3 TCU afro-letes gang rape (allegedly) freshman girl

[Rasp]

3 TCU afro-letes gang rape (allegedly) freshman girl

TCU athletes accused of sexual assault
FW: Trio face expulsion; police say they sexually assaulted woman

A Texas Christian University basketball player and two former scholarship athletes were charged Friday with sexually assaulting an 18-year-old freshman woman in a campus dormitory this month.

Fort Worth police arrested basketball player Shannon Behling, 19; former basketball player Virgil Allen Taylor, also 19, and ex-McKinney High football player Lorenzo Jones, 20. The men, all sophomores, were in custody Saturday on $25,000 bail each.


Lorenzo Jones from: Dallas Morning News

Police said Mr. Taylor invited the woman to his room in Moncrief Hall on Oct. 13, promising to pay back money he owed her. Instead, the three men drugged and sexually assaulted her, the woman told investigators.

Lt. Dean Sullivan said investigators found the woman's bra and cash belonging to her in Mr. Taylor's room.

"We have enough evidence right now to establish a sexual assault given the victim's outcry, statements from suspects involved and physical evidence present to naked eye, without getting into forensic investigation," Lt. Sullivan said.

Mr. Jones and Mr. Taylor were recently dismissed from their teams for unrelated violations of team rules, school officials said Saturday.

Mr. Behling, a transfer student who was expected to compete for the Horned Frogs' starting point guard position this season, was removed from the team after his arrest.

Don Mills, TCU's vice chancello
r for student affairs, said Saturday that administrators "separated" the three men from the school and began an expulsion process that could take two weeks.

"Assuming what we know now turns out to be accurate, I would expect the hearing board will want to make it permanent," Mr. Mills said of expulsion. "We are absolutely unwilling to tolerate this type of behavior."

The woman waited until Wednesday before telling her story to staff at the campus health clinic. It's not clear why she waited. Police interviewed her that evening.

Lt. Sullivan said the woman recalled seeing Mr. Taylor and Mr. Jones, and additional information "“ which he would not describe "“ led police to Mr. Behling.

"I don't think [the woman has] a vivid recollection of being sexually assaulted; I think it was surmised based on things she saw and evidence collected," Lt. Sullivan said.

The woman told police she lost consciousness after drinking a beverage the men gave her. Lt. Sullivan said investig
ators haven't determined what was in the drink.

Mr. Taylor, a 6-9 center from South Carolina, played sparingly last season, averaging only 1 point per game. Team spokesman Drew Harris said Mr. Taylor was dismissed from the team last month, but would not say why.

Mr. Behling, another South Carolina native and a relative of Mr. Taylor, transferred to TCU this year from Aiken Technical College in Graniteville, S.C.

"We try to get more done at TCU than just football," TCU football coach Gary Patterson said Saturday after the Horned Frogs' 31-17 victory at Army. "We try to grow our people. My heart goes out to [the victim] and her family."

Mr. Jones, a 311-pound backup defensive tackle, was one of the Horned Frogs' top recruits in 2005. He was ranked No. 11 in SportsDay's Area Top 100 recruits and was the District 9-4A defensive player of the year in 2004.

"We played at Utah on October 5, and he never came to practice after that," said Mark Cohen, TCU media relations dir
ector. "He just stopped showing up, and that led to his dismissal" two weeks ago.

Mr. Jones pleaded guilty in September 2005 to a charge of misdemeanor assault with bodily injury stemming from a March 2005 incident in Collin County. He was sentenced to a year of probation.

Doris Pryor, an aunt who raised Mr. Jones, said she was shocked by the new charges.

"I don't believe he did anything like that," she said. "He got into a fight at a party somewhere once, and basically that's it. I've never had any problem with Lorenzo with any girls. He was never really interested in girls when he was here, he was just really interested in sports. This is a shock to me."

This is the first forcible sex offense on campus in 2006, university officials said. There were two in 2005 and one in 2004, according to TCU police data.

"We don't think it is rampant at TCU, but if it happens even once, it happens once too many," Mr. Mills said.

[Powdered Toast Man]

SHANNON BEHLING


LORENZO JONES


VIRGIL ALLEN TAYLOR

Suspects' statements detail attack on woman

Three TCU students accused of raping a fourth student in one of the men's dormitory rooms Oct. 13 laughed during the incident and later concocted a plan to minimize what they had done, one of the men told police.

The victim, 18, at first thought she had been raped by only one of the men, Virgil Allen Taylor, because she was unconscious during much of the attack, according to arrest warrant affidavits obtained Tuesday b
y the Star-Telegram.

