Trial of Terrence Shannon

UofI basketball star Terrence Shannon was acquitted of rape and an
alternative count of aggravated sexual battery.

An 18 year old woman accused him of fingering and penetrating her under
her skirt at a bar. She later identified him from sports news photos.

The jury had a brief deliberation and were impressed with the lack of
DNA evidence from swabs of her underwear and inside and outside her
genitals. But given the crime as described, not sure there was much of
anything to find. Also, the swabs were done much later. A forensic had
testified that there was an "insufficient amount of male DNA to make
identification" but defense said forensics didn't have enough to test to
find DNA in the first place.

Furthermore, the defense hired a private investigator who came up with a
similar incident two weeks earlier, when the basketball player's team
wasn't in that town.

UofI kicked him off the team and he missed several games with the
pending court case, but he sued the university which was forced to play
him.

He had a strong defense and the prosecution's evidence was... Oh, it's
like watching Price on Law & Order.

Perhaps he was actually innocent.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/06/13/illinois-basketball-star-terrence-shannon-denies-allegations-at-rape-trial-case-goes-to-jury/