Alleged Kobe Victim still has Bruises

[Evilmav2]

Bryant accuser's injuries 'obvious'
Friend says she was hurt, 'no question'

By Chris Frates and George Merritt, Denver Post Staff Writers

EAGLE - The alleged victim in the Kobe Bryant sexual-assault case suffered obvious physical injuries that are still apparent three weeks after the incident, a friend told The Denver Post on Monday.
"She had been hurt, there's no question about it," said Luke Bray, a high school friend who said he has helped take care of the woman since the June 30 incident.

Bray's remarks are the first confirmation of the physical evidence that Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert alluded to when he charged Bryant with one count of felony sexual assault Friday.

Bray would not discuss the specific injuries because he said the woman's attorney, Rob Wheeler, advised him not to.

Attorneys representing Bryant - Hal Haddon and Pamela Mackey - could not be reached late Monday.


The mother of the alleged victim has asked her daughter's friends to stop talking with reporters, but not before the woman's purported picture, address, phone number and e-mail address began circulating on the Internet. The photo being circulated, however, is actually of someone else, a former classmate said Monday.

"Her parents are afraid for her because she's received threats," said one family friend who asked not to be identified. "They've kind of asked everyone to step back a little bit and let things cool off."

Outraged basketball fans have e-mailed death threats to the woman, Bray said.

The 19-year-old woman has been the subject of intense media attention since July 6, when the Eagle County Sheriff's Office announced it had arrested Bryant two days earlier. The arrest stemmed from an alleged sexual assault at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera in Edwards, where Bryant was a guest and the woman worked.

Bryant said Friday that he had consensual sex with the woman.

The charge against the Los Angeles Lakers star carries a prison term of four years to life.

Family friends said the woman's mother called them Sunday to ask that they lower their profile. Some of the woman's friends began speaking out in her defense because they thought her side had not been fairly represented.

Mainly, her parents were concerned that a picture of the girl would eventually find its way into the public spotlight, the family friend said. After the request, the friend canceled three nationwide TV interviews and stopped speaking to print reporters.

Nearly a dozen of the woman's friends and former classmates have appeared on national TV news shows such as "Primetime," "Good Morning America," "Today," "American Morning" and "Fox News: Big Story Weekend with Rita Cosby."

Some of the friends have supported the woman, saying they believed her allegation. Others said they didn't think she was telling the truth and was just trying to grab her 15 minutes of fame.

Despite the mother's concerns, a picture that was purported to be of the woman began circulating as early as Friday on at least three websites.

But Janelle Medina, 19, who attended Eagle Valley High School and was in the choir with the alleged victim, said the photo is of another girl with the same first name.

Internet user "Dudemac" posted what he claimed are three pictures of Bryant's accuser on two websites. The pictures included two from prom night at Eagle Valley High School and one of the cheerleading and dance team of which the woman was a member.

In a chat room on the site, "Dudemac" refused to provide his name or a phone number.

"She is 19, and I really do not think it's cool for her to accuse him and not be in the news herself," Dudemac wrote.

While mainstream media outlets do not generally name victims of sex crimes, posting the woman's name or picture on the Internet does not violate the law, said Chris Beall, a Denver lawyer specializing in media law.

David Feingold, creator of the Boston-based website Freekobe.com, said he knows the woman's name and has seen pictures of her but chose not to publish them. Since Friday, he also has tried to immediately take down messages from bulletin boards if they include any reference to her name, her address or her picture. But the volume is so heavy, he hasn't been able to keep up, he said.

"I do believe that it's in wide circulation, but we try to take it down," Feingold said. "I don't want to have any part of that."

Even as her name spreads across the Internet, almost everyone in Eagle, a small town of 3,700 people, knows who she is.

Meanwhile, the Eagle County District Attorney's Office declined to comment Monday about revelations that the woman suffered a drug overdose in the months before the incident.

Bryant is due back in Colorado for an advisement hearing Aug. 6.

