Ex-college basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr. found NOT GUILTY and is acquitted of all charges in rape trial

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Former University of Illinois basketball player Terrence Shannon Jr. has been found not guilty of rape in a trial in Kansas.

An emotional Shannon hugged his legal team and family after the verdict was read by a jury in the city of Lawrence, Kansas on Thursday.

Shannon was ordered to stand trial after a judge in a preliminary hearing ruled there was probable cause for the case to be heard.

But after only 90 minutes of deliberation, the jury reached a unanimous not guilty verdict.

Shannon's defense attorney told jurors, 'Two things aren't debatable: simple science dictates that Terrence Shannon Jr. isn't responsible for this crime, and there's been absolutely no effort to find the perpetrator guilty of this crime.' 

Terrence Shannon Jr. has been found not guilty of rape at a trial in Lawrence, Kansas

Shannon Jr. was initially suspended by Illinois but returned to play for them at March Madness

Shannon was accused of grabbing an 18-year-old woman's buttocks under her skirt and penetrating her vagina with his finger on September 9 at a bar near the campus of the University of Kansas. 

At trial, Shannon maintained his innocence, telling the jury, 'I never touched, grabbed, pulled over. ... That did not happen.'

Surveillance video from the Jayhawk Cafe, where the incident occurred, showed Shannon and the woman moments before - but not during - the alleged encounter.

The woman did not immediately call police after the incident, but later spoke to them on the same day and had a sexual assault examination kit done at a local hospital.

Two forensic scientists testified at trial that there was a lack of sufficient male DNA detected in swabs taken from the woman's genital area. 

After a warrant was issued in late December, Illinois suspended Shannon indefinitely. He missed six games before gaining a restraining order by a federal judge allowed him to rejoin the Illini.

Shannon Jr. was accused of rape after an incident with a woman at a bar in September

He is expected by some to be picked in the first round of the NBA Draft at the end of June

Shannon was a star while at Illinois, averaging 23 points a game across 32 contests in the 2023 season. 

He was one of the most important players on a team that went to the Elite Eight. Shannon was named to the East regional all-tournament team this past year.

Unfortunately for Shannon and fans of the Illini, they lost by 25 to the eventual national champion Connecticut Huskies.

The University of Illinois officially dropped its investigation into Shannon back in April.

With weeks to go until the NBA Draft, Shannon is currently projected as a late-first round pick or an early second-round pick.