Official Kobe Bryant Case Thread

Updates on the Kobe Bryant Case will go here.

Reminder:
DO NOT post any private information regarding Kobe's accuser. Thanks.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"><font size="3">Star athlete, star witness</font>

GYPSUM - He's known as No. 23 here, a three-sport all-state athlete whose name is engraved on many of the plaques that line the entrance to Eagle Valley High School.

But the world outside this valley of small towns will soon know Bobby Pietrack as one of the key witnesses in the latest celebrity-driven criminal saga.
In a twist of fate, this star athlete is now a star witness for the prosecution in the sexual assault case against the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant.
Pietrack, a 22-year-old college basketball player who aspires to appear in a game on ESPN, has been mentioned on the sports TV network because he was one of the first people to hear the alleged rape victim's story after she left Bryant's hotel room the night of June 30.

Pietrack (pronounced PEA- track) was working at his summer job as a bellman at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera in Edwards, where the 19-year-old woman who has accused Bryant also worked as a concierge. ESPN reported that Pietrack told police she was visibly upset and disheveled.

"If he really is that squeaky clean and they can't show he has a reason to be biased, that's hurtful to the defense," said Denver criminal defense attorney Dan Recht. "But if the defense can show some relationship between him and the alleged victim, then that's hurtful to the prosecution."

His friends believe Pietrack will react to his duty in this case as he reacts to other challenges in his life and they believe he will be a strong witness for the prosecution.

Pietrack knows Bryant's alleged victim, but only because they went to the same school and lived in the same small town. They weren't friends and Pietrack was older, Scott said. Pietrack graduated from Eagle Valley in 1999 and the alleged victim graduated in 2002.
</div> http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/stat...2284357,00.html

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"><font size="3">Man arrested for 'hit' offer
</font>Threat is against Bryant's accuser

State and federal authorities arrested a California man Thursday on suspicion of trying to orchestrate a "hit" on the 19-year- old Eagle woman who has accused Kobe Bryant of sexual assault.

Patrick Graber, 31, of El Segundo, offered to kill the woman on Bryant's behalf in exchange for $3 million, according to officials at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

"We believe it was a credible threat," sheriff's Lt. Jim Taylor said Thursday in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Daily News reported that Graber used the name of former KGB chief and Soviet leader Yuri Andropov, and claimed ties to the Russian mob.

"The Russian Mafia does carry out assassinations, and we are trying to connect him with that," Taylor said.

The murder solicitation was reported by Bryant's security team, which initially was contacted by letter from a man who used the name "Yuri" and offered to "make the problem go away," according to his Denver-based defense attorney, Pamela Mackey.

"This atmosphere threatens not just Mr. Bryant, his lawyers and the accuser, but the fundamental right to a fair trial before an impartial jury," he said.

Graber allegedly requested $1 million up front and an additional $2 million after the suggested assassination, and authorities scheduled a meeting at 8 a.m. Thursday ostensibly to make the first payment, bringing along a bag of movie-studio money.

Graber, who worked at a local gym and is a Swiss national who reportedly had an expired visa, was arrested and booked into the Los Angeles County Jail and held on $1 million bail. An arraignment is set for Monday.
Graber said Bryant's accuser "might disappear, might be in an accident, might be a drug overdose," according to Haddon.

Mackey, who routinely declines to comment about any aspect of the criminal accusations against Bryant, said the threats are "the unfortunate byproducts of the media circus which has overtaken this case."

"In the two months since this case became public, there have been multiple threats against Mr. Bryant, his lawyers and his accuser," she said in her press statement. "There have been outrageously false stories claiming that Mr. Bryant has offered money to the accuser. We condemn these threats and these false stories."
</div>
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,3...1641715,00.html

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"><font size="3">Outside forces may affect case</font>
Arrest in California could help woman avoid Bryant hearing

EAGLE - At least two key issues awaiting a judge's decision in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case could be affected by the arrest of a California man accused of offering to kill the alleged victim for a price.

