The woman who accused Kobe Bryant of rape told investigators the NBA star ignored her entreaties to stop and said there was no doubt he heard her "because every time I said `No' he tightened his hold around me," according to documents released on Friday.
That is among the never-before-released details of the woman's interview with Eagle County sheriff's investigators the day after the incident at a Vail-area resort last summer. Some details were released months ago, before the rape charge against Bryant was dismissed at the woman's request.
The then-19-year-old woman said she and Bryant kissed for several minutes in his room before he became aggressive and began groping her.
The woman, who was a front desk employee and had given Bryant a tour of the Cordillera resort, said he put both his hands around her neck and after bending her over a chair, removed one hand to pull down her underwear.
"At that point I was just kind of scared and I said `No' a few times," she told the detectives at the sheriff's office about 12 hours after the incident.
Investigator Doug Winters then asked how she knew that Bryant heard her.
"Because every time I said `No' he tightened his hold around me," she replied.
She said she cried during the encounter.
misleading
The woman also said she believed she led Bryant to believe she wanted him to hug or kiss her -- she said she thought he was "going to try and make a move on me" -- but she did not intend to have sex with him.
During his interview with detectives, Bryant said the woman told him she had hoped he would have sex with her, according to the transcript released on Friday. He said the woman never cried and he repeatedly told detectives the sex was consensual. He also said she gave him a kiss goodbye before she left his room.
Bryant, 26, still faces a federal lawsuit filed by the woman that seeks unspecified damages for pain and suffering she says she has suffered since the incident last summer. No trial date has been set.
Several news organizations including The Associated Press had requested access to the sealed case files, including evidence and witness statements. More will be released on Monday by the prosecution once the woman's name and some of her personal history is redacted.
unwilling to testify
After the woman said she wouldn't testify in the criminal case, prosecutors dismissed the felony sexual assault charge against Bryant on Sept. 1. District Attorney Mark Hurlbert said at the time he believed a jury would have convicted Bryant, but only if the woman was willing to testify.
Included in the documents were statements from the first three people the woman saw after her encounter with Bryant. Trina McKay, the resort's night auditor, said she saw the woman as she was leaving to go home, and "she did not look or sound as if there had been any problem."
But Bobby Pietrack, a bellman and high school friend of the woman, said she appeared to be very upset.
"As we started to walk to the time clock [she] grabbed my arm and started to cry and said that Kobe Bryant choked her," Pietrack wrote in a police statement.
"After we clocked out, I asked her to tell me everything, and that is when she told me that Kobe Bryant had forced sex with her."
He added: "She was very shaken and she was crying" as they walked to their cars from the hotel.
Pietrack said he followed her home, a drive of about 20 minutes, told her to tell her parents what happened and left. He said he called the next morning and learned she had not yet told her parents.
The woman had called her former boyfriend, Matt Herr, who wrote in a statement that she was "very upset, claiming that Kobe Bryant had raped her."
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and