LAWRENCE, Kan. (WAND) — The Deputy District Attorney for Douglas County, Kansas has requested a hearing to determine whether the expert testimony brought by Terrence Shannon Jr.'s legal team is admissible in court.
This move comes just a week after Terrence Shannon Jr.'s lawyers filed a motion for a special hearing to exclude expert testimony brought forth by the state.
Shannon is on trial for an alleged rape that would have occurred when he traveled to Lawrence for the Illinois vs Kansas football game as a spectator on September 8, 2023. He was temporarily suspended from the team during the initial investigation.
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The hearing would specifically focus on whether the testimony of forensic expert Stephanie Beine.
A Kansas statute states, "“If a witness is testifying as an expert, upon motion of a party, the court may hold a pretrial hearing to determine whether the witness qualifies as an expert and whether the witness's testimony satisfies the requirements of subsection (b) of K.S.A. 60-456.”
Beine was employed as an expert by Shannon's team to review DNA evidence collected by the state. Last week, Mark P. Sutter of the Sutter Law Group gave WAND News this statement regarding the testimony.
"Ms. Stephanie Beine is a senior forensic scientist and a renowned expert in her field. Our legal team filed this Motion based on her review of the raw data and her scientific conclusions relative to the DNA evidence in this case."
Shannon's next court date is set for May 10. WAND News will continue to follow this case in Lawrence.
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