Link Between Florida State QB & Woman In Sexual Assault Investigation
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) – A DNA sample from Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston matches the sample taken from the underwear of the woman who alleged sexual battery against the Heisman Trophy-contending star, according to ESPN.com.
According to the report, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's crime lab found that the chances of the DNA that was found in the woman's underwear is someone's other than Winston is 1 in 2.2 trillion.
The DNA match doesn't mean Winston sexually assaulted the woman, but it does suggest some sort of sexual contact between the star quarterback and the victim on December 7, 2012 when the accuser said the assault happened.
Winston's lawyer said Thursday morning he is upset that the information was made public and that Jameis volunteered a DNA sample last week as part of the investigation.
Winston's attorney, Tim Jansen, said he had not seen the results of the DNA test and found out watching television.
"This DNA has no impact whatsoever on this case," Jansen said. "They two eyewitnesses that were present will exonerate Winston."
The case has been ongoing since last December and the attorney for the alleged victim said this week that Tallahassee Police warned her that filing the assault case could be problematic for her due to the focus on football in the city.
The statement which was first provided to the Tampa Bay Times, also said the woman "cannot fathom" why local prosecutors were not told about the investigation involving Winston until last week. Winston's attorney has repeatedly maintained his client has done nothing wrong.
Winston was a top freshman recruit and backup quarterback at the time of the alleged December 2012 assault, but is now a Heisman Trophy candidate and the Seminoles are the second-ranked football team in the country.
The family said in their statement from their attorney, Patricia Carroll, that the woman did not initially know the identity of who assaulted her and did not identify the alleged attacker as Winston until January.
Favors Thompson, saying that she anticipated national media interest because of Winston's celebrity, emailed that information to the Tallahassee mayor and city commissioners on Nov. 12. Her email stated police "stopped getting responses from the young woman and could no longer contact her for additional follow up and information after many attempts to do so.
The city manager said an attorney representing the alleged victim's family said she "changed her mind and did not wish to prosecute."
However, the woman never told police she did not want to press charges.
The accuser — who is from the Tampa Bay area — was going ahead with her life and attending classes at FSU when it became apparent that the police had no plans to seriously investigate the case. She left school last week when she learned that the case was about to become public.
"I had no faith whatsoever in the Tallahassee police department," said Carroll.
The statement from the family said that Carroll asked Tallahassee police detective Scott Angulo about obtaining a DNA sample from Winston. But Angulo refused to get the sample and refused to interview people— including Winston's roommate — who may have witnessed the attack. The family said the detective told Carroll that "such activity would alert Winston and the matter would go public."
When officials were asked about the allegations, TPD spokesman David Northway said they couldn't comment because it is an ongoing investigation.
The family statement also disputed that the woman was "intoxicated" at the time of the incident, saying that blood work showed otherwise.
Carroll said the woman and the family are cooperating with prosecutors "as they proceed with whatever actions they are taking in this matter."
Tallahassee police handed over information to prosecutors about the 11-month old case after two media organizations began requesting records associated with the incident. State Attorney Willie Meggs has said his office may make a decision regarding the case within the next few weeks.
Timothy Jansen, Winston's attorney, has said his client has done nothing wrong and maintains he will be exonerated. Jansen has said that he was told in February by police that the case was closed.
Coe emphatically said "the case was never closed," saying it was classified as "inactive" but still open. Coe said that after the media requests police consulted with Meggs and that the case was then "reactivated."
The family, in its statement, said the woman was "devastated" when they heard that Jansen was told about the case last February. They said that allowed Winston to create his defense and prepare witnesses.
Jansen said Wednesday he would not respond to any "specific aspects" of the investigation mentioned in the family statement.
"We are waiting, like everyone else, for the decision from the state attorney's office," Jansen said.
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