Denver Post staff writers Joey Bunch and Gwen Florio contributed to this report.

[Drbio]

It looks more and more like Kobe may have done it, but I once again caution about jumping to conclusions based on secondhand accounts.


Maybe she liked it rough. Maybe he likes to rough up women. We just don't know yet.

[scooterj5]

Kobe's, what, 6 foot 6, 220 pounds? I'm not surprised she got bruised through intimate physical contact.

[MavsFanFinley]

Nothing like having your address, phone number, email address, pictures circulated so fans can send or call in death threats.

And how good are these friends of hers? Every time I see one pop up talking about this or that on tv, I think, keep your mouth shut if you want to help her.

[WayOutWest]

Apparently "Newsweek" is getting the scoop on everyone or they are just printing rumors.

Anyway, this is what was reported on LA SportsTalk 690 and 1150

The victim has visible bruises around her "private" areas.
The victim was treated for neck injuries.
The victim was not supposed to be at the hotel that night (they didn't report whether or not she traded shifts with someone or if she just wasn't supposed to be there are all)
The victim and Kobe may have had a previous relationship dating back two months.

It's getting murkier and murkier. IMO it's starting to look more and more like rape. Their sexual encounter may not have started out that way but it looks like that's how it ended. If the physical evidence reported is accurate I don't see how this case will not go to trial. Testimony about a drug overdose and her being a b-ball gropie isn't enough to dismiss the newly reported physical evidence of violence.

[Evilmav2]

Who speaks for the victim?


By Kevin Jackson
Page 2 staff


I never realized I was a raging feminist until this weekend.

On paper, I'm one of the last people you'd expect to hear extolling the wisdom of Gloria Steinem or Martha Burk.


A clean image and a tearful press conference don't necessarily mean "not guilty."
For cripesakes, I'm one of the editors in charge of Page 2 -- you know, the section of ESPN.com that has published approximately 2,500 photos of Anna Kournikova, given Gregg Easterbrook a forum for his cheesecake "art" and turned Jennie Finch into a household name.

But this Saturday afternoon, I realized that ... uh, I'm not like other guys.

Or at least I'm not like the guys who I've heard discussing the Kobe Bryant case over the last couple of weeks. My car nearly careened off the road Saturday when I heard the host of a sports-talk radio show in New York offer this summary of the sexual-assault case against the Lakers superstar:

When you first hear that some woman has accused Kobe of sexual assault, your first thought is obviously that this must be some gold-digger or some woman who tried to "entrap" an NBA star. After all, we know Kobe, and this is totally out of character for him. These women are out there, and it's a dangerous world for these guys.

I'm sorry, but I must be living on a different planet here. Maybe I've just read too many tales of athletes' late-night activities off the police blotter, or maybe I'm too in touch with the "divine secrets" of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

Either way, when I hear that a professional athlete is being charged with rape, my first thought isn't that he's the victim. Nor do I immediately envision some sort of vexing vixen preying on poor unsuspecting millionaire athletes in a hotel lobby.

No, my first thought is to fear that a horrible crime has occurred ... and to hope that I'm wrong.

And, yes, that's my first thought no matter how well I "know" the athlete -- whether that athlete is a "thug" like (fill-in-the-blank with your NBA bad boy of choice), or a "solid citizen" like Ray Allen or Kobe Bryant.

I certainly "know" Kobe Bryant better than most people on the street. I've interviewed him several times, including a brief one-on-one at last year's ESPY Awards. I've watched hundreds of his games and countless press conferences. I've seen more of his TV commercials than I care to count.

(I've also covered enough pro sporting events -- from the Super Bowl to the NBA Finals -- to know plenty about groupies and the world of temptations that confront professional athletes.)

And after all that, this is what I "know" about Kobe Bryant: He's eloquent and thoughtful. He gives good sound bites. He speaks Italian. He carries himself with class on and off the basketball court. And he's one of the best basketball players to ever lace up a pair of sneakers.

