Denver Post

Eagle DA charges Kobe
Lakers star admits to adultery but denies he forced 19-year-old to have sex
By George Merritt and Steve Lipsher
Denver Post Staff Writers

Saturday, July 19, 2003 - EAGLE - Basketball star Kobe Bryant was charged Friday with felony sexual assault, accused of forcing a 19-year-old Eagle woman to have sex more than two weeks ago.

Bryant, a 24-year-old all-star guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, faces as much as four years to life in prison if convicted of the class 3 felony of sexual assault.

"This decision did not come easily," Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert said Friday. "The decision came only after reviewing all the evidence. ... Then, and only then, did I make my decision."

Hurlbert would not answer questions on the specific facts of the case, but he said there was "alleged sexual penetration or intrusion" and that Byrant caused "submission of the victim through actual physical force."

VIDEO

Eagle County D.A. Mark Hurlbert announces the charges. Hurlbert answers reporters questions. Bryant defends himself at L.A. press conference.

At a 7 p.m. MDT news conference in Los Angeles, Bryant, with his wife by his side, proclaimed his innocence but admitted he had sex with the woman.

"I didn't force her to do anything against her will," Bryant said.

He said he was angry at himself for hurting his family.

"I sit here before you guys embarrassed and ashamed for committing adultery," Bryant said through tears. "You know, if you could just turn back the hands of time ... I love my wife so much. She's so special to me. But I'm innocent, and together we are going to fight these false accusations."

Bryant had flown from L.A. to Colorado on June 30 to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in Vail the next day.

Late that night or early July 1, Bryant allegedly sexually assaulted a woman who works at the hotel where he was staying, the posh 56-room Lodge & Spa at Cordilla in nearby Edwards.

DETAILS

Read the charges Felony Complaint (State of Colorado v. Bryant)

Bryant had apparently met the woman, a University of Northern Colorado student from Eagle who works at the hotel as a concierge, while milling around the lobby. The alleged assault occurred in his room after she went off-duty at 11 p.m.

About noon July 1, the woman and her parents reported the alleged assault to the Eagle County Sheriff's Department. That night, detectives questioned Bryant, who later provided a DNA sample.

Bryant was allowed to leave Colorado, but he returned July 4 after Sheriff Joseph Hoy obtained an arrest warrant. The five-time NBA all-star and three-time NBA champion was booked on suspicion of felony sexual assault before posting a $25,000 bond and returning home to California.

AUDIO

Kobe Bryant press conferences ... Listen to Eagle county DA Mark Hurlbert and Kobe Bryant and attorney Pamela Mackey

He is expected to appear in Eagle County Court on Aug. 6 to be advised of the charges against him.

Outside the sheriff's office Friday there were dozens of camera lights, microphone wires and camera stands. Various media vehicles filled the parking lot and spilled out around the building.

The attention was so great that more than two dozen spectators blended in with the media for a firsthand account of the media circus.

Anthony and Richard Picardi brought their mother Molly down from Vail for the afternoon.

