Kobe Bryant's Accuser Craves Spotlight, but Friends Say Not Like This

ESPN ^ | July 26, 2003 | Associated Press

[Recourse]

ESPN.com: NBA

Saturday, July 26, 2003
Teen craves spotlight, but friends say not like this

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Associated Press

EAGLE, Colo. -- The profile of the young woman emerges as if in silhouette.

Kobe Bryant's accuser remains anonymous, her identity protected as an alleged sexual assault victim, her voice not heard to tell her side of the story. Details of her life, coming from friends and police reports and cast in the half-light of reflected celebrity, create an enigmatic image.

Some see the slender 19-year-old with shoulder-length blond hair and a sweet smile as energetic, upbeat and confident -- a peppy cheerleader and spirited singer in school shows who had aspirations of stardom.

Others in this middle-class, Rocky Mountain town of 3,500 -- where bored teens hang out at the Texaco station, then drive off to party through the night in the hills -- describe her as a showoff, "a total starve for attention," as one ex-boyfriend put it.

"It doesn't matter if (the attention) was good or bad," Josh Putnam said. "It was always good to her."

	“	I correlate it to throwing a pebble into a pond and then you have a ripple effect. When something's high-profile, your ripples get bigger and bigger and bigger. The higher profile it is, the greater the potential victim base. ”
		— Attorney Krista Flannigan

Friends call her honest, trustworthy and strong, "one of the toughest people I know," according to Luke Bray, a 21-year-old construction worker whose wife has known her since second grade.

"She can't believe the things that people in her own town are saying about her," he said. "She's going to be a victim a second time, a third time, a fourth time, every day for the rest of her life. But she knows the truth and can handle it."

Yet several former friends doubt her allegations against Bryant, saying she is impulsive, vindictive and emotionally fragile.

Her freshman year at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, a farm community 60 miles north of Denver, was interrupted Feb. 25 when she was rushed to a hospital by ambulance. Campus police chief Terry Urista said his office received a call about 9 p.m. that night regarding a woman in a dormitory room.

"An officer determined she was a danger to herself," Urista said, identifying the woman by name but refusing to characterize the episode as a suicide attempt. "It's classified as a mental health issue," he said.

Lindsey McKinney, who lived at the woman's family's house this spring before the two had a falling out, said her former friend tried to kill herself at school by overdosing on sleeping pills and overdosed again at home in May, little more than a month before she alleged Bryant assaulted her.

The woman was distraught over a breakup with her boyfriend and the recent death of a girlfriend in a car accident, McKinney said.

The contrast between the gregarious, seemingly happy image so many friends have of the woman and the histrionic, troubled side others describe is stark and hard to reconcile.

She is less visible these days, her friends say, staying home most of the time, unless she's driving to meetings at her attorney's office in nearby Avon. She still visits friends but has been warned by authorities not to talk about the case.

Sexual assault victims often worry about being blamed, said Krista Flannigan, an attorney and victim advocate working for the district attorney in the Bryant case.

"Fear, anxiety, some form of guilt, sadness, anger, vulnerability-- those come and go," Flannigan said. "Some are more intense than others, depending on what their past life experiences have been, what their current support systems are, what their past support systems have been."

A high-profile case, she said, affects the victim and her community with greater intensity.

"I correlate it to throwing a pebble into a pond and then you have a ripple effect," Flannigan said. "When something's high-profile, your ripples get bigger and bigger and bigger. The higher profile it is, the greater the potential victim base."

In this case, the ripples are reaching far beyond the woman's family -- her retired father and mother and two brothers. They are touching virtually everyone in this tiny town, down the valley from resort-rich Vail.

What everyone agrees on is that she had a passion and talent for singing. She wrote songs and kept telling people she would be famous someday.

She traveled with McKinney last fall to Austin, Texas, to audition for the TV show "American Idol." The two slept outside for 12 hours to win wristbands that ensured audition spots.

Involved in an on-again, off-again relationship with a boyfriend from Eagle, the woman chose a song by country singer Rebecca Lynn Howard called "Forgive," about a woman stung by infidelity, wondering how to respond when her lover asks her to say she forgives him.

The refrain of the song is: "Well, that's a mighty big word for such a small man, and I'm not sure I can, 'cause I don't even know who I am, it's too soon for me to say forgive."