After last Friday's mesmerizing news conference at the Staples Center, I also now "know" that Kobe cheated on his wife of two years, a woman who bore his first child a mere seven months ago.

Here's what I don't "know" about Kobe Bryant: I don't know how he treats his family when they're behind closed doors. I don't know what his sexual habits are. I don't know if he has a raging temper. I don't know what he might be capable of when no one is around.

Look around your office or your school. No matter how much you think know some of the people that you come in contact with every single day, you probably don't know the answers to any of the questions above.


District Attorney Mark Hurlbert wouldn't put his career on the line if he didn't have a case.
Remember, we thought we knew Kirby Puckett, O.J. Simpson and Bill Clinton.

Now, I'm not saying Kobe is guilty. I have no idea what really happened on the night of June 30 at the Cordillera Lodge & Spa, and all Americans are innocent until proven guilty.

All Americans except for the female victim in this case, that is.

Since the news of Bryant's arrest broke two weeks ago, it seems like we've been searching for reasons to discredit this woman. She tried out for "American Idol" ... so she must be seeking fame and fortune. She went up to Bryant's room voluntarily ... so she was asking for it. She was an employee of the hotel ... so she was behaving unprofessionally. She allegedly overdosed on drugs two months ago ... so she must be unstable.

I only "know" one thing about this woman: Her life is never going to be the same again, and yet she's pressing on with this case anyway.

Rather than look for reasons to doubt her story, I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt until someone can prove she's lying -- the same benefit of the doubt so many people, men in particular, seem so eager to give Kobe.

On Sunday morning, I bumped into a fellow sports journalist who offered the following word of warning to me about the Kobe case: "Man, be careful what you say about this case around women. I was at a party Saturday night, and all I said was, 'Kobe made a pretty big mistake,' and a couple of women still jumped all over me."

Well, sorry, guys, but I understand why so many women are so outraged. I also understand why so many rape victims never come forward.

If this case does indeed turn into a he-said, she-said, I'm not going to blindly assume everything he says is true. And I'd at least like to withhold my final judgment until I hear what she has to say.

[FishForLunch]

They are going to discuss this on Hardball on MSNBC today

Also, Kobe's accuser was "bragging" about her night with him and his "anatomy" about a week or two after the incident according to friends who were partying with her...We'll talk to a couple of legal types including Wendy Murphy in D...

[sturm und drang]

To take a quote from the Kevin Jackson article Evilmav posted:

"Well, sorry, guys, but I understand why so many women are so outraged. I also understand why so many rape victims never come forward."

Did she like it rough? Is she a sex- and celebrity-crazed basketball groupie? Did she overdose on drugs? Is she a slut? We've heard all of these questions and speculations bantered about in this very forum. Only 30.5% of rapes and sexual assaults are ever reported-- by far the lowest report rate for any felony. From all the accusations and implications about her character on this sites, other sites, TV and radio, it's no wonder 70% of women who are raped never report it.

What's going to happen to Kobe and his career is obviously very interesting, and is what most people are thinking about. But let's not forget the alleged victim. No one seems to be thinking about what's going to be left of her life and her reputation after this very public ordeal-- regardless of the outcome of the trial.

Thanks for the great article, Evilmav.

[Hitman]

Originally posted by: FishForLunch
They are going to discuss this on Hardball on MSNBC today

Where did you hear this? A message board?

Because on the hardball site there is not mention of this,and there is not mention of this "bragging" rumour on MSNBC.com

[Chiwas]

Rather than look for reasons to doubt her story, I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt until someone can prove she's lying -- the same benefit of the doubt so many people, men in particular, seem so eager to give Kobe.

Well, sorry, guys, but I understand why so many women are so outraged. I also understand why so many rape victims never come forward.

If this case does indeed turn into a he-said, she-said, I'm not going to blindly assume everything he says is true. And I'd at least like to withhold my final judgment until I hear what she has to say.

