Silence at Baylor

[Harry]

In early June, Baylor defensive coordinator Phil Bennett was a guest speaker at a luncheon in Fort Worth for the Baylor Sports Network. During his speech, he dropped a bit of long-anticipated information about the team’s plans: He expected defensive end Sam Ukwuachu—a Freshman All-American who transferred in 2013 from Boise State to Baylor only to miss 2014, his first eligible season with the Bears, for unspecified reasons—to finally take the field. It was a significant announcement for a program that’s a favorite pick to clinch one of four College Football Playoff spots, and it was reported by a breathless sports media eager to talk up head coach Art Briles’ program. No one questioned Bennett’s assertion that Ukwuachu was expected to play—even though Ukwuachu was due to stand trial in Waco for sexual assault in just a few weeks, and if convicted, could spend up to twenty years in prison.

No one questioned it because no one outside of Baylor knew. Ukwuachu was indicted on June 25, 2014, on two counts of sexual assault against a female Baylor student athlete, and for the next year, the legal process played out without mention of Ukwuachu’s felony charge by the press or from school officials, even though it was all in the public record.

So were the following facts: That Ukwuachu transferred to Baylor in May 2013 because he had been kicked off the Boise State team for a previous incident of violence involving a female student; that Ukwuachu claimed after the transfer was announced that Baylor’s coaches “knew everything” about what happened in Idaho; and, as indicated by court documents obtained by Texas Monthly, the two programs had some communication regarding Ukwuachu in which Boise State officials expressed reticence about supporting the player’s efforts to get back on the field.

As a player, Ukwuachu has been cast as a star in the making. As recently as August 4, CBS Sports’ BearsTruth Baylor fan blog listed the role of the DE as their top defensive storyline for the team. But the circumstances surrounding the school’s treatment of the allegations—from the nature of its disciplinary investigation and the fact that it characterized his indictment for sexual assault as “some issues” when explaining that he wouldn’t be on the active roster to start the 2014 season, to allowing him to continue doing conditioning work with the team after his indictment last June—suggest a school and a program that were, at best, very much in denial about the seriousness of the criminal charges he now faces.

Jury selection in Ukwuachu’s trial began Monday, and during in limine motions to determine what evidence would be admissible, assistant district attorney Hilary Laborde, who is prosecuting the case, told 54th District Judge Matt Johnson that Baylor’s own investigation into the accusations against Ukwuachu involved interviewing just Ukwuachu, his accuser, and one friend of each, and that the school never saw the rape kit collected by the sexual assault nurse examiner. The woman Ukwuachu is accused of sexually assaulting went to the hospital and talked to the police on October 20, 2013, the day after the encounter. But after the school’s investigation (so insufficient, according to the court, that the judge sustained a motion from the prosecution to restrict the defense from referencing it during the trial), Baylor took no action to discipline Ukwuachu, even while charges were still pending. From Baylor’s brief investigation, to its failure to consider disciplinary action, to its defensive coordinator’s statements this summer about the player’s expected return, the school’s idea of how to respond to serious rape allegations is seriously out of step with that of the courts.

- See more at: http://www.texasmonthly.com/article/silence-at-baylor/#sthash.lQqeuztt.dpuf

 

Edited August 20, 2015 by Harry

[VideoEagle]

I check on BaylorFans.com and found more information. It appears the trial is going right now. Here's a tid bit. 

Apparently the trial is not going too well for Ukwuachu. His roommate originally testified to the grand jury that he was in the apartment and didn't hear any screams or sounds of an assault coming from the bedroom. But the prosecution has cell phone records that indicate that the roommate wasn't at home. Roommate is now refusing to testify taking the 5th.

 

And a later poster says the jury is already out deliberating. 

Here's a link to the thread. 

[North Texas Shep]

This kid sounds like a real piece of shit. Classy move Briles.

[Mean Green 93-98]

Guilty.

http://collegesports.blog.statesman.com/2015/08/20/baylors-handling-of-sam-ukwuachus-assault-case-is-being-questioned/

I hope you get the full 20.

[greenit]

Baylor has succumbed to the lust of success on the field at the expense of their moral compass.  I hope the girl's parents file a suit so large that it bankrupts the program for knowingly and willingly bringing a person with a prior incident of assault on campus, against the advice from Boise.

 

 

[Harry]

Baylor could have Ukwuachu on the roster come fall camp.

