June 17th 2024.
On December 28th, 2023, Terrence Shannon Jr., a talented guard for the University of Illinois, found himself in a difficult situation. He was arrested and charged with rape after an incident that allegedly took place in September of that year. However, fast forward to June 13th, 2024, and Shannon was found not guilty of the felony rape and aggravated sexual assault charges by a jury in Kansas.
The Washington Post reported that the jury only took two hours to reach their verdict of not guilty. Shannon had always maintained his innocence since being accused by a woman of inappropriately touching her at a bar in Lawrence, Kansas. It was an emotional moment in the Kansas court as the verdict was read, with Shannon's legal team, family, and friends present to support him.
For Shannon, the timing of the verdict couldn't have been better. He had recently entered himself in the NBA Draft, which was set to take place on June 26th and 27th. The accusations against him stemmed from an incident in Lawrence when he was in town to watch the University of Illinois football team play against the University of Kansas on September 8th. The woman claimed that Shannon had grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him at the bar, and then reached under her skirt to assault her. However, Shannon maintained his innocence throughout the trial, stating that he did not perform the act she accused him of and that he had never seen her before the preliminary hearing last month.
In a written statement to The Washington Post, Shannon's attorney, Mark P. Sutter, stated that they had always denied the charges and had been waiting for their day in court. And now, justice had been served with the jury's verdict. Sutter also added that the public owed Shannon an apology for the false accusations.
Despite the difficult circumstances, Shannon had continued to focus on his basketball career. He had participated in the NBA Draft Combine the month before and had led his team to a 29-9 record, ultimately making it to the Elite Eight before losing to the University of Connecticut, who went on to become the champions. With the weight of the false accusations now lifted off his shoulders, Shannon could now fully focus on his future in the NBA.
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