By Judith Crosson
EAGLE, Colo. (Reuters) - Kobe Bryant (news)'s attorneys are expected to tell a court on Thursday that DNA evidence from the prosecution's own laboratory supports their theory a 19-year-old woman who has accused the basketball star of rape had consensual sex with another man only hours after she said she was raped.
Bryant has denied he raped the woman June 30 at a Colorado resort where she worked and he was staying while he had outpatient knee surgery.
On Wednesday, MSNBC reported fresh sperm and semen were found inside the woman's body from samples given during a rape examination and that such evidence would prove she had sex with another man within hours after the incident with Bryant.
The DNA evidence from the prosecution's own laboratory could be introduced in court as early as Thursday when the Los Angeles Laker appears in an Eagle, Colorado, courtroom for a pretrial hearing, the cable TV report said.
Bryant's lawyer, Pamela Mackey, suggested at a previous pretrial hearing that the woman had sex within 15 hours after she said she was raped.
Through her attorney, the woman denied having sex so soon after she said she was raped.
If the woman did have consensual sex soon after she said she was raped by Bryant, then she also would have lied to police who were investigating the case.
A spokeswoman for prosecutors said she had no comment on the MSNBC report because of a gag order.
Eagle County District Judge Terry Ruckriegle may set a trial date at Thursday's hearing where Bryant's lawyers will also ask the judge to order prosecutors to disclose if the state paid for a stay at an addiction treatment center for the accuser.
The defense also wants records of cell phone text messages sent by the woman, which could indicate if the encounter with Bryant was consensual.
Bryant's attorneys, who have tried to paint the accuser as unstable, want to know if the victims' fund paid for a stay at an Arizona drug facility.
"Any time an argument can be made that a witness is being compensated financially for her efforts then it becomes arguably admissible," according to former Denver prosecutor Craig Silverman who is observing the proceedings.
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Trust me no one is going to have any kind of sex any time soon after they supposedly have been raped. Especially not hours after.
EAGLE, Colo. (Reuters) - Kobe Bryant (news)'s attorneys are expected to tell a court on Thursday that DNA evidence from the prosecution's own laboratory supports their theory a 19-year-old woman who has accused the basketball star of rape had consensual sex with another man only hours after she said she was raped.
Bryant has denied he raped the woman June 30 at a Colorado resort where she worked and he was staying while he had outpatient knee surgery.
On Wednesday, MSNBC reported fresh sperm and semen were found inside the woman's body from samples given during a rape examination and that such evidence would prove she had sex with another man within hours after the incident with Bryant.
The DNA evidence from the prosecution's own laboratory could be introduced in court as early as Thursday when the Los Angeles Laker appears in an Eagle, Colorado, courtroom for a pretrial hearing, the cable TV report said.
Bryant's lawyer, Pamela Mackey, suggested at a previous pretrial hearing that the woman had sex within 15 hours after she said she was raped.
Through her attorney, the woman denied having sex so soon after she said she was raped.
If the woman did have consensual sex soon after she said she was raped by Bryant, then she also would have lied to police who were investigating the case.
A spokeswoman for prosecutors said she had no comment on the MSNBC report because of a gag order.
Eagle County District Judge Terry Ruckriegle may set a trial date at Thursday's hearing where Bryant's lawyers will also ask the judge to order prosecutors to disclose if the state paid for a stay at an addiction treatment center for the accuser.
The defense also wants records of cell phone text messages sent by the woman, which could indicate if the encounter with Bryant was consensual.
Bryant's attorneys, who have tried to paint the accuser as unstable, want to know if the victims' fund paid for a stay at an Arizona drug facility.
"Any time an argument can be made that a witness is being compensated financially for her efforts then it becomes arguably admissible," according to former Denver prosecutor Craig Silverman who is observing the proceedings.
**********
Trust me no one is going to have any kind of sex any time soon after they supposedly have been raped. Especially not hours after.