Agree.

[WayOutWest]

Originally posted by: Hitman

Where did you hear this? A message board?

Because on the hardball site there is not mention of this,and there is not mention of this "bragging" rumour on MSNBC.com

Here's the link:

http://www.msnbc.com/news/942322.asp?0cv=SB10

Here's part of the story:

"EAGLE, Colo., July 22 — The 19-year-old woman who accused Kobe Bryant of sexually assaulting her attended a party just days before charges were filed against Bryant and appeared to be in a good mood and “bragging” about the incident, several teen-agers at the party told NBC News on Tuesday. Another friend told the Associated Press that the woman had “visible evidence” of the alleged attack a week later."

[ocelot_ark]

Originally posted by: sturm und drang
To take a quote from the Kevin Jackson article Evilmav posted:

"Well, sorry, guys, but I understand why so many women are so outraged. I also understand why so many rape victims never come forward."

Did she like it rough? Is she a sex- and celebrity-crazed basketball groupie? Did she overdose on drugs? Is she a slut? We've heard all of these questions and speculations bantered about in this very forum. Only 30.5% of rapes and sexual assaults are ever reported-- by far the lowest report rate for any felony. From all the accusations and implications about her character on this sites, other sites, TV and radio, it's no wonder 70% of women who are raped never report it.

What's going to happen to Kobe and his career is obviously very interesting, and is what most people are thinking about. But let's not forget the alleged victim. No one seems to be thinking about what's going to be left of her life and her reputation after this very public ordeal-- regardless of the outcome of the trial.

Thanks for the great article, Evilmav.

Stole this off of a post at askmen.com:

Reporting Statistics sa.rochester.edu/masa/stats.php
Only 16% of rapes and sexual assaults are reported to the police (Rape in America: A Report to the Nation. 1992). In 1995 there were 97,460 rapes reported to law enforcement officials. At a 16% reporting rate, this means that there were actually closer to 649,733 rapes in the United States. Along the same lines, the number of rapes reported in New York state in 1996 was 20,911. At a 16% reporting rate, this means the actual number of rapes was closer to 139,406. (Computerized Criminal History, Feb. 1998)

The rate of false reports of rape is approximately 2 - 3% which is no different than that for other crimes. This is different than the 8% of reports which are unfounded. This means that in 8% of the rape cases reported the investigators or prosecutors deemed that the case was not prosecutable for any number of reasons. Only 2 - 3% of the reports however were fabricated stories.

Above is a chart showing the estimated rape rate per 100,000 people in the United States between 1960 and 1998. The rape rate in the US in 1998 was 34.4 per 100,000 persons. In 1997 there was a decrease of 7% in the overall crime rate, but the rate of rape and sexual assault did not decline at all. (National Crime Victimization Survey, 1997)

Women are 10 times more likely than men to be victims of sexual assault (National Crime Victimization Survey, 1997). A study among college women has shown that 1 out of every 5 college age women report being forced to have sexual intercourse. (1995 National College Health Risk Behavior Survey) 22% of all women say that they have been forced to do sexual things against their will, where only 3% of men admit to ever forcing themselves on a woman. (Laumann, 1994)

[veruca salt]

Thanks for the Kevin Jackson article Evil...

[WayOutWest]

ocelot_ark: Rape stats called into question.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,92536,00.html

False Rape Charges Hurt Real Victims

Tuesday, July 22, 2003
By Wendy McElroy


The media coverage of the felony sexual assault (search) charge leveled at basketball star Kobe Bryant (search) includes an element that has been rarely introduced into public discussion in recent years: Commentators are openly speculating on whether the accusation is false. Could the woman be lying?

And yet, whenever an unwitnessed crime is alleged, such speculation is valid. This is especially true if the allegation of crime is not unambiguously backed up by physical evidence. In a "he said/she said" scenario, the credibility of the accuser is key. This is why Western jurisprudence recognizes the right of the accused to face his or her accuser and ask questions in a court of law.

