Trial continues in Terrence Shannon Jr. case, victim takes the stand on Tuesday

LAWRENCE, Kan. (WAND) — The trial of Terrence Shannon Jr., a former Illini basketball standout charged with rape in Kansas, continues Tuesday.

Last December, Shannon was charged with one count of rape or an alternative count of sexual battery by Douglas County prosecutors. His accuser said that he assaulted her in a bar after a football game in Lawrence on Sept. 8, 2023.

The trial began on Monday with jury selection.

The opening statement from Prosecutor Samantha Foster alleged that Shannon approached the victim — who had used a fake ID to get into the bar — put his arm around her waist, slipped a hand underneath her skirt, and assaulted her. Foster said there is no video of the incident and no DNA from Shannon detected from the rape kit. But an ESPN report last week indicated defense attorneys are allowed to show video evidence they claim shows Shannon was wrongly identified.

Shannon's attorney Tricia Bath noted that there were inconsistencies between the victim's police statements and what the police investigation found.

She also said that the Kansas players who were present for the alleged incident were not interviewed by detectives until February, months after the incident would have taken place.

The state's first witness was the victim. She confirmed that she was 18 years old at the time of the alleged incident and used a fake ID to get into the bar. She was ready to leave when she said that Shannon waved her over and assaulted her. The victim testified that she was terrified and didn't know how to react in the moment.

After that night, she searched the rosters of Kansas football, Kansas basketball, Illinois football, and then Illinois basketball to identify the man who assaulted her as she was sure he was an athlete.

During her search, she said she identified Shannon as the attacker and reported it to police the next day.

During the early afternoon, the state produced three more witnesses: an officer with the Lawrence Police Department, a Sexual Assault Nurse at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, and a detective with the Lawrence Police Department.

During his testimony, the lead detective on the case said that one of the bar's camera systems was down at the time of the alleged incident, so footage was only available from four cameras out of a possible 13-14. The video was then reviewed in the courtroom.

WAND News has a team in Lawrence to bring you full trial coverage. This article will be updated as the trial proceeds on Tuesday.

WAND News is choosing not to name the victim.