All three of the suspects are former athletes at TCU.

The alleged role of the two other accused students, Shannon Behling and Lorenzo Jones, did not surface until police interviewed Taylor, who implicated Behling. An interview with Behling revealed that Jones was also involved, the affidavit stated.

"This case has shocked the conscience of all the investigators and people who have been involved in the case," said Sgt. Don Hanlon, supervisor of the Fort Worth police sex crimes unit. "In 19 years of law enforcement, there have only been a few cases that have had this deep of an effect on me, and this case is up on the top."

In their statements to police, both Taylor and Behling told investigators that the victim was unconscious during parts of the encounter. Jones refused to give police a statement.

"An unconscious person cannot consent to having sex," Hanlon said.

The three accused, who have declined jailhouse interview requests from the Star-Teleg
ram, were formally charged Tuesday with sexual assault. Tuesday afternoon, Behling and Taylor, both 19, were released from Mansfield Jail after posting $25,000 bail each.

Jones, 20, remained in jail on the sexual assault charge and an assault/bodily injury charge from Collin County. His bail is set at $27,000.

At the time of their arrests last week, Behling was a sophomore basketball forward, Taylor a former basketball player, and Jones a nose tackle who had been cut from the football team the week before.

School officials say they anticipate that the accused, who are "temporarily separated" from TCU, will be expelled after a disciplinary hearing.

The victim told police that she had met Taylor at a gathering about six weeks before the attack. She said she loaned him money to buy a hamburger.

She said Taylor later called her more than once and asked her to come to his dorm so he could repay her.

The woman told police she went to the dorm about 8 p.m. Oct. 13 and met Ta
ylor in the lobby. Taylor told her that he had forgotten the money and asked her to come to his room to get it, the affidavit stated.

Inside the room, the victim told police, she was offered a Powerade sports drink. After drinking it, she began to feel lightheaded and noticed that her speech was impaired, the affidavit stated.

She told police that she remembered waking up briefly and finding that Taylor was having sex with her.

She said she passed out again, awaking in Taylor's room about 6 a.m. the next day wearing only a large T-shirt. Taylor was asleep in another bed, she said. She gathered up her clothing that she could find and returned to her dorm, she said.

The victim did not report the sexual assault to TCU police until Oct. 18, when she went to the campus health clinic with some medical concerns. TCU police then alerted Fort Worth police. According to a police report, the victim told police that her bra and $100 had also been taken during the ordeal.

That same day,
Taylor agreed to talk to investigators.

According to the affidavit, Taylor initially told police that he and Behling had had consensual sex with the victim and that she was voluntarily intoxicated. He later acknowledged that the woman was unconscious.

Police say they have no indication that the victim had knowingly had any alcohol on the night of the attack.

"The victim related to us that she was drugged, and we're processing the evidence to confirm that," Hanlon said.

Behling also talked to police and wrote a statement saying he had gone to Taylor's room and observed that the victim was "really drunk."

Behling, however, told police that he never saw the woman drink any alcohol, Hanlon said.

Behling told police that he performed a sex act with the woman while she was "completely out of it." He also told detectives that while watching Taylor having sex with the woman, "I could tell she was incoherent."

Behling told investigators that he was also interested in
having sexual intercourse with the woman but was told no by Taylor. He said Taylor told him that he "would come and get him when he was done," the affidavit stated.

Behling said he then went to do his laundry. When he returned, he saw Jones on top of the woman, the affidavit said.

"We all began to laugh," Behling told investigators, according to the affidavit.

Behling told police that when Jones got off the victim, the woman fell to the floor. He said Taylor then lifted her up and took her to the bathroom for a cold shower, holding her up so she would not fall.

The victim "couldn't even walk straight because she was so messed up," Behling told detectives.

Behling told police that Jones then said, "We need to get this together," planning that, if asked, Taylor would say that he was the only one who had sex with the woman. Behling and Jones were to say that they had only received oral sex, the affidavit said.

Behling told investigators that Taylor bragged later that n
ight about having sex with the victim while she was "out in the bed." Behling told police that he thought Taylor meant the woman was asleep, "but now I know that she was unconscious in the bed."

Police say that after the attack, Taylor reportedly went out to clubs. Officials say that the investigation is continuing and that others still might have been involved.

Behling's uncle, Marion Behling, said Sunday that his nephew is a good kid. "He's one of the better kids I know," Marion Behling said. "I've never had any problems with that child."

Marion Behling said the allegations against his nephew are incomprehensible.