Our society has long acknowledged the existence of false accusations (search). In Biblical times, "bearing false witness" was recognized as a practice prevalent enough to be delineated as one of only 10 overriding social rules: the Ninth Commandment reads, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."

In the Common Law tradition (search), upon which American jurisprudence draws heavily, the prevalence of false accusations contributed to "the presumption of innocence." The definition of this legal term is: "The indictment or formal charge against any person is not evidence of guilt. Indeed, the person is presumed by the law to be innocent."

Why? Because, in almost any circumstance, a certain percentage of people will lie. They will do so for a variety of motives. Sometimes there is a clear advantage to lying: for example, to gain money or the custody of children.

In his forthcoming biography Politicians, Partisans and Parasites: My Adventures in Cable News (search), Crossfire co-host Tucker Carlson (search) discusses another motive that underlies some false accusations. In 2001, a woman he had never met alleged he had raped her in Louisville, a city he had never visited. After $14,000 in defensive legal bills, Carlson discovered that the woman had a chronic mental disorder. He decided not to sue for redress since it would further link his name with the word "rape."

Carlson even hesitated to speak out in his tell-all book because "the stigma of being accused of that kind of crime is so strong." Fortunately, he thought it taught a valuable lesson: "I always assumed, like every other journalist does, that all sex scandals are rooted in the truth, period. You may not have done precisely what you're accused of, but you did something." From bitter experience, he now knows differently.

Even charges that are later revealed to be false can devastate the accused. Consider journalist John Fund (search), who was arrested on charges of domestic violence and publicly excoriated for sexual misconduct. The charges were later dropped.

Columnist Eric Alterman recently published an article entitled "Who Framed John Fund?" There, Alterman chronicled the false accusations that haunt Fund. Once a high-profile presence on the Wall Street Journal's editorial page and a frequent television commentator, Fund now writes for the WSJ's far less prestigious Opinionjournal.com (search) and is rarely on TV.

On his Web site, Fund posted a notarized affidavit from his accuser, stating, "Mr. Fund has not been abusive to me contrary to what I said in reports to the Jersey City police." He has also posted the transcript of a deposition in which she testifies under oath that she has "borderline personality disorder." Nevertheless, it is not clear whether Fund's career will recover.

How prevalent is the false reporting of sexual assault? Estimates vary widely.

According to much-cited feminist statistics, two percent of all reports are false. Susan Brownmiller's (search) book Against Our Will (1975), for example, claims that false accusations in New York City dropped to that level after police departments began using policewomen to interview alleged victims. Elsewhere, the two percent figure appears without citation or with a vague attribution to "FBI" sources.

According to a study conducted by Eugene Kanin (search) of Purdue University, the correct figure may rise to the 40 percent range. Kanin examined 109 rape complaints registered in a Midwestern city from 1978 to 1987. Of these, 45 were ultimately classified by the police as "false." Also based on police records, Kanin determined that 50 percent of the rapes reported at two major universities were "false."

Studies and statistics often vary and for legitimate reasons. For example, they may examine different populations. But such a dramatic variance -- two percent to 50 percent -- raises the question of whether political interests are at work.

It is understandable why some feminists might wish to understate the incidence of false reporting. In the '50s, women who reported sexual assault or domestic violence were dismissed. To acknowledge false reports as a real problem might undercut the gains made toward taking women seriously.

But if the charge against Kobe Bryant is proven false, a backlash against women reporting violence may occur. Bryant is accused of a crime that, under Colorado law, carries a prison term of four years to life or probation for 20 years to life. The highest level of evidence and credible testimony should be required before ruining a man's life in that manner.

Feminists should demand such a high level of proof. Otherwise, it is the man who appears to be the victim no matter how many times the accusation is repeated.