TIMELINE

Chronology of events leading to Friday's filing of assault count: June 30: Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and three associates check into The Lodge & Spa at Cordillera, a $360- to $700-a-night resort hotel in Edwards, about 10 p.m. 10:15 p.m.: Bryant moves around the lobby. 11 p.m.: A 19-year-old woman who works at the hotel as a concierge and receptionist goes off duty. 11:13 p.m.: A phone call lasting a few minutes is placed from Bryant's room to what is believed to be his Newport Beach, Calif., home, where his wife, Vanessa, and young daughter are staying. Before midnight: Bryant's accuser goes to his room and stays for an undetermined length of time, according to several hotel employees. July 1, morning: Bryant has arthroscopic surgery on his right knee at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail. Midday: The woman, accompanied by her parents, reports the alleged sexual assault to the Eagle County Sheriff's Department. 11 p.m.: Sheriff's investigators interview Bryant at the lodge and collect evidence from his room. July 2, 2:30 a.m.: Bryant's three associates take a taxi from The Lodge & Spa at Cordillera to Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, 60 miles away. Reports said Bryant was at the hospital to provide a DNA sample. 3:30 a.m.: Bryant leaves the hospital and departs in a taxi. 4:15 a.m.: Bryant and his entourage check into the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs. 7:15 p.m.: Bryant and his associates leave the Hotel Colorado and take a flight back to Southern California, having been told, his attorneys say, that no arrest warrant would be issued or criminal charges filed until July 7, after the three-day Independence Day weekend. July 3, 5:30 p.m.: Eagle County Sheriff Joseph Hoy obtains an arrest warrant from District Judge Russell Granger, creating controversy because he did not go through the usual step of having District Attorney Mark Hurlbert sign off on it. July 4, morning: Bryant's Colorado-based attorney, Pamela Mackey, contacts him by phone in California and says, "You need to come and turn yourself in right now." Bryant arrives at the Eagle County Regional Airport on a private jet and surrenders to authorities. Officers fingerprint, interview and book him into the Eagle County Detention Facility on suspicion of felony sexual assault. He is released on a $25,000 bond less than an hour later. July 6: The Eagle County Sheriff's Department announces Bryant's arrest. Mackey proclaims her client's innocence. July 8: The Colorado Bureau of Investigation receives physical evidence from Bryant and his accuser. In sexual assault cases, such evidence can include hair, saliva and/or semen samples. July 9, 1 p.m.: The accuser's father confirms that his daughter, a former Eagle Valley High cheerleader and choir member, made the allegations against Bryant. Later in the day, police are called to the neighborhood to disperse a crowd of reporters who have gathered at the family's home. July 10: The Denver Post reports that Sheriff Hoy has been receiving hate-filled e-mails over the investigation, including threats, personal criticism and insults. July 11: Under media pressure, Hoy finally releases Bryant's booking mug. July 12: Discussing the case for the only time publicly, Bryant tells the Los Angeles Times: "When everything comes clean, it will all be fine, you'll see. But you guys know me; I shouldn't have to say anything. You know I would never do something like that." July 16: In their first public appearance since the arrest, Bryant and wife Vanessa attend the ESPY Awards, a made-for-TV sports awards show at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre. July 17: A district judge hears arguments that records pertaining to two non-criminal police visits to the accuser's home in the last year should be made public. Town Manager William Powell acknowledges that the visits could have a bearing on the Bryant case. "There is some indirect connection," he says. The judge postpones his decision until July 25. Sources: The Denver Post, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register.

"We had been reading about this and decided it would be exciting to come and see for ourselves," Anthony Picardi said.

Others reacted more solemnly following the announcement of charges.

"The whole situation is really a tragedy for everyone involved, but if the D.A. feels he has enough evidence to convict, obviously everyone wants to see justice done," Eagle Town Councilman Paul Witt said. "But really, even with the decision today, we're all just going to have to wait."

The name of the victim has not been released, but her identity is a matter of continued discussion. She was a cheerleader and sang in the choir in high school. She auditioned for "American Idol." One of her good friends died in a car wreck shortly after graduation.

Ever since the case went public, satellite TV trucks and an army of reporters from around the country have turned the area into a media encampment. While hotels in town are packed, reporters continue to drive laps around the cul-de-sac where the woman lives with her family.

Several times a day, members of the media knock on her door and wait to greet her father - a polite, tall man who exchanges pleasantries before deferring all questions to the district attorney.

After reviewing the case for nearly two weeks, Hurlbert said witness statements and physical evidence both weighed in his decision to file charges. Both the woman and Bryant submitted to medical tests under the direction of the Eagle County Sheriff's officers.

"In any case, and this was no exception, you look at all the evidence," Hurlbert said. "That is what I did in this case."

Prosecutors likely obtained evidence that corroborated the woman's claims, such as bruises on her or Bryant, torn clothing or signs of a struggle or even other witnesses, said attorney Craig Silverman, a former prosecutor from Denver and a legal analyst for the media.

Although he has consistently maintained a clean image as one of the brightest stars in the National Basketball Association, a conviction on the charges could effectively scuttle Bryant's career.