“Ukwuachu is a guy we’re expecting to be back,” Bennett said. “We expect him to be eligible in July. That gives us probably five or six guys we can play at end.”

http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/2015/06/bennett-baylor-defensive-end-sam-ukwuachu-is-expected-to-be-eligible-in-fall-2015.html/

 

[adman]

Baylor. Come for the murder. Stay for the rapes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[oldguystudent]

Baylor has succumbed to the lust of success on the field at the expense of their moral compass.

 

It's not like this is the first time, either.

Baylor needs to face some serious scrutiny in the way it handles things.

 

[UNT90]

The article in Texas Weekly indicates that Baylor had been told by Boise St. about the kid's past transgressions. I wonder if the victim in the sex assault case will file a civil case against the school. That could get really interesting and could really cause problems for Briles. 

[Quoner]

The article in Texas Weekly indicates that Baylor had been told by Boise St. about the kid's past transgressions. I wonder if the victim in the sex assault case will file a civil case against the school. That could get really interesting and could really cause problems for Briles. 

Will you be writing angry letters to the author of this article today or wait for the weekend re: this baseless criticism of law enforcement? Feels like the article was just being incendiary and didn't try to get both sides imo.

The paper went on to cite the prosecutor, who claimed that “Waco Police Department detectives failed to follow through with victim interviews.”

That’s a playbook that’s familiar in Ukwuachu’s case, as well. While Jane Doe went to the hospital immediately following her encounter with Ukwuachu and spoke with an officer there, detectives suspended the case after taking a report and investigating. But it wasn’t until months later that the details made their way to a prosecutor’s desk—and once they finally did, assistant district attorney Hilary Laborde found enough in the investigation to pursue felony sexual assault charges against Ukwuachu. The incident between Ukwuachu and Doe occurred on October 20, 2013, but he wasn’t indicted until June 25 of the following year. (In Elliott’s case, it took the police two weeks from the time the victim reported the incident to the time he was arrested.)

Edited August 21, 2015 by Quoner

[UNT90]

 

Will you be writing angry letters to the author of this article today or wait for the weekend re: this baseless criticism of law enforcement? Feels like the article was just being incendiary and didn't try to get both sides imo.

nope. Because it's valid criticism, you see. No one quoted Twitter, no one edited a 911 call, no one lied about the girl being shot in the back. 

 

What did happen was the case was tried and the guy was convicted. That  makes it apparent that the particular detective who worked the case was either lazy or f'ed up. 

 

where are the protests? 

 

Nice pigeon hole attempt, by the way, but:

 

Edited August 21, 2015 by UNT90

[Quoner]

nope. Because it's valid criticism, you see. No one quoted Twitter, no one edited a 911 call, no one lied about the girl being shot in the back. 

 

What did happen was the case was tried and the guy was convicted. That  makes it apparent that the particular detective who worked the case was either lazy or f'ed up. 

 

where are the protests? 

Wait - intentional institutional cover up isn't one of the possibilities here for you even though a different example is given from the past? Funny.

 

Students are probably just getting back, so give it a few days. I think the fallout from this is going to be on par with 10 years ago, but with more amplification because of social media.

 

Editing after people respond is fun. I get why you do it so often now.

Edited August 21, 2015 by Quoner

[UNT90]

Wait - intentional institutional cover up isn't one of the possibilities here for you even though a different example is given from the past? Funny.

oh, from Baylor? Absolutely. 

[Quoner]

oh, from Baylor? Absolutely. 

From the Waco PD. Baylor's a given...they've proven they'd do anything in the past to try to get a head.

[Censored by Laurie]

From the Waco PD. Baylor's a given...they've proven they'd do anything in the past to try to get a head.

or bury one...

[Quoner]

or bury one...

I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING.

 

It's really going to be fun to watch TCU and Baylor come to terms with the type of people/recruits that are brought in in the name of success in the wake of this story and the drug busts in FW a couple of years ago. Wait, did I say fun? I meant hopefully not incredibly sad and harmful to more innocent people.

[UNT90]

From the Waco PD. Baylor's a given...they've proven they'd do anything in the past to try to get a head.

so what you are saying is there was a vast conspiracy between Baylor and the Waco PD to cover up for a player that had yet to play a down for Baylor? 

 

You need to cut down on your Art Bell listening. 

[Quoner]

so what you are saying is there was a vast conspiracy between Baylor and the Waco PD to cover up for a player that had yet to play a down for Baylor? 

 

You need to cut down on your Art Bell listening. 

I am literally just repeating the timelines in the article and raising the same questions people raised in Tallahassee regarding similar investigations. Is the concept of the police in a college town covering for athletes new for you?