"Oh Lordy, the whole family can't believe it," he said. "He had too much going on for him. His dream was to play basketball. He's a great student. He was going there on a scholarship."

In a letter sent Sunday to all students, faculty and staff, TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini said that the three accused students have been separated from TCU and that the colle
ge will continue to provide the woman the assistance and support she needs.

"Let me be clear, there is no room for this sort of behavior on our campus," Boschini wrote. "The university will not tolerate it and it is completely out of line with our community values."

[Powdered Toast Man]

Accused Ex-TCU Athletes Getting Special Treatment?

Are the former TCU athletes charged with rape getting special treatment from a Tarrant County judge?

Legal critics are taking aim at the judge"s order that allows certain court proceedings to be held behind closed doors. This order has legal experts worried. Lawyers practicing at the courthouse say that they have never seen anything like it.

Judge Wayne Salvant"s ruling came in the form of a gag order, requested by a defense attorney for Virgil Taylor and Shannon Behling. The pair appeared in court on Thursday. Baliffs secreted them from the courthouse. It may be the last time they are seen by the public before their trial.

According to the gag order, 'court will hold all pretrial hearings in the (judge"s) chamb
ers, outside the presence and hearing of the public and press.

Critics say that this ruling is too broad.

Jack Strickland is a local defense attorney, and was the prosecutor in the infamous murder trial of millionaire Cullen Davis. He can"t remember anything like this in Tarrant County. 'I don"t think it"s right for the court, in the absence of overwhelming interest, to conduct secret proceedings," he said. "Not in the judge"s chambers. This is public business!

Dallas attorney John Teakell says that, in the past 20 years, he knows of only a few North Texas restrictions like this one. He contends, however, that this particular gag order is unusually broad, barring anyone from talking about the case. 'Saying "“no person shall comment to the media on any matter concerning this case" "“ I"m sure no one is going to take the chance of violating that order until it"s challenged.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is challenging that order.

Calls to Judge Salv
ant, looking for clarification, were not returned.

[Powdered Toast Man]

State District Judge Wayne Salvant

Gag order lifted in TCU sexual assault case

State District Judge Wayne Salvant lifted a gag order Wednesday morning in the cases of three former TCU athletes accused of sexually assaulting another student, calling it overbroad and not necessary.

The Star-Telegram had challenged Salvant"s original order, which banned the public ”� including the media ”� from attending any pretrial hearings. It also forbade the media from reporting on any evidence presented beyond listing witnesses and prohibits anyone from discussing the case with the media.

'I do think it was overly broad, Salvant said of the order he signed last week. 'We have a long way to g
o with this case and a gag order at this point is not necessary.

Salvant also said it was 'ridiculous to believe that he planned to hold any pre-trial hearings in his chambers, outside of the scrutiny of the public and the press.

'This is a public courthouse and this is a public courtroom and they have a right to be here.

Salvant issued the order last week at the request of Gwinda Burns, one of the defendants" attorneys, who said pretrial publicity could hurt her client"s effort to get a fair trial.

Former TCU athletes Virgil Allen Taylor, Shannon Behling and Lorenzo Jones were charged last week with sexual assault.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Taylor is accused of luring an 18-year-old student to his dorm room Oct. 13 under the guise of repaying money she had loaned him to buy a hamburger. There, the woman told police, she was given a sports drink that caused her to pass out.

The woman told police that she awo
ke briefly to find Taylor having sex with her.

Taylor, a 19-year-old former TCU basketball player, told police that the girl was unconscious during sex and implicated Behling as well, the affidavit states. He also told police that he saw Jones, 20, a former football player, having sexual intercourse with the woman.

Taylor and Behling are free after posting $25,000 bail each and have returned to South Carolina. Jones remained in the Tarrant County Jail on Wednesday morning.

Salvant did caution the attorneys, police and others involved in the case to be careful what they say about a case that has not yet been indicted. The judge said he did not expect them to give public statements or to discuss the evidence in the case. He told the attorneys to abide by the ethical guidelines that typically dictate their conduct during the handling of a case.

[Dragasès]

Anatomically human animals. Look at their faces. The white race has almost completely bought into the "we are all the same" scam from the feel good hucksters.

[The Bobster]

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?se...ate&id=4748564

Arrest warrant issued for former TCU athlete accused of rape

(11/10/06 - FORT WORTH, TX) - A judge has issued an arrest warrant for one of three former TCU athletes accused of sexually assaulting a student in a dorm room.