One matter is the defense subpoena to compel the woman to appear at Bryant's Oct. 9 preliminary hearing. Both the young woman's family and District Attorney Mark Hurlbert are asking Eagle County Judge Frederick Gannett to quash that.

Denver criminal defense lawyer Craig Skinner expected - even before Thursday's arrest - that the young woman's subpoena would be tossed out, as victims in violent crimes are rarely forced to appear at preliminary hearings.

Now, Skinner is doubly sure.

"If there was any question at all - the anxiety, intimidation and even danger that this would put her in - that would make this a no-brainer for the judge," Skinner said.

Rohn Robbins, a Vail attorney who has represented the Vail Daily on some media-access issues in the case, agreed.

"I think, if anything, it's going to reinforce that she's not going to be compelled to appear at the prelim, subject to the subpoena," said Robbins. "I don't think there was a prayer that was going to happen, anyway. But if it needed an exclamation point, this is it."

"It's highly unlikely the victim was going to be at the prelim anyway," said Beall.

"Someday, she's going to have to appear," Beall said. "She's going to have to testify eventually."</div>http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/stat...2281650,00.html

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> <font size="3">Bryant is expected at preseason camp</font>
First tuneup games for Lakers are prior to his Oct. 9 hearing

The Los Angeles Lakers anticipate Kobe Bryant will be reporting for the start of preseason training next week in Hawaii, despite his next scheduled court date in Eagle.

"Right now, we expect he'll be showing up for the start of practices Oct. 2 with the other veterans," said Lakers Director of Public Relations John Black.

In new filings in Bryant's sexual assault case, an attorney for Bryant contends that sparing his alleged victim the "anxiety and intimidation" of a court appearance is not adequate grounds for a judge to let her skip Bryant's scheduled Oct. 9 preliminary hearing.

Lawyers for the Los Angeles Lakers star have subpoenaed Bryant's alleged victim to appear at the Oct. 9 session. But prosecutors and attorneys for the 19-year-old woman say she should not be forced to.

In motions made public Tuesday, Bryant's attorneys told Eagle County Judge Frederick Gannett why he should enforce the alleged victim's subpoena.

Since she's the only eyewitness to the alleged crime other than Bryant, "This court has a duty to evaluate and assess her testimony, and the defendant has a right to cross-examine," said defense attorney Pamela Mackey.

In Bryant's case, prosecutors have said they plan to introduce the alleged victim's videotaped statement, an electronically enhanced audio recording of Bryant's statements to sheriff's investigators, plus pictures of the young woman's injuries and an expert's explanation of their significance.

Many legal observers expect that if Bryant's lawyers fail to win a closing of that hearing - and if the judge won't enforce the alleged victim's subpoena - they'll waive the preliminary hearing and ask to proceed straight to arraignment and trial in District Court.</div>
Full Article can be found here:
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/stat...2292812,00.html

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"><font size="3">Prosecutors Want Open Hearing</font>
Hurlbert's decision is an indication he believes Bryant's accuser will not have to testify. Defense asks judge to uphold its subpoena on woman.

Prosecutors sided with media organizations Tuesday in requesting that Kobe Bryant's preliminary hearing in Colorado remain open, an indication that Dist. Atty. Mark Hurlbert believes Bryant's accuser will not have to testify despite increased pressure from the Laker star's attorneys.

In a separate but related 13-page filing, the defense asked Eagle County Judge Frederick Gannett to uphold a subpoena requesting that the woman appear at the Oct. 9 proceeding, saying she is the only witness with "competent evidence" that a crime occurred.

Gannett, who also is considering several other motions, is not expected to rule on either issue for several days.

Hurlbert said the preliminary hearing should be open to the public and the media because the evidence he plans to introduce would not threaten Bryant's right to a fair trial. He also contends that attempts by the defense to justify closing the hearing by pointing out that court files in the case have been sealed are "comparing apples to oranges."

