Former NFL star Dana Stubblefield was convicted of the rape of a developmentally disabled woman and now faces life in prison. The ex-San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman was found guilty on Monday of rape by force, oral copulation by force and false imprisonment, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Santa Clara County further found that Stubblefield used a gun during the 2015 assault of a 31-year-old woman who he interviewed for a supposed baby-sitting job at his Morgan Hill home. He allegedly texted the woman after her interview, telling her he wanted to pay her for her time. She returned to his home, where he allegedly raped her and gave her $80.
The woman reported the attack to authorities who were able to eventually link DNA evidence to Stubblefield, who was arrested in May 2016.
Stubblefield's legal team said at the time that the sex was consensual and that the pro athlete was being targeted "due to his celebrity and wealth by someone with full motivation to lie."
Stubblefield's trial lawyer Allen Sawyer said the incident was a "paid encounter for sex." He told the Chronicle on Monday that the defense was denied presenting evidence that supported its case.
"There’s a lot of information that we have, that the jury was not allowed to have, that we think would have been impactful to their decision," Sawyer said.
"We expect to keep fighting for Mr. Stubblefield’s innocence," he added. "We will clear his name, and we look forward to fighting this out in the courts. This is just the first battle."
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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