Former Baylor DE Shawn Oakman found not guilty in sexual assault trial
A jury found former Baylor defensive end Shawn Oakman not guilty of rape Thursday after a two-day trial.
Oakman was accused of sexually assaulting a former girlfriend at his off-campus residence on April 3, 2016. The woman and Oakman had been friends after their relationship and she invited Oakman out to a bar with her friends.
The verdict came after roughly two hours of deliberation by the jury Thursday afternoon. Per a Waco Tribune reporter at the courthouse, the jury had disagreements about the woman’s testimony.
The jury just sent a note to the judge requesting the alleged victim's testimony because of "several disagreements" over her testimony.
— Tommy Witherspoon (@TSpoonFeed) February 28, 2019
The judge declined to say what specific disagreement jurors had about the testimony of the alleged victim.
— Tommy Witherspoon (@TSpoonFeed) February 28, 2019
The woman, who was 22 at the time of the encounter, testified at the trial Wednesday that Oakman raped her after they went back to his place after the bar. From the Waco Tribune:
She said Oakman had to hold her up while he was trying to open the door because she was so drunk. She said it is possible that is how she might have received a bruise on her arm that prosecutors showed the jury a photo of.
She said she wanted to leave, but Oakman would not allow it. She said the next thing she remembers is being face-down on Oakman’s bed while he removed her clothes and raped her. She said Oakman later turned her over and raped her again.
A nurse at a victims advocacy clinic who examined the woman testified at the trial that her exam revealed findings consistent with sexual assaults. Oakman’s attorney contended at the trial that the sex was consensual. The woman also testified that she now has trouble sleeping at night and, among other things, cannot sleep in a room with the door closed.
Oakman arrested in 2016
Oakman was arrested on sexual assault charges less than two weeks after the incident and it came on the heels of two former Baylor football players’ sexual assault convictions.
Oakman had graduated from Baylor in December of 2015 and had 43 tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss as Baylor went 10-3 in his senior season. Oakman, a transfer from Penn State, was not drafted in the 2016 NFL draft. He had attended the combine that February.
His attorney said in December that Oakman was offered a plea deal by prosecutors. But Oakman rejected the deal because he maintained that he wasn’t guilty.
– – – – – – –
Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
Follow @NickBromberg on Twitter
More from Yahoo Sports:
• The NFL combine’s biggest question is answered
• Ole Miss fans trash court after controversial loss
• Westbrook lectures kid, requests protection from fans
• Haynes: LeBron has a message for the haters
