A San Diego judge ruled that there is sufficient evidence to try former NFL tight end Kellen Winslow II on allegations of sexual assault involving several women.
Winslow, 34, is accused of raping or attempting to rape at least four women over the age of 50 in a three-month span, according to court documents. He was first arrested on June 7 after a report of a possible burglary at a senior community. At the time, he was facing first-degree burglary charges.
Winslow was arrested at his home in Encinitas a week later on charges of sexual assault, kidnapping, and sodomy charges from incidents dating back to Mar. 17. The complaint alleges that he raped a 54-year-old woman and a 59-year-old woman on Mar. 17 and May 13, respectively, inside his SUV.
He is also accused of the attempted rape of a 71-year-old woman and burglary of her home on June 1 and indecently exposing himself in public on May 24. Prosecutors also contend Winslow attempted to rape a 86-year-old woman at the senior community where he was initially arrested on burglary charges.
Three of the crimes occurred within 1.5 miles of Winslow’s home. One of the alleged victims testified Thursday that she was choked and told she would be killed if she screamed. Another victim said she knew Winslow as “Kevin” and would see him around town. She told law enforcement officials that she got into a Hummer with “Kevin” to get coffee but something else happened.
“He just took a U-turn and that was when I knew I was in trouble,” she said.
She said Winslow got out the car and locked the door.
“I knew I had no hope. He had the keys,” she said.
She testified she was raped in the front seat of the Hummer with the doors open. When he turned her around, she screamed out in pain.
“He said if I scream, he will kill me,” she said, adding that her attacker used both hands to choke her.
Harvey A. Steinberg, Winslow’s attorney, asked about the woman about her decision to get into the Hummer under cross-examination.
“Saying yes to coffee does not mean saying yes to rape,” the woman said.
Winslow posted a $50,000 bond after his arrested on burglary charges. On Thursday, he posted a $2 million bail. If convicted on all counts, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
Steinberg said that Winslow looks forward to being “vindicated”. He also pointed out that none of the accusers actually saw their attacker. One of the accusers even identified one of the attorneys on Winslow’s team as her attacker.
Winslow, the son of Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow, played ten seasons (2004-13) in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, and New York Jets. He served a suspension for performance enhancing drugs in 2013. He was also arrested after a woman claimed he was masturbating in the parking lot of a New Jersey department store.
– Curtis Rawls is a Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage and covers the NFL, the New York Giants, and the NBA. Please like and follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Twitter. Curtis can be followed on Twitter @CuRawls203.
