Rape charges against ex-Penn State University