The Denver Post
Last bundle of Bryant evidence released
Tuesday, November 09, 2004 -
A judge today released a transcript of Kobe Bryant's interview with criminal investigators, the last of the previously sealed documents from the sexual assault case that will be made public.
Reams of documents have been released since prosecutors dismissed the felony charge against the NBA star on Sept. 1. The case was dropped amid jury selection when Bryant's accuser said she no longer wanted to pursue it. There were no surprises among the latest documents. The interview transcript was leaked in mid-September to the Vail Daily newspaper and was widely publicized. Prosecutors and investigators also released transcripts of the interview after the case was dropped. Over the past two weeks, District Judge Terry Ruckriegle has released 70 documents covering hundreds of pages. They include lists of evidence and witnesses, arguments, witnesses and rulings on evidence, including DNA analysis. Ruckriegle ordered the documents released at the request of news organizations including The Associated Press. Ruckriegle agreed that much of the information had already been leaked, leaving little purpose in keeping the documents under wraps. Protected information was removed from the files before their release, including the accuser's name; information about her sexual activities that was ruled irrelevant to the case; personal information of the woman, Bryant, witnesses and others; certain crime victims' compensation information; and medical information. Documents released late Monday show the prosecution and defense planned to call many of the same witnesses, including investigators, the accuser's parents and several of her friends and acquaintances.
Click here for a timeline of the People v. Bryant case.
Click here for the official court website with officials court orders, filings and documents in the case.
Click here to see a copy of the felony charges against Bryant in the PDF format. The charges were dropped Sept. 1.
Click here for the questions that were asked asked of potential jurors in the case.
Click here for an interactive presentation on Bryant's career.
Bryant was listed among about 130 defense witnesses. He still faces a civil lawsuit in which the 20-year-old woman seeks unspecified damages for pain, ridicule and scorn she said she has suffered since her encounter with Bryant in the Vail-area resort where she worked in June of 2003. The woman's attorneys filed the lawsuit in Denver federal court, where Colorado's limit on financial damages would make it difficult for her to win more than $733,000. They have said they might refile the case in California state court, where there are no such limits. Bryant's defense attorneys said in a filing in that case Monday that there was plenty of blame to share for the woman's "public scorn, hatred and ridicule." The filing alleged that a number of media organizations and individuals shared responsibility for the adverse publicity about the woman, including The Associated Press, several Web site publishers and three men who made threats against the woman. Bryant's attorneys also listed the state Judicial Department, which mistakenly released the woman's name and details from a closed-door hearing on her sexual activities. |