McKinney thought her friend's rendition was beautiful, but neither of them got past the first round.

Though many friends believe the woman is telling the truth when she says Bryant assaulted her June 30 in his room at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera, where she recently had begun working at the front desk, McKinney has her doubts.

"I almost think she is doing it for the attention," she said. "She craves attention like no other. This is the bad kind of attention that she's going to get. I'm not saying it didn't happen. But it just doesn't fit the puzzle."

But Sara Dabner, 17, sees it differently. To her, Bryant's accuser is like a big sister, befriending her on a high school choir trip to Disneyland and helping her through personal problems. She and other friends took the woman out to see the movie "Bad Boys II" after charges were announced against Bryant.

The notion that the woman would make up the allegations strikes Dabner as preposterous.

"Why would a woman put herself through all of this -- having people call her names?" she said, noting that her friend didn't even know who Bryant was when he first arrived at the hotel. "She's not trying to drag him through the dirt," Dabner said. "She just wants justice."

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[dwd1]

I am saying that he as a married man has a responsibility to avoid the situation...I do not think his actions as disclosed make him a criminal but please understand that if he does get out of this situation(and I hope he does), it is going to be open season on him when he is on the road...

[rolling_stone]

Massachussets:

Victims' names
Any mention in police records of the name of a victim of a rape or sexual assault is exempt from the mandatory disclosure provision of the Public Records Law.

The Rape Shield Law provides: That (any) portion of the records of... any police department... which contains the name of the victim (of) rape or assault with intent to rape... shall be withheld from public inspection..." G. L. c265 s24c (1992 ed.)

It should be noted that the law specifically refers to withholding "any portion of the record" which contains the name of the victim and not the entire report. Consequently, the report itself should be available without the names of the victim(s). This would satisfy the public's right to know details of the crime while still protecting the victim.

It is important to note that the law prohibits police or court officials from releasing the name of the victim. The law does not address publication of the name (if obtained by lawful means) as that would constitute prior restraint. While not legally prohibited from disclosure, however, Massachusetts news organizations have historically not published the names of victims (except in cases where the victim comes forward voluntarily).

source:
http://www.masspress.org/public_access_handbook/copscourts.htm

Colorado:

Section 24-72-304(4), C.R.S. (Supp. 1992) requires courts to delete the names of victims of sexual assault or alleged sexual assault from records that pertain to the adjudication of criminal cases. Such deletions are only required prior to providing access to a record for inspection by a member of the general public and not when access is provided to a criminal justice agency or a party in interest. The Judicial Department may charge a fee for making the required deletions.


source
http://www.ago.state.co.us/ago/ago92/ago92-10.htm

the issue about the press reporting a victims name is discussed in numerous cases, the right of free trial vs free press has been greatly litigated, and after this case I would not be surprised to see more litigation....
put free press vs fair trial in google and you can find a wealth of info..

http://codesign.scu.edu/chad/170/fairtrial.html

as far as rape shield laws, did you know many states have journalist shield laws, should they be cahllenged also?

[Brandon]

I don't know if the accuser said the things she is reported to have said. If she said them, I don't know the context. I do agree that if she said them, no matter what the context, it was not wise, because it may be used to try to impeach her version of events.

I was objecting to what I perceived as the suggestion that because she went to a party, that was in some way proof that her accusation against Bryant was false. I don't think that is a reasonable conclusion to draw, and I do think that rape victims are entitled to attend parties and try to put their lives back together as best they can.

[PRND21]

At last you live up to your responsibility of backing up your claims! Thank you!

Whatever. You were wrong and refused to believe it. Be responsible for yourself.

[Brandon]

The woman should be counseled for dress code violation if she deliberately has her underwear on display. However, you implied that this other guy repeatedly snapped her thong. That is, imho, sexual harrassment on its face. He deserved whatever happened to him.

[Tall_Texan]

as far as rape shield laws, did you know many states have journalist shield laws, should they be challenged also?

Do those protect people who have had journalism forced upon them? :-P

[JLS]

As far as I can see from your quotations, MA says that the state need not list the name of the accuser. CO says that the state representative must remove the name. Neither state seemingly says that the name of an accuser can not be given out or published. For example, the attorney of the accused might tell the press who is accusing their client or the press might learn from a confidential source and publish the name.

