12/07/06 (MD):
Drug Findings Reversed in Date-Rape Case
|
|
A new round of tests found no evidence that two women who accused a former U.S. Naval Academy football player of sexual assault were given a date-rape drug, his lawyer has said.
The results of the new tests, which military prosecutors had requested, contradicted previous findings in the case against Kenny Ray Morrison, 24, attorney William Ferris said.
Samples from the two women who said they were assaulted tested negative for gamma-hydroxybutyrate, or GHB, a common date-rape drug, Ferris said. The tests were done by ChemTox, a French lab that is a leading testing center for GHB hair samples.
The initial tests that detected GHB had been thrown out earlier after an expert witness for the prosecution raised doubts under cross-examination that the drug could be linked to Morrison.
"In light of these new developments, I would think that they should drop the charges, at least those that relate to the alleged date-rape drug," Ferris said. "I can't imagine they can go forward on it."
In a statement, the academy said only that new information in the case had been forwarded to the investigating officer.
Morrison is charged with two counts of rape, distribution of a controlled substance and assault, as well as several less serious offenses. He could be sentenced to life in prison.
He was not allowed to graduate in May and has been assigned to the Washington Navy Yard while he awaits the outcome of his case.
© X-Pro 2007
|
|
