monday. "These girls felt dehumanized, embarrassed."

Both women testified during the trial and said they identified Williams as their attacker after police showed them a photo of the Cowboys basketball team. One woman said Williams held her against her will and dragged her in a yard. She said the attack happened in the basement of the house and that no one came to her aid.

"It made me feel violated and sick to my stomach," she testified.

After the verdicts, Tontz said the women "waited 16 months to tell a jury what Darrell Williams did to them. This verdict represents justice."

Defense attorneys had tried to cast doubt that Williams was the perpetrator. Witnesses testified that several players at the party wore similar Oklahoma State warm-up suits, and his attorneys claimed that could have led to a misidentification.

Defense attorney Cheryl Ramsey referred to the case as a "he said, she said situation" during her closing argument. She noted that no one heard anyone scream at the party, saw any struggles or reported anything inappropriate. Neither of the women suffered any cuts or scratches, and no clothing was torn after the alleged incident.

After the verdicts were read, Ramsey said she was "very disappointed." She had asked the judge to release Williams pending his sentencing, but the judge denied the request, noting Williams' sudden outburst in court.

The outburst prompted Tontz to quickly move to the other side of prosecutors' table and cry as she clutched a sheriff's deputy. The prosecutor later said she felt intimidated.

Williams has long denied the allegations, and did so in a recorded interview with police that attorneys played at the trial last week.

"I don't know what happened in the basement," Williams said on the audio recording. "I was probably misidentified."

Oklahoma State basketball coach Travis Ford testified on Williams' behalf Wednesday, saying he believed the young man was innocent. The coach declined comment after the verdicts Monday.

Williams was suspended from the team in February 2011. Before that, he led the team in rebounding and averaged 7.1 points per game.

[rightofwrong]

So how many wins does OSU have to forfeit now? How many years of probation are they on?

[expatriate2]

Like it or not, the jury found this young man guilty. We certainly cannot know all the details from a single news article. Moreover, most of you failed to read the article correctly. It DOES NOT say that the girls waited 16 months to report the incident, it said they had waited 16 months to tell their story to the jury. In other words, it was 16 months from the time of the arrest to the trial. He was arrested in February of 2011 so you do the math.
The greater issue here is why young black males and black athletes choose to destroy their lives for acts of total stupidity. Anyone thinking this is a racial attack, just look at the numbers and confirm them for yourself. Blacks represent less than 13% of the total population but 39% of the prison population. Strangely, the statistics are almost the same in England. But we have privileged, highly-paid black individuals purposely choosing delinquency over living correctly and enjoying their fame and fortune. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is the highest paid boxer in the world and is behind bars just as his father was before him. Mike Tyson and O.J. Simpson walked away from wealth and promise to pursue a lesser life. The University of Pittsburgh had four of its football players arrested for different crimes in one week, all black. Anyone who disagrees only needs to examine the personal history of Plaxico Burress, Rae Carruth, Cecil Collins, Dwayne Goodrich, Thomas Henderson, Darryl Henley, Travis Henry, Terry Johnson, Jamal Lewis, Leonard Little, Dexter Manley, Byron Morris, Eugene "Mercury" Morris, Nate Newton, Lawrence Phillips, Robert Rozier, Alonzo Spellman, Donte Stallworth, Marion Jones, Willie Mays Aikens, Barry Bonds, Darryl Strawberry, Hank Thompson, Greg Anderson, Billy Ray Bates, Lonny Baxter, Luther Burden, Corie Blount, Allen Iverson, Henry James, Eddie Johnson, Ruben Patterson, Isaiah Rider, Charles Smith, Sylvester Williams, Trevor Berbick, Riddick Bowe, Rubin Carter, Clifford Etienne, Bernard Hopkins, James Kirkland, Panama Lewis, Sonny Liston, Michael Nunn, Dwight Braxton or Floyd Mayweather, Sr.

[displeased2]

Like it or not, the jury found this man guilty with no evidence. Should we imprison people based on word against word?

[expatriate2]

Nice try but the statistics are the same in England and France. Are you asking that each of these nations have all black police forces, judges, juries, etc? It doesn't make sense, none of it.

[quotelawrence]

this theory that "no" means "no", but when it comes after the fact is "No" No or Now I didn't like it, this idea that all "NO" are given in the beginning is to say that the accuser is always right, and I have notice over the years that there is no "INNOCENT until Proven GUILTY" on these cases, these cases put our Justice system in a tail spin, you either prove innocence or you are presumed guilty, and the justice system doesn't provide adequate funds for the defense to prove innocence they merely present suggestions, and the accused is told not to testify so without any argument the jury presumes Guilt, our prisons are full of none violent, none criminal inmates, being forced to live as the animals they are housed with, and as long as it happens to someone else it doesn't bother me,

[ugacrew]

Sad. I'm glad this young man was not facing the death penalty.
The young women will have children of their own someday and if they were telling less than the truth will face a lifetime of misery and guilt. One cannot sew seeds of despair and reap contentment.

[quotelawrence]

the problem with your theory is that one views their side as right, the other says their opinion is right, the court forces one to accept theirs is wrong, but after the fact, one doesn't recount the lies, or the withheld truths, it is over, and the court usually never revisits these cases, it is misery for one, and victims assistance for the other, are you discontent when you are rewarded.

