Former NFL TE Kellen Winslow Jr. Convicted Of Rape

Kellen Winslow Jr., former NFL tight end for the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots and New York Jets, was convicted by a California jury of rape, indecent exposure and lewd conduct on Monday.

A 58-year-old homeless woman charged Winslow, along with a a 54-year-old hitchhiker and a 17-year-old teen who said he raped her when he was a 19-year-old college student. The jury found the former tight end guilty of indecent exposure and lewd conduct with two other women as well.

A total of five women testified against Winslow during the trial and the 35-year-old could now face up to life in prison. Winslow did not take the stand at all.

According to the New York Times, Winslow’s defense attorney noted inconsistencies in the testimonies saying that the women charging Winslow sought out allegations to seize Winslow’s wealth. Prosecutors say his social status as an NFL player allowed him to mistreat those who were vulnerable.

The jury found Winslow Jr. guilty on Monday of exposing himself to a 57-year-old woman who was tending her garden in May of last year. The 54-year-old hitchhiker told jurors that Winslow drove her to a nearby shopping mall in California and raped her in his car in March of 2018. After multiple women came forward and accused Winslow, a woman claimed that Winslow assaulted her at a high school party when he was 19 and she was just 17 back in 2003.

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Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel reported that the jurors struggled to come to a certain agreement and eventually hit a deadlock.

According to NBC News, the jurors gave the judge a note saying that, “The jurors could benefit from an explanation as to what being under oath means,” the note said. “Additionally, how we should follow the law and not what we think the law means.”

Defense attorneys continued to deny the women’s claims, saying they were lying under oath and fabricated material. According to NBC News, there was evidence of Winslow’s DNA on one of the accuser’s pants.

USA Today reported that the judge offered no indication of when they will reach a final verdict on the remaining charges.

Article by Tyler Pence

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