The L.A. County district attorney dismissed all charges Thursday
against DeShawn Stringer, the man accused of raping a UCLA student
nearly two years ago.
Judge Keith Schwartz declared a mistrial Thursday when a jury
hung for the second time in a case against Stringer.
Deputy District Attorney Scott Millington said he will not retry
Stringer for a third time and dismissed the charges because he
didn’t believe any jury could reach a verdict on the
case.
“It’s the victim’s word against the
defendant’s,” Millington said. “Without physical
injuries or other corroborating evidence, these cases can be
difficult to prosecute.”
Stringer, Chuwan Anthony and Jamar Dawson were tried in May
after they were accused of raping the student in her De Neve dorm
room in December 2002.
The jury deadlocked in the first case and the district attorney
chose only to retry Stringer, who received a vote of seven guilty,
five not guilty on a charge of forced oral sex and seven guilty,
five not guilty on a charge of rape.
The retrial began in early October and ended Thursday after
jurors spent less than two days in deliberations, again deadlocking
at seven guilty, five not guilty on both charges.
“Right now I’m just filled with emotion. I’m
just really glad that my life has been given back to me,”
Stringer said. “I know how someone feels when they’re
falsely accused.”
Stringer, Anthony and Dawson were in high school at the time of
the incident and were visiting the university on a field trip with
Carson High School on Dec. 5, 2002.
During the first trial, Dawson said one of the reasons he and
his friends went up to the De Neve dorms was to meet girls.
The prosecution said the three walked around some of the
residence halls, often using fake names and telling women they were
football players transferring from Florida State.
The three eventually knocked on the door of Jane Doe, the name
the court is using to protect the identity of the alleged victim.
The prosecution said Stringer entered and raped Jane Doe while
Dawson and Anthony left.
Jane Doe testified that she said “no” to sexual
advances from Stringer more than once.
After Stringer left her room, Dawson and Anthony came in and
also had intercourse and oral sex with the woman.
Stringer’s defense attorney, Frank Williams, said the
sexual encounter was consensual and that Jane Doe desired black
men.
Stringer’s defense focused much of their energy on Jane
Doe’s character and personality rather than the sexual
encounter.
The defense introduced Web logs Jane Doe had written. The Web
logs had pictures of famous rappers, athletes and actors and she
sometimes said black men had beautiful bodies and that she wanted
to have sex with them, Williams said.
“I think the blogs gave a more accurate perception of who
this girl is and what her intention was,” Williams said.
“(In the blogs) she complains about the lack of black men
at UCLA and she gets a knock on the door by three men that she
previously described as being irresistible,” Williams
said.
The prosecution disagreed, arguing Jane Doe had been raped and
that Stringer had a history of committing sexual offenses against
women.
Millington called two female witnesses during the trial who said
that Stringer had sexually assaulted them to try and show a pattern
of aggressive behavior.
“(Stringer has a) disposition to commit sexual offenses
against women,” Millington said during opening statements.
Millington also focused much of his energy on explaining Jane
Doe’s actions after the sexual encounter, something the
defense had criticized, noting she turned in a paper and went to
class before contacting authorities.
Some people on campus are worried about the effects the
jury’s decision may have on victims of sexual assault at the
university.
Tamar Brandeis, the internal committee chair of the UCLA
Clothesline Project, said she hopes the outcome doesn’t deter
victims from coming forward to authorities.
“Even though you see the Kobe Bryant case and the Jane Doe
case … you should speak out, in your own time and when you are
ready, if you experienced something like this,” Brandeis
said.
Tina Oakland, director of the Center for Women & Men, said
the case also raises other concerns.
“I think it reflects how little is understood about sexual
assault and how it affects individuals and communities,”
Oakland said.
“It’s extraordinarily difficult for someone to come
forward and make an allegation of this kind. It especially takes
courage to go through not one trial, but two.”
Stringer’s legal guardian, Robert Dawson, said it was also
extremely difficult for him and his family during the trial and
that he spent thousands of dollars on the trial over two years.
“I was on hold for two years,” 19-year-old Stringer
said. “My life was at a standstill.”