[lvnvlady]

Not to say women lie, or that this guy is not guilty, but look at the poor guy that just got a chance to try out for a professional football(?) team after spending 5 years or so in jail AND HE WAS NOT GUILTY. The nice lady that accused him years ago finally came forward and cleared his name. And this case had no physical evidence according to the article. Crazy or what?

[no1blonde]

Yep, nothing has changed. Blame the victims. Even when a court finds someone guilty, which is rare even for an out and out rape. "The young man was railroaded", 'it was someone else', 'they lied'. Simply - No means no means no means no...even if you don't ask for permission and grab for your own pleasure..it still means do not touch - period!

[vielmann]

Like the Duke LaCrosse players?

[lvnvlady]

You are right...no means no means no...even if you do not ask permission...but getting convicted of a rape charge for supposedly "groping a woman"?? Rape means rape....not "I think he raped me cuz he touched my boob". I don't get it, if all he did was grope the woman, why did she not run from the room screaming, or call the police right then or HOW ABOUT club the pric*k where it hurts and then run or go get her friends at the party and confront him then and there and call the police???? It's so much easier to accuse someone later than to deal with the situation right when it happens. With all the people at that party, do you really think that those girls could not have run out and got someones attention and taken care of the situation right then. There are so many more things you can do when a guy gropes you than charge him with RAPE. I suspect that the prosecutors had a whole lot more to do with this than that poor kid or the girls he supposedly "raped". Ridiculous!! And I am not BLAMING the victims, but if you are a victim, please act like one when you are actually VICTIMIZED and not later, when you are more at ease with your story. This whole story is an INSULT to women in this country that ACTUALLY ARE RAPED!!!

[Tkcbreed]

My hart goes out to the young man. You was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Those girls can't be telling the truth. Why wait so long to tell someone that you was raped? In my eyes they thought that they was going to get something from this young man when he made it in the NBA.
Now his life is over because of some DUMB BIMBOWS!!!!!!I hope he can get another lawyer to help him because he needs one who is on his side. I hope that all of you young men take this and learn what can happen to you. Stay away from those type of @sses!!!!!
I am a mother of 3 boys and they are taught to watch out for those types.

[paul2313]

Haven't any of you been to a college house party? With wall to wall people, there is all kinds of flirting and shenanigans going on. The prosecutor said that the women felt "dehumanized, embarrassed". They should have felt dehumanized and embarrassed once they walked through the front door.

[jackp32]

The jury has spoken. Williams needs to stand up like a man and stop whinning like a sissy.

[vielmann]

Easily said from your side of the computer.

[thehomelessguy]

Sometimes, women lie.

[ReckonedTruth]

they do.. and its been proven they do lie in this case..

..there was another potential sport star who spend 5 years in jail for rape..and eventually the victim came forth and stated he never raped her..

she stated she said rape because he no longer wanted to be with her sexually..and the both would meet a the school the both atended at the time and have sex9 this made headline news weeks ago when the accused was released from prison and no persuing his dream in professioal sport).. and when she cried rape ..the victim's parents sued the school and got millions.. and the victim by that time was to afraid to come forward and state she lied..

the JURY is WACKED in this case and verdit as they have been in many other cases similar..and this has been PROVEN over and over again.. this is why others are being released from prison now more than EVER before in this naton's history.. after the fact because DNA has proven the accused was railroad into a crime they didn't commit and the dumb-azz jurors ruled ignorantly to convict..

I'm certain if this guy would appeal..and get a BETTER defense lawyer who cares about this guy's future.. he will be vindicated by the court..

[ReckonedTruth]

Ok 16 months AFTER the alleged incident the two girls cry rape which happened at a PARTY-16 months prior? Neither girls Never told anyone at the party.. no screams heard at the party, no torn clothes and no one seen anything at this party?..

..and is this instrumentation of rape even if something happened against the two women noted as the victims-- no evidence of forced penetration as instrumentation of rape reported UNTIL 16 months AFTERWARDS?..

this guy had a TERRIBLE defense lawyer..who didn't care either way apparently..basically de-valued the accused as a PERSON whose life is in their hands..

..so as a defense lawyer..

I would want to know did this guy know the girls before this party?

Had the alleged victims talked to him after the party within the 16 months before they reported sexual battery..changed by the state to instrumentation rape.

Has the two women's cell phone conversations-could have and should have been retracted for defense evidence within the right of the defense if not against STATE LAW. All of this is evidence in defense of the this wrongfully accused guy up against the allegations..

..he needs to appeal immediately and get a BETTER defense lawyer..

..the JURY as ALWAYS is WACKED and should be ASHAMED to convict him of anything..(all they see is a blackmale accused of raped so it has to be true.. because of the indoctrination-- all black males are rapist, right?).

...the evidence presented is very doubtful..because there's NO crediable evidence other than they said and he said..16 months AFTER the fact when reported..

..its Oklahoma..I'm not surprized at all he was convicted upon the WORDS of the two women..and there's no evidence at all the accused did anything to these two girls.. who at a party full of partiers..and neither girls told anyone at the party..nor did anyone see or hear anything at the party where all of this allegedly happened..