OT: Jameis Winston's DNA linked by police to alleged incident [LOCKED]
I don't know how many of you have been following the story of the alleged sexual battery by FSU star QB and Heisman hopeful Jameis Winston, but there is a new, potentially game changing development in the case that has leaked to the press today. Previously, I had been skeptical of the accuser's claims due to the fact that she said her assailant was between 5'9" and 5'11" and Winston is 6'4" but now there's actually some concrete proof that links the two of them to some sort of interaction on the night in question back in 2012. Police have compared DNA taken from Winston to the sample from the accuser's rape kit test, and it is a match. This does not prove whether it was consensual or not, but it does imply that there was some sort of sexual contact between Winston and his accuser.
Where do you think this will go from here? Will charges be filed? Will Winston ultimately wind up getting kicked off of the team? And how incompetent/complicit in a cover up is the Tallahassee PD, waiting 11 months to make this test?
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/10009077/dna-analysis-matches-jameis-winston-accuser
***EDIT - title edited to make OT per LSA2k's recommendation, and also so that I may clarify that Winston, like all accused of a crime, is innocent until proven guilty.***
MOD EDIT - Some of the comments in this thread are starting to wander into things we shouldn't be discussing on MGoBlog. LSA
November 21st, 2013 at 9:19 AM ^
this is very damning for the Police Department down there. I feel for the victim and her family.
November 21st, 2013 at 9:23 AM ^
the fact that they didn't get DNA from Winston until after the story hit the media in the first place, 11 months after the alleged incident, reeks of shadyness. (is that a word, shadyness?) that fact alone makes it look to an outsider like a coverup for the football team was in effect.
November 21st, 2013 at 9:32 AM ^
And the comments that the Detective in charge "strongly discouraged" her from reporting the incident - basically using his position as an authority figure - to coerce her is particularly disturbing. How important is football that you (a) break the law to hide it, and (b) threaten someone who has been raped? (allegedly).
November 21st, 2013 at 9:33 AM ^
November 21st, 2013 at 10:23 AM ^
She reported that it was possibly Winston back in Jan.
November 21st, 2013 at 2:00 PM ^
I'm not sure the fact that it wasn't tested immediately is a scandal. It's obviously not ideal, but a quick google search reveals that Memphis has ~12,000 untested rape kits, Texas is trying to test ~20,000 old kits that were never tested and that suburban communities around Chicago frequently test less than 2/3 of the rape kits they receive.
Obviously athletes receive favorable treatment relative to other people; not in ever case or by everyone, but it happens. Any attempts by police to prevent the truth from coming out are despicable. But let's not indict the police department just yet. Evidence testing (DNA, etc.) by police in real life doesn't work like it does on TV, and there's a lot we should be doing to fix it. But let's not assume the worst.
By the way, I just picked this comment to respond to a lot of similar-sounding comments; not trying to pick on you, MikeCohodes
EDIT: I think I missed something and this comment is irrelevant. I didn't realize it took as long as it did to get Winston's DNA, not to test the rape kit. My bad. Ignore!
November 21st, 2013 at 9:20 AM ^
Ruh Roh
November 21st, 2013 at 9:23 AM ^
And another promising young athletic career gets derailed into the "what could've been" category by the pursuit of dem shawties
November 21st, 2013 at 9:26 AM ^
Downvote for assuming the guy is guilty prior to a conviction.
Maybe he raped her. Maybe they had concesual sex that night. Were any of us there?
November 21st, 2013 at 9:43 AM ^
I specifically have said "alleged" every time I referred to the incident, and all this DNA test proves was that they had some sort of contact that night. It does not prove consensual or non-consensual. I don't know what to think right now, and will refrain from convicting him until a court does.
***EDIT - I have changed the title of the post and also more clearly spelled out innocent until proven guilty in the main body of the post, I hope this alleviates your concerns. I was not trying to convict him, I was simply bringing up a story I found newsworthy.
November 21st, 2013 at 9:48 AM ^
Oh just like the same way CRAIG JAMES ALLEGEDLY KILLED 5 HOOKERS WHILE HE WAS SMU!