Wendy McElroy is the editor of ifeminists.com and a research fellow for The Independent Institute in Oakland, Calif. She is the author and editor of many books and articles, including the new book, Liberty for Women: Freedom and Feminism in the 21st Century (Ivan R. Dee/Independent Institute, 2002). She lives with her husband in Canada.

[TheKid]

This is a very touchy topic and I'm normally the person (believe this or not) who sides with the women. I most certainly did in the Tyson situation, Clarence Thomas, Tupac and so forth. However this is ONE TIME, it's hard for me to believe what this young lady is saying. I tell you what it does suck that she's under so much scrutiny now, it sucks even more for Kobe's wife because now she's on the hit list of people saying she's stupid for sticking up for her husband, etc. etc.

However I just can't believe that this man forced himself on this young lady. Her friends SURELY aren't helping her cause either, and if these are friends who know who she is or how she is then I would actually believe them. Lastly if these two had a relationship prior to this one time, then I MOST CERTAINLY don't believe this young lady.

I may be terrible for voicing my opinion, but this is the ONE TIME I find it hard to believe that he sexually assaulted this woman.

[Big Boy Laroux]

kid, even if they had a prior relationship, rape is a possibility. i believe, and someone can correct me if i'm wrong, that there have been cases of wives accusing their husbands of rape. length of a relationship has no bearing on the subject's credibility, IMO.

[Evilmav2]

Stars Voice Support for Kobe
From New York to Los Angeles, the stars are weighing in on the Kobe Bryant story.

P. Diddy says, "Innocent until proven guilty."

"Extra" caught up with P. Diddy in Harlem at the Entertainer's Basketball Classic on Monday night and Danny Devito at the premiere of a movie he produced called "Camp." Devito says, "Celebrities have to be very careful."

Wyclef Jean says, "I definitely think he'll definitely get through this whole thing."

Jean spoke to us before performing at a Hillary Clinton fundraiser and told us he thinks Kobe will emerge from this unscathed. He says, "I don't think no endorser is going to drop him… Kobe Bryant, he's going to be aiight. He's going to pull through."

In Los Angeles, Kobe got support at the premiere of the new "Tomb Raider" movie from stars like Dennis Haysbert. He says, "I don't believe he's going to spend any jail time. I think once all the evidence comes out he will be exonerated."

Steve Harvey says, "That just does not seem like something in his character. It really doesn't."

"Extra" caught up with comedian Steve Harvey during his L.A. morning radio show. He says his listeners are stunned. Harvey says, "I try to remind people that celebs are human beings. They're not gods and they're not superheroes."

Kobe's already admitted to one mistake and his celebrity friends are praying that's all he's guilty of.

[TheKid]

Big Boy,

I'm not saying BECAUSE they knew each other means he didn't do it. I'm talking about the entire situation, with what her friends have said about her fabricating things. I'm just saying for her, it's something else that makes the entire situation not seem right. I'm also not saying it's IMPOSSIBLE that he would be capable of the act, I'm just saying alot of things doesn't add up in this situation.

[Smiles]

Originally posted by: TheKid
Big Boy,

I'm not saying BECAUSE they knew each other means he didn't do it. I'm talking about the entire situation, with what her friends have said about her fabricating things. I'm just saying for her, it's something else that makes the entire situation not seem right. I'm also not saying it's IMPOSSIBLE that he would be capable of the act, I'm just saying alot of things doesn't add up in this situation.

I can certainly understand your point, Kid. I would like to say that it is actually COMMON for a victim's friends to disbelieve her.

I say this as someone who worked at a counseling center where we were trained and dealt with sexual assault victims. My response is a result of studies I've read as well as situations I've observed.

The offender (refering to those found guilty in a court of law) often never see that they have done anything wrong, expecially if they believe they have/had "sexual access rights" to the woman in question.

Edit: I just want to state that I am not declaring Kobe guilty. I am more than willing to believe that he is innocent of a crime. I'll suspend my own opinion on the case until I've reviewed the evidence.