KOBE BRYANT Judge orders Lakers' guard to stand trial
The judge wrote that prosecutors had offered only minimal evidence.
EAGLE, Colo. (AP) -- Kobe Bryant has been ordered to stand trial on a charge of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old Colorado resort worker, but the judge said prosecutors had offered only minimal evidence.
Eagle County Judge Frederick Gannett said Monday that although prosecutors presented "a minimal amount of evidence," what they did show suggested "submission and force." The evidence included photographs of the woman's injuries, as well as blood on her underwear and on Bryant's T-shirt.
Bryant could face life in prison if convicted. His next appearance, in district court, was set for Nov. 10.
Bryant has said the sex was consensual. His attorneys suggested the woman's injuries came during sex with other men in the days before her June 30 encounter with Bryant at a resort in nearby Edwards.
Defense can appeal
The defense can appeal Gannett's ruling, but such appeals are rare, legal experts said.
At Bryant's first appearance in state district court he will be advised of his rights, the charge and the possible penalties. He could also enter a plea during that hearing.
Unless Bryant waives his right to a speedy trial, the trial would be scheduled within six months of his plea.
Prosecutors in Colorado almost always succeed in persuading a judge to order a trial after a preliminary hearing because the standard of proof required is relatively low. Allegations are usually enough to advance the case to a higher court for trial, where the standard of proof is much higher.
District Attorney Mark Hurlbert said he was "pleased" by the decision, "although we had confidence all along in the case."
Chance of dismissal was slim
Bryant's attorneys issued a statement saying that although they knew their chances of getting a dismissal had been slim, "the prosecution's case simply had to be tested."
"The standard at trial is a far higher burden: proof beyond a reasonable doubt. When this case is tested by that standard, Kobe Bryant will be found innocent," Pamela Mackey and co-counsel Hal Haddon said in a written statement.
At the Los Angeles Lakers' El Segundo, Calif., practice facility, Bryant was asked before the ruling how much anxiety he was feeling. "Basketball, zero anxiety. Other stuff, a little anxiety," he said.
"But now I just pretty much, you know, give it up. I've pretty much done all I can. Now I'll let God carry me the rest of the way. I feel comfortable with that," he said.
John Clune, the lawyer representing Bryant's accuser, declined comment.
Judge has questions about case
Gannett's comments on the evidence indicate he had questions about the prosecution's case, legal analysts said.
Judges normally don't issue written rulings after preliminary hearings, and the fact that Gannett wrote his suggests the case is fraught with difficulties, said Scott Robinson, a Denver defense attorney.
"The reality is that unless there is significantly more substantial evidence available at trial, and a suitable explanation for some of the puzzling physical evidence which surfaced last week, a conviction looks like a completely unlikely scenario," Robinson said.