November 21st, 2013 at 10:07 AM ^
I was referring to the more to the tone of your post and the expectation of the subsequent comments than your specific wording, although you changed the tone with your edits.
As someone who's life and career were damaged by a claim that was eventually proven false, I've always been outspoken about any post or thread that speculatively discusses the alleged criminal activity of athletes (or anyone, for that matter, if you remember the mods raking some student over the coals for his alleged inappropriate touching on a gif that they posted from a basketball game last year).
EDIT: See Exhibit A below (currently post #13, 2 posts below).
November 21st, 2013 at 10:25 AM ^
November 21st, 2013 at 10:29 AM ^
I don't know why people think they have to conclude something immediately. I know why the media tries to sell stories to the public (because they need jobs and they like making money), but I don't know why people are so quick to believe what they see on tv is 100% accurate and feel free to jump to conclusions accordingly.
Also, ESPN is now showing a quote allegedly from a Tallahassee PD officer to Winston's accuser from 11 moths ago telling her something to the effect of "Tallahassee is a big football town. If you make an accusation you, your family and your life are going to be raked over the coas" and presenting it in such a way as to convince their audience this is evidence of impropriety. Now, it could be exactly that. Or it could have been an officer making sure the victim knew exactly what they were in for as far as the court of public opinion goes. The one thing I am certain of is that ESPN is only reporting it to help their ratings, which makes me look at the report with a jaundiced eye.
I have no opinion on the case, because I know essentially nothing about it. All I'm saying is people shouldnt let the media make their minds up for them.
November 21st, 2013 at 9:51 AM ^
the OP comes right out and says he is guilty - just that he was (a) suspicious at first, and (b) increased evidence of the (alleged) rape has come to light making him question everything about the case. I agree we shouldn't jump to conclusions, but the cover-up/ineptness of the PD casts a very negative light on the case.
November 21st, 2013 at 10:01 AM ^
November 21st, 2013 at 10:07 AM ^
Exhibit A.
November 21st, 2013 at 10:22 AM ^
is to keep people fro jumping to conclusions anonymously on the internet, you might as well give up now, terminate your internet subscription and become a shut in.
November 21st, 2013 at 10:32 AM ^
Glad you're not in any position of power.
November 21st, 2013 at 10:46 AM ^
As someone who worked as a prosecutor I think it’s critically important to point out that the idea of "innocent till proven guilty" is a total misnomer and not actually a thing in this country.
The real saying is "presumed innocent until proven guilty." I know it’s nuanced, but just because you're proven innocent does not mean you are actually innocent. Just look at OJ Simpson.
As such, please PRESUME he is innocent, but know that even if acquitted, he may be very very guilty.
Or maybe not...
November 21st, 2013 at 10:56 AM ^
I took CrimLaw too bro.
November 21st, 2013 at 12:48 PM ^
Semantics. Going to jail and getting ass raped or not going to jail and getting ass raped is binary. Presumed innocent = innocent when it comes to consequences.
November 21st, 2013 at 1:25 PM ^
You were a prosecutor and infer that OJ was "proven innocent" ? Juries find people guilty or not guilty. They do not find them innocent and his defense came nowhere close to "proving" him innocent.
November 21st, 2013 at 10:48 AM ^
November 21st, 2013 at 12:47 PM ^
one of the cornerstones of our society, and with good reason. Even if you choose to view it as "presumed" innocent, it is a far cry from being presumed guilty.
November 21st, 2013 at 2:58 PM ^
If Winston is charged with a felony he will be suspended immediately.
November 21st, 2013 at 9:26 AM ^
You'd think he'd have a line and have to turn them away.
Guess Jameis isn't nearly as good with the ladies as he is spinning a football.
November 21st, 2013 at 9:31 AM ^
you always want what you can't have
November 21st, 2013 at 9:37 AM ^
The alleged incident happened in December 2012, before he had his breakout season and became famous.
November 21st, 2013 at 9:56 AM ^
Sexual assault isn't about getting sex that you normally can't get. It's a show of power over a victim. There are plenty of men out there who "can't get any" who don't then decide to physically force themselves on a woman.
