- Woman accused Terrence Shannon Jr. of rape after September incident
- A judge has now ruled that he will stand trial for first-degree rape next month.
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Former Illinois basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr. will go on trial next month on charges of first-degree rape and aggravated sexual battery, a Kansas judge ruled Friday.
The ruling came during Shannon’s preliminary hearing in Douglas County, Kansas. Judge Sally Pokorny ruled there was probable cause for the case to go to trial, and it will begin June 10.
“Our legal team is neither shocked nor disappointed by the outcome of this event,” Mark Sutter, one of Shannon’s attorneys, said in a statement.
“A preliminary hearing is a procedural process that simply concerns the evidentiary threshold and whether an issue of fact can exist for a jury. It has nothing to do with guilt or innocence.
“These issues will be decided at trial, and we look forward to our day in court.”
Terrence Shannon Jr. appears in court Friday during his pretrial hearing in Lawrence, Kansas
Shannon Jr. was initially suspended by Illinois but returned to play for them in March Madness
A woman accused Shannon of sexually penetrating her with his fingers at a bar in Lawrence, Kansas, on September 9.
The woman identified Shannon from photos she saw online and informed police he was her attacker. Shannon was arrested and charged in this case.
After an arrest warrant was issued in late December, Illinois suspended Shannon indefinitely. He missed six games before getting a restraining order from a federal judge allowing him to join the Illini.
Shannon Jr. was charged with rape after an incident with a woman at a bar in September
Some expect him to be chosen in the first round of the NBA Draft in late June.
Shannon stood out for Illinois with a 23.0 ERA in 32 games (31 starts) this season. He led the team in goals and 3-pointers made (77).
Shannon guided Illinois to the Elite Eight of March Madness before losing to eventual national champion UConn.
The university dropped its investigation into Shannon in April.
Shannon hopes to be selected in the NBA draft, scheduled for June 26-27. He was projected as a lottery pick by some draft entities.
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