Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston is at the center of a serious allegation. It was originally reported that Winston may have sexually assaulted a woman but she and her family have finally released a statement saying it was far worse. Winston not only allegedly raped the woman, the Tallahassee Police Department allegedly tried to make her keep quiet about the entire situation.
The woman reported the incident immediately after it happened but was allegedly told by the police that Tallahassee was a big football town and her life “will be made miserable” if she pursued the case. The victim also claims she repeatedly tried to obtain blood work and DNA but was told the case would be made a public spectacle. She also alleges that Winston’s roommate witnessed the attack but the police refused to interview him.
I’m trying not to make a snap judgement in the case but I have heard of numerous instances where the police and public stand behind big football stars in sexual assault cases. It’s also weird that the police didn’t forward the case to prosecutors until the media began digging around 10 months later.
Here’s the victim’s statement via TampaBay.com:
Recent media reports compel our family to make a statement at this time.
We the Victim and family have attempted to allow the State Attorney to address Tallahassee Police Department’s questionable investigation into the rape of the victim.
We the victim and family have not responded to the barrage of media inquiries. We did not want to escalate a very difficult situation which we thought was behind us.
On 12/7/12 the victim was raped by an unknown person. The victim immediately reported it to law enforcement and cooperated completely with all requests made of her by law enforcement.
In early January, when the victim identified the perpetrator as ameis Winston, the family grew concerned that she would be targeted on campus.
We requested assistance from an attorney friend to interact with law enforcement on the victim’s behalf. When the attorney contacted Detective Angulo immediately after Winston was identified, Detective An gulo told the attorney that Tallahassee was a big football town and the victim needs to think long and hard before proceeding against him because she will be raked over the coals and her life will be made miserable.
The attorney and Detective Angulo discussed suspending the investigation to give the victim some time to receive counseling. However, during that discussion, the attomey addressed the need for the family to obtain the DNA and blood work results to make a more informed decision. At that time, Detective Angulo specifically refused to collect Winston’s DNA or interview Winston’s roommate who witnessed the attack. Detective Angulo stated that such activity would alert Winston and the matter could go public.
Thereafter, the family, through counsel, repeatedly attempted to obtain the blood work results from both Detective Angulo and the Tallahassee Police Department’s victim advocate, Fawnisha Brown. At all times, the victim, the family, and counsel were available to Tallahassee Police Department and were under the impression that only law enforcement was aware of the crime.
If the victim had been aware that Winston’s attorney was alerted as far back as February, she would have insisted that Tallahassee Police Department immediately collect DNA and interview, at the very least, Winston’s roommate who witnessed the attack.
The victim was devastated when she learned late last week that the Tallahassee Police Department had informed Winston’s attorney as far back as February, which allowed him all of this time to create his defense and prepare his witnesses. The victim cannot fathom that the State Attorney’s office was not given the same opportunity.
The family was shocked to hear that Winston’s attorney was not only aware of the case but had been told by Tallahassee Police Department that the case had been closed in February. All the while, the family was awaiting blood work results until early April.
It was never the intent of the victim or the family for this to become public. The victim was trying to move on with her life which has now been turned upside down once again. We have not been the source of any information prior to this release; there was no benefit in that.
In light of the fact that this matter has now been made public, here are a few of the many questions the victim and the family have:
1. If Winstorfs attorney was aware of the case in February 2013, why didn’t Detective Angulo collect DNA evidence, interview Winston, and conduct a proper investigation.
2. Why did it take Detective Angulo four months to verbally inform the family of the blood work results?
3. Why was Winston not listed as the suspect in the police report once he was identified in early January?
4. Why is it being represented in the press that the victim was intoxicated when Detective Angulo told the family that the victim was not intoxicated based on the blood work?
5. Why didn’t Detective Angulo or his superiors inform the State Attorney of the crime before the media sought a copy of the police report 1 1 months after the crime?
6. Why was the Florida State University Police Department given a copy of the police report after it was determined they did not have jurisdiction, especially given the fact that Winston’s attorney represents the Florida State University football team and they have a clear conflict of interest?
