A former NFL player, Kellen Winslow Jr., pleaded guilty on Monday to the rape of an unconscious teenager in 2003 and to sexual battery involving a 54-year-old hitchhiker. This plea deal spared him the possibility of a life sentence. The events unfolded in Vista, California.
According to Fox 5 San Diego, Winslow Jr. initially hesitated before entering his plea. He expressed uncertainty to the judge, stating, “I’m sorry. I’m just not thinking very clearly.” He requested additional time before ultimately entering the guilty pleas. He was moments away from being retried on six felonies, including kidnapping, sodomy, forced oral copulation, and two counts of rape in San Diego County Superior Court. Conviction on these charges could have resulted in a life sentence.
In exchange for his plea, the court agreed to sentence him to between 12 and 18 years in prison for the two charges and dismiss the remaining charges.
In June, a jury had found him guilty of raping a homeless woman in Encinitas, north of San Diego. The jury also convicted him of two misdemeanors: indecent exposure and a lewd act in public, involving two other women. However, that jury was unable to reach a consensus on the other charges, including the alleged rape of the hitchhiker and the rape of the unconscious 17-year-old girl in 2003, when Winslow Jr. was 19 years old. Under the plea agreement, the charge related to the attack on the hitchhiker was reduced to sexual battery.
The 36-year-old former tight end, who was once among the highest-paid players in the NFL, had previously pleaded not guilty to all charges. His attorney, Gretchen von Helms, had argued that the sexual encounters were consensual.
Five women testified during the summer trial, and three were expected to testify again in the retrial, according to ESPN. Prosecutor Dan Owens commented outside the courtroom that he was glad the women would not have to endure the ordeal of testifying again, while also emphasizing their bravery in coming forward initially. He stated, “Each of these victims, they didn’t try to come out here in order to try to frame Mr. Winslow… The fact that they had that courage to come forward and speak with law enforcement and to testify to all the things that he had done while facing all these cameras, I think it was important to me to make sure that that truth was heard, and it was important to me to make sure that he was held accountable for each one of those crimes.”
Defense attorney Marc Carlos acknowledged that Winslow Jr. faced a difficult decision in accepting the plea deal. “The downside of any conviction would land him in prison for the rest of his life, and he made this decision based upon his family, his father, his children, and he wanted to be there for them in the future,” Carlos said.
During the first trial, defense attorneys challenged the credibility of the five women, highlighting inconsistencies in their accounts. The court had intended to inform the new jury about Winslow Jr.’s conviction for raping the homeless woman, who would have been among those testifying again. Jurors would also have been informed about the indecent exposure conviction, although that woman was not expected to testify.
Winslow Jr. grew up in San Diego and attended Patrick Henry and Scripps Ranch high schools before attending the University of Miami. During his NFL career, he played for Cleveland, Tampa Bay, New England, and the New York Jets, earning over $40 million across 10 seasons. He is also the son of Chargers Hall of Fame receiver Kellen Winslow, who was present in the courtroom throughout the first trial and on Monday. Winslow Jr. repeatedly looked back at his father before entering his plea. As he left the courtroom on Monday, he reached out to his father, who responded by touching his fist to his heart.
Winslow Jr.’s attorneys have stated that he suffers from traumatic brain injury resulting from his football career and a motorcycle accident that ended his career. They plan to argue that this information should be considered during his sentencing hearing. Fox 5 San Diego reported that sentencing is scheduled for February 19.
Keywords: rape, sexual battery, NFL player, plea deal, life sentence, traumatic brain injury, conviction, defense attorney, sentencing hearing, felonies.