Stillwater NewsPress

Local News

July 18, 2012

NEW: Jury hears recording of Oklahoma State athlete Darrell Williams denying assault allegations

By Russell Hixson russellhixson@stwnewspress.com

STILLWATER, Okla. — Oklahoma State athlete Darrell Williams told police he met three women at a bar, invited them to a party and greeted them there, but he didn’t assault anyone, according to an audio tape played for jurors Wednesday morning in Williams’ sex crime trial in Payne County District Court.

Williams, 22, is accused of sexually assaulting two of the women at an off-campus party in December 2010. Williams is on trial on four counts of rape by instrumentation and a count of sexual battery.

Stillwater police detective Les Little testified about investigating the case. Multimedia evidence, including an audio recording of Williams’ interview with police, was played for the Jury.

On the recording of an interview with Little at OSU’s Gahallager-Iba Arena, Williams said he had introduced himself to three women, including the two victims, at a bar and invited them to the party. He said he had seen the three again at the party in the basement and briefly greeted them. He said he had been drinking and was drunk at the party but could remember what happened.

He maintained on the recording that he did not assault anyone during the party. Williams said most of the OSU basketball players were there in their OSU warmup suits.

“I don’t know what happened in the basement,” Williams said on the recording.

“I was probably misidentified,” he added, noting the players were all wearing the same outfits.

When detectives asked him on the recording about a text he had sent one of the victims the day after the party Williams replied that he had obtained a lot of women’s phone numbers that night and it was his custom to text them all and said he probably did text her.

Defense attorney Cheryl Ramsey asked the detective about Stillwater Police Department’s photo identification policy. Little said in the 23 years he has worked there a policy has never been in place.

Ramsey asked why they had not waited to get photos of players in plainclothes. Little said they chose to use an unlabeled photo of the basketball team for suspect identification because the women said it was a basketball player. Little said he put the photo in front of them without any prompting and asked if they saw the man who assaulted them.

Testimony was expected to continue following a recess for lunch.

Earlier in the week, victims testified Williams and other athletes sexually assaulted them at the party multiple times.

Yayi Janneh, 23, who is not a basketball player, has been charged with two counts of sexual battery in connection with the 2010 party.

Williams was suspended from the team in February 2011 but continues to practice with the team and remains on the roster.

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