I take it from the lack of summary of the case law, it either does not come down on either side consistently or it is generally about the right of the accused to have a fair trial v. the right of the press to inform the public, ie the Sheppard issue, and not the issue at hand here? Can to comment?

Finally as far as press sources being shielded that is a completely different issue. The reporter wants his name to be know. I dare say you could not stop the press from making their names known. The issue is can the state demand their sources and notes. It is a completely different issue. I am not sure I see it from the first ammendment, but I can see arguments on the other side. Still it is not germane to this issue.

[Brandon]

If that is true, and if physical evidence from the medical exam supports the claim that anal intercourse occurred, I think the bar just got higher for Bryant. A typical jury is probably less likely to believe that a woman participated in consensual anal sex than consensual oral or vaginal sex. That's not to say that it never happens consensually, but it is almost certainly less common.

[Brandon]

How do you know the accuser violated company policy by going to his room? Have the company's policies been made public? Have their been statements been made to the public about what the usual practice was at the hotel, as opposed to what the hotel has in its written procedure manual?

[Brandon]

I think journalist shield laws should be challenged, for the simple reason that it puts the government in the business of deciding who is and who is not a "real" journalist. It's a tantamount to licensing of journalists, which I would think would be abhorrent to the 1st Amendment.

[CarmelValleyite]

My use of ALL CAPS for emphasis is my right. If you don't like it, don't read my statements!

As for the "innocent victim" and her "shift," she has been described as both a front desk clerk and a concierge. FYI, neither position's duties in any way require visitation to a guest's room, ever!

Clearly, if it is true that this "victim" had already escorted Bryant around the property at an earlier time/date, she was not turned off by him and probably jumped at the chance to see him again.

Yeah, Bryant is just another young, rich, famous idiot "athlete" who made a big mistake in cheating on his even younger wife, who I hope takes him to the cleaners. But a rapist, PUHLEEZ!

[cherry]

"We also know that the young lady was going through a lot with her failure at American Idol "

what..her and the other zillion that try out for "american idol", jeopardy, survivor and the like......lol

listen, I still grieve the day I was NOT chosen for grade school cheerleader, but it doesn't make me want to go out and falsely accuse anybody of rape....

the "american idol" reference just slays me....like its "attention seeking" to try out for some silly TV show but NOT "attention seeking " to be a high profile and widely televised sport star....

funny, I never thought of athletes particularly basketball players as being wallflowers....

[cherry]

"I had to show in court (and accepted by the courts)that a woman's past sexual history and mental condition is relevent! As it is in the Kobe case ....."

is a man's?

isn't it true that if you have had allegations against you, even been tried in a court of law, but aquited, that the jury will never hear of those allegations....?

[A CA Guy]

It's a criminal trial, so he doesn't have to take the stand.
I do think he will after he has heard all the evidence and possible witnesses against him though.

[A CA Guy]

Pardon me, you meant the 5 sources.
They will be sought out by the Bryant team for the defense I am sure.

[cherry]

Maybe you know....what is the likihood that the victim took a LDT before the DA went forward with the charges?

me says.....very, very likely.....

do you think they asked the accused?

[cherry]

Maybe you know....what is the likihood that the victim took a LDT before the DA went forward with the charges?

me says.....very, very likely.....

do you think they asked the accused?

[A CA Guy]

First off, I am no fan. There has been so many strikes that baseball and basketball can go jump in the lake.
Secondly, if it is seen as a improper verdict, it will put pressure on the legislators to change the current shield laws.

It is very F'ing important that since she was a recent mental patient under watch, that her history be brought to court.
Two suicide attempts is a bad case of mental illness and is very connected to these charges in that her word means nothing since she is kind of psycho!
The shield law does diminish the defense if there is a weak accuser who is shielded from being proven as a non-credible witness.

[A CA Guy]

She is a psycho, so she could easily pass a LDT since she would believe it.
This winner tried to kill herself twice and had to go to a hospital for observation. Her brain is spinning and lord only knows what world she has made up in her head.
I would bet she has a reality disconnect, maybe schizophrenic as well.

[A CA Guy]

I think getting accused of a felony by a lunatic is relevant.