"Most people who are convicted of violent sexual assault are sent to prison," said Silverman, a former prosecutor from Denver and a legal analyst for the media. "When one of this country's most popular and well-known athletes is charged with a crime this serious, not only is his NBA future at risk, his freedom is at risk."

The admission of adultery has already tarnished Kobe Bryant's "first-class image," said Dean Bonham, chief executive of Denver-based sports marketing firm The Bonham Group.

"That is not a great image for corporations to be associated with, and I would think there is much discussion going on in boardrooms" of Bryant's sponsors, Bonham said. "The admission of adultery this afteroon is something his corporate sponsors will have to consider. I don't know if it means they pull his commercials."

However, given his reputation, Bonham said, "If ever an athlete deserves the benefit of the doubt, it would be Kobe Bryant," Bonham said.

Liz Sessenden, a waitress at the Grand Avenue Grill, applauded the charges. The hostess at the grill is a good friend of the victim so Sessenden also knew her.

Text of Kobe Bryant statement

I am innocent of the charges filed today. I did not assault the woman who is accusing me. I made the mistake of adultery. I have to answer to my wife and my God for my actions that night and I pray that both will forgive me.

Nothing that happened June 30th was against the will of the woman who now falsely accuses me.

These false allegations have hurt my family. I will fight against these allegations with all my strength.

My wife is the strongest person I know. She is willing to stand by me despite my mistake. That means everything to me.

I have so much to live for. And by that I do not mean the contracts, or the money, or the fame. I mean my family. I will fight for them.

I appreciate all those who have supported me. Thank you for believing in me. My family and I are going to need your support and prayers now more than ever.

Text of statement by Kobe Bryant’s wife

Text of a statement released at the request of Vanessa Bryant, through her husband’s attorneys, Harold A. Haddon and Pamela Robillard Mackey, and his agent Rob Pelinka, after the Los Angeles Lakers star was charged with sexual assault in Colorado:

I know that my husband has made a mistake — the mistake of adultery.

He and I will have to deal with that within our marriage, and we will do so. He is not a criminal. I know that he did not commit a crime, he did not assault anyone.

He is a loving and kind husband and father. I believe in his innocence.

Because I know him to be innocent, I will stand by him and we will face this together. I will give him all the strength and support he needs to face these false accusations. I will not let him face these accusations alone.

I know Kobe better than anyone. The great person you see on the court and in the public is a far greater person off the court.

Bryant's attorney, Pamela Mackey:

"Kobe Bryant is innocent. He stands falsely accused.

"No prosecutor should file charges unless the evidence is so strong that the case can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The evidence in this case falls far, far short of that standard.

"The accusations in this case cannot be proven because they are false. Kobe Bryant did not assault his accuser. His defense is that what happened June 30 in Eagle County was a sexual encounter between two consenting adults."

Bryant's attorney Hal Haddon

"If the sheriff continues to make statements and express his opinion as he has in the past, it will affect a decision on whether to seek a change of venue. We hope we don't have to do that."

NBA commissioner David Stern

"As with all allegations of a criminal nature, the NBA's policy is to await the outcome of a judicial proceeding before taking any action. We do not anticipate making further comments during the pendency of the judicial process."

Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert

"This did not come easily. This decision came only after reviewing all the evidence, testimonial evidence and physical evidence, after reviewing the relevant statutes, after reviewing the relevant case laws.

"I have an ethical burden not to prosecute a case unless I can prove it without a reasonable doubt."

"I feel that after reviewing evidence I can prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt. The standards in this case are the same as any other."

"It is alleged that he had sexual penetration or intrusion and caused the submission of the victim through actual physical force."

Eagle County Sheriff Joe Hoy

"We have an effective system of law enforcement that allocated district responsibilities to the sheriff, the district attorney's office and to our courts. I'm proud that people in the sheriff's office have carried out their responsibilities professionally, reflecting their many years of experience.

At this stage, as a responsibility for evaluating the evidence, the evidence and the law in this case naturally falls to the district attorney. I am confident that Mark Hurlbert and the people in his office have made the appropriate decision. I would like to thank all of you for your professionalism, and your invitations for personal interviews; however, at this time I will respectfully decline all requests."