I guess quoting details in the Texas Monthly makes me a modern day Serpico. I'll bring this whole department down.

[UNT90]

I am literally just repeating the timelines in the article and raising the same questions people raised in Tallahassee regarding similar investigations. Is the concept of the police in a college town covering for athletes new for you?

I guess quoting details in the Texas Monthly makes me a modern day Serpico. I'll bring this whole department down.

quoting what? That they failed to take a couple of statements? I don't think you know how these things work. The cases don't make  to the prosecutor unless referred by the police.

 

But Art sure is proud of you.

Edited August 21, 2015 by UNT90

[Quoner]

Am I just quoting the prosecutor and the article wrong? Is someone honking at you because the light is green? I don't know what else to do at this point to further the conversation.Here's everything in the article criticizing the Waco PD. Sounds like you may get to write that letter after all. Feel free to practice a few drafts on me.

The paper went on to cite the prosecutor, who claimed that “Waco Police Department detectives failed to follow through with victim interviews.”

The incident between Ukwuachu and Doe occurred on October 20, 2013, but he wasn’t indicted until June 25 of the following year. (In Elliott’s case, it took the police two weeks from the time the victim reported the incident to the time he was arrested.)

It took eight months for Ukwuachu to be indicted

Even a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Texas Monthly with the Waco Police Department for documents relating to the department’s investigation and Ukwuachu’s arrest following his indictment was met with a letter declaring that all information outside of the Incident Report following Doe’s visit to Hillcrest Hospital the day after her encounter with Ukwuachu was exempt from the law requiring disclosure.

We know that the Waco Police Department took months to bring the case to a prosecutor, but that when they did present the case to the DA’s office, the DA took the felony charges all the way to court.

Edited August 21, 2015 by Quoner

[UNT90]

Am I just quoting the prosecutor and the article wrong? Is someone honking at you because the light is green? I don't know what else to do at this point to further the conversation.Here's everything in the article criticizing the Waco PD. Sounds like you may get to write that letter after all. Feel free to practice a few drafts on me.

so are you saying they weren't corrupt on the first investigation, but magically became corrupt in a year's time?

 

I think comparing the two cases (especially the discovery of additional victims in Elliott's case) indicates that the detective on Elliott was far better than the detective on this case. Don't you? 

Edited August 21, 2015 by UNT90

[Quoner]

so are you saying the weren't corrupt on the first investigation, but magically became corrupt in a year's time?

 

I think comparing the two cases (especially the discovery of additional victims in Elliott's case) indicates that the detective on Elliott was far better than the detective on this case. Don't you? 

I see the problem now - you can't click links and read them. Since this was a list of quotes with no context, let's simplify this and take the entire one paragraph summary of Elliot only:

In 2012, a Baylor linebacker named Tevin Elliott was arrested for sexual assault. At the time of his arrest, Briles said only that the player would be suspended because he had “violated a team policy” and that he’d have no further comment. After Elliott’s conviction on two counts of sexual assault—in a trial that included four other witnesses who said that Elliott had raped them too—details about how the school had reacted to the victim’s claims prior to Elliott’s conviction began to trickle out. The Baylor Lariat quoted the victim’s mother as saying that the school “was not helpful in guiding her daughter during this academically stressful time,” and that the accuser lost her scholarship following the assault. The paper went on to cite the prosecutor, who claimed that “Waco Police Department detectives failed to follow through with victim interviews.”

[UNT90]

There is nothing earth shattering about that. They also had the case to the prosecutor in 2 weeks time. It's not a cover up or conspiracy when they are not only communicating with the prosecutor, but have the case referred extremely quickly for a sex assault investigation. It actually shows just the opposite. And the fact that it was referred in 2 weeks is probably why more witness statements weren't taken. Many detectives take the approach that once it's accepted by the DA, their work is done. 

 

Again, nothing suggests your Bellian theory.

[Quoner]

There is nothing earth shattering about that. They also had the case to the prosecutor in 2 weeks time. It's not a cover up or conspiracy when they are not only communicating with the prosecutor, but have the case referred extremely quickly for a sex assault investigation. It actually shows just the opposite. And the fact that it was referred in 2 weeks is probably why more witness statements weren't taken. Many detectives take the approach that once it's accepted by the DA, their work is done. 

 

Again, nothing suggests your Bellian theory.

So substandard police work is common? Sounds like someone needs to send a sternly worded letter...to their own home

[Coffee and TV]

 Is someone honking at you because the light is green?