3 Former Minnesota Players Found Innocent

Three former University of Minnesota basketball players were found innocent on 12 separate charges of sexual assault in a verdict read in Dane County Circuit Court in Madison, Wis.

The jury deliberated about 5 1/2 hours before reaching the verdict late Thursday night that cleared Mitchell Lee and Kevin Smith, both 21, and George Williams Jr., 20. The verdict was read early Friday morning, CDT.

The prosecution told a jury that the former players worked as a team in overpowering and raping a woman. But a defense attorney called the woman a liar during closing arguments.

None of the defendants testified during the 10-day trial.

Stephen Hurley, who represents Williams, told the jury that the woman had lied on the stand. “The evidence does not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that (the woman) was telling the truth,” he said. “It is filled with inconsistencies of memory. There are lies and there are fabrications.”