State District Judge Wayne Salvant issued the warrant Wednesday after learning that Lorenzo Labell Jones did not report to his supervision officer after a hearing Monday, according to officials and court documents.

Jones, 20, a former football player, and former basketball players Virgil Allen Taylor and Shannon Behling, both 19, are accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman while she was unconscious.

All three men remained "separated" from Texas Christian University, said Tracy Syler-Jones, a school spokeswoman. Sh
e said a panel is determining whether future disciplinary action is warranted but that federal law prohibits her from revealing the outcome.

Taylor was charged with aggravated sexual assault. Behling and Jones were charged with sexual assault. Taylor and Behling were released from jail two weeks ago after posting $25,000 bail and are believed to be living in their South Carolina hometowns.

Last week Jones posted $25,000 bail and was taken to the jail in Collin County, where he was wanted on a warrant accusing him of violating his probation for a misdemeanor assault.

After posting $2,000 bail in that case, Jones was released Friday, said Mark Miller, a Collin County probation officer.

On Monday, Jones was in Salvant's court for a hearing on his bail conditions. Jones was then ordered to immediately report to his community supervision officer, but he failed to show up, officials said.

[Whitebear]

Arrest warrant issued for ex-TCU athlete

Lorenzo Labell Jones
A Fort Worth judge has issued an arrest warrant for one of three former TCU athletes accused of sexually assaulting a student in a dorm room. Tarrant County State District Judge Wayne Salvant issued the warrant for Lorenzo Labell Jones' arrest on Wednesday.

[Powdered Toast Man]

Suspect in TCU case indicted in bail jumping

One of three former TCU athletes accused of sexually assaulting another student in a dorm room was back in custody Friday on accusations that he violated his bail conditions.

And he has now been charged with a new crime -- bail jumping.

Lorenzo L. Jones, 20, was arrested Friday morning at his girlfriend's Fort Worth apartment by fugitive officers with the Tarrant County Sheriff's Department, who had to force their way inside.

Jones, a former football player, and two former basketball players, Virgil Allen Taylor and Shannon Behling, are accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman in a dorm room while she was unconscious. The woman told police that one of the suspects had given her a sports drink
before the sexual assault and that she believed that she had been drugged.

On Friday, a Tarrant County grand jury indicted Jones on the charge of bail jumping -- a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Taylor and Behling, both 19, remain free on bail.

Jones had posted $25,000 bail Nov. 2 and was taken from Tarrant County to the jail in Collin County, where he was wanted on a warrant of violating his probation for a misdemeanor assault there. The next day, he was released after posting $2,000 bail.

On Monday, Jones appeared before Judge Wayne Salvant for a hearing on his bail conditions. Among other requirements, he must report to his supervision officer twice a month, submit to random urinalysis and have no contact with the woman he is accused of assaulting.

Although ordered to report to his community supervision officer immediately after the hearing, Jones never showed up, and a warrant was issued Wednesday for his arrest.
r

Chief Deputy Mike Simonds said fugitive officers took Jones into custody about 9 a.m. Friday at the Canyons Apartments, 2800 River Park Drive, after receiving a tip that he was there with his girlfriend.

"They had observed him inside the apartment, but they [Jones and his girlfriend] would not answer the telephone or answer the door," Simonds said.

He said the officers obtained a search warrant. Still denied entry, they forced their way inside and found Jones and his girlfriend sitting on a bed in a back bedroom.

"Once they forced entry, he gave up," Simonds said.

Jones is now being held without bail in the Tarrant County Jail.

Ref... 3 TCU afro-letes gang rape (allegedly) freshman girl

Former TCU Player Indicted In Sex Assault Case

POSTED: 7:06 am CDT November 1, 2007
UPDATED: 7:43 am CDT November 1, 2007

FORT WORTH, Texas -- A former Texas Christian University basketball player has been indicted on a charge of aggravated sexual assault by threat in connection with an alleged attack in a campus dorm room.



Shannon Monroe Behling, 20, was one of three former TCU athletes accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old student in October 2006.

Two other men charged in the case have not been indicted. It was unclear if the cases of Lorenzo L. Jones, 21, a former football player, and Virgil Allen Taylor, 20, a former basketball player, have been presented to a grand jury.

Prosecutor Sheila Wynn declined to comment on the cases Wednesday because of a gag order.

The three defendants were free on bond.

The victim told police Taylor brought her to his room so he could repay money he owed her. The woman said she was given a sports drink that made her pass out.

She said she awoke to find Taylor having sex with her. Taylor implicated the other two suspects in an interview with investigators, police have said.

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/14477904/detail.html