Gannett has already denied a request to allow cameras in the courtroom, and reporters would be allowed to carry only paper and pens, should the proceeding remain open. There are 50 seats in the tiny Eagle County courtroom, with half reserved for the media.

Those safeguards are enough for Hurlbert, who wrote that a prospective Eagle County jury pool would not be contaminated by the evidence presented at the preliminary hearing.

He also expressed confidence that Bryant's accuser would not have to testify, saying, "The defense argument [for closing the preliminary hearing] relies heavily upon the assumption that the victim will be forced to testify The matter is far from settled and the case law is solidly against the victim testifying."</div>

Full Article can be found here:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/n...orts-nba-lakers

 

<font size="3">Accuser: Defense not entitled to crisis center records</font>
DENVER -- The woman accusing Kobe Bryant of rape asked a judge Thursday to reject a defense request seeking records from a center for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.
Defense attorneys Hal Haddon and Pamela Mackey issued a subpoena Sept. 5 to the Resource Center of Eagle County, which operates a hotline for victims.

The defense asked for notes from any employee interview related to the Bryant case, along with training materials and manuals. Names of employees at the resource center were blacked out in the court filing released to the public.

Attorneys for the accuser and the resource center both asked Eagle County Judge Frederick Gannett to quash the subpoena, saying such records are confidential under state law and that the woman has not waived her medical privacy rights.

There are now a number of motions pending before Gannett, including one from the defense seeking to force the woman to testify during Bryant's Oct. 9 preliminary hearing that will determine whether he will stand trial.

Full Article here:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1623271

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"><font size="3">Kobe Bryant's Accuser Will Not Testify</font>
(AP) - The woman accusing Kobe Bryant of rape will not have to testify during the NBA superstar's preliminary hearing next week, a judge ruled Thursday. Eagle County Judge Frederick Gannett also said the Oct. 9 hearing will be open to the public, a decision that could prompt Bryant's defense team to waive the hearing and head straight to trial. But the judge also said he would meet with attorneys in the case immediately before the hearing to determine whether parts of it will be closed to preserve Bryant's right to a fair trial.</div>Full Article: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...n_bryant_case_4

 

Does anybody think these accusations will affect Kobes game?

 

I think that it is completely unfair that the accuser's mental health records can not be released. Especially in a case like this where it is Kobe's word vs. the accuser's word, her mental health IS an important issue... does anyone have any other point of view on this?

 

Yes and I agree. You never know what a mental person is doing. If she has mental problems, who knows what happend?

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> <font size="3">Prelim hearing to continue next week.</font>

EAGLE, Colo. -- The woman who accused Kobe Bryant of rape told police a flirtatious encounter quickly turned ugly when he grabbed her by the neck, bent her over a chair and attacked her, repeatedly asking, "You're not going to tell anybody about this, right?"

The 19-year-old woman was raped after agreeing to go to Bryant's suite at the resort where she worked, testified Eagle County Sheriff's Detective Doug Winters at a preliminary hearing Thursday to determine whether Bryant will stand trial.

The hearing -- expected to last only an afternoon -- was finally adjourned after more than six hours, an indication the trial could be long and laborious for both sides. Judge Frederick Gannett said it would continue next Wednesday, and the district attorney's office said Bryant had to appear.

Winters described in graphic detail for a packed courtroom how, according to the woman, an exciting, chance meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers superstar led to a nightmarish assault that left her shaken and in tears.
</div>Full Article: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1634132

 

Kobe has been hit emotionally, you can see it in his body, voice, and through his expressions. I believe it is more than just cheating on his wife for him to have that big a reaction. If he loved her that much, he would not have done it. Kobe to me is hit because he made the mistake of a lifetime and got busted. I have held off a bit, but after seeing a lot of Kobe this week..I have to say that I believe he went too far and it is all his fault.


(See my point now Mel from "Our" forum?)

 

There is so much physical evidence in this case.