I hope I never have to be in this situation, whether myself or with my daughter. I hope I never have to defend myself against skepticism and disbelief. Sure, there have been situations where a "victim" comes forward to try to gain something from falsely accusing someone of sexual assault. But there are also cases where a woman doesn't come forward because of shame or fear of not being believed. I'll reserve judgment until after the facts have all come out, and hope that the Tallahassee police department is working in the best interest of justice, and NOT the Florida State football team.
November 21st, 2013 at 10:23 AM ^
+infinity
Rape, or sexual assault, is about power and control.
November 21st, 2013 at 3:18 PM ^
November 21st, 2013 at 12:56 PM ^
I've seen this line of thinking frequently on message boards; that famous football players must have easy access to sex on demand.
I'm concerned that perhaps this idea could lead to players feeling entitled to sex, leading to sexual assault. Not commenting on Winston in particular just overall attitudes.
November 21st, 2013 at 9:39 AM ^
From a guy who "knows Winston personally," I heard that him and the accuser were seeing eachother regularly (not dating, but hooking up) despite Winston having an actual girlfriend at the time. Supposedly his real girlfriend came to town the next day and the accuser (his hook up buddy) became enraged and led to these charges. Take it all with a grain of salt. Also, I'm yet to see it, but apparently there are several pictures from that night of Winston and the accuser on the dance floor basically all over eachother. We'll see how it plays out.
November 21st, 2013 at 9:42 AM ^
Even if there are pictures from that night, it doesn't prove consent.
November 21st, 2013 at 9:55 AM ^
November 21st, 2013 at 10:32 AM ^
Assuming these things you say are true, if she was truly seeking revenge why was her description of him so off and why wouldn't his name have been mentioned immediately as a suspect? That story just seems off in many ways.
November 21st, 2013 at 11:11 AM ^
This makes zero sense. Her initial report didn't say, "Jameis Winston raped me." She didn't know her alleged attacker.
November 21st, 2013 at 12:48 PM ^
Again, this is all from a source who "is personal friends with JW" - but apparently after she found out that his actual girlfriend was coming to town the next day and knowing that he wanted her to lay low she decided to claim rape as a spur of the moment act of extreme anger. After she called the cops, she realized that it wasn't the best idea but didn't want to say she was lying, thus her saying that "someone" raped me (not specifically JW), and made up a height that wouldn't sound like his. These are all just rumors but this is the story I've heard that somewhat connects all of the dots.
November 21st, 2013 at 2:41 PM ^
Plus, "connects all of the dots"? Those are just the random bits of information that are presented in the media. That makes me think that the whole thing is made up.
November 21st, 2013 at 9:39 AM ^
It's going to come down to consent vs. assault now. The point about her misidentifying his height actually makes me more skeptical of him, due to proven inaccuracies in eyewitness testimony in violent crimes. If she is up to frame him I would think she would have been more likely to give an accurate description.
Of course I wasn't there and all that, so we'll see how it plays out. One thing is for sure: this does not look good for the TPD.
November 21st, 2013 at 9:41 AM ^
You should be having to turn THEM away.
November 21st, 2013 at 10:05 AM ^
November 21st, 2013 at 10:27 AM ^
November 21st, 2013 at 11:05 AM ^
November 21st, 2013 at 11:06 AM ^
November 21st, 2013 at 11:43 AM ^
I think he was referring to your "southern belle slam piece" remark as being a classless way of referring to women.
November 21st, 2013 at 9:44 AM ^
just like always. It's basically he/she said situation. I'm not judging until all of the facts are out and we're not seeing the whole picture. It's dangerous to assume that he is 100% guilty and it's also dangerous to assume that the victim could be lying because Jameis is famous.
All of it happened last year so it'll be much more difficult to prove. It happened before Jameis became a famous star QB. People please dont' judge both victim or Jameis for their sake.
November 21st, 2013 at 9:45 AM ^
If true, I feel bad for that girl as it's been rumored she's been (and may still be) pressured to not come forward with it. Winston is viewed as the savior of FSU football and there's going to be a lot of idiots looking to harass her because "shes screwing up FSU football"
November 21st, 2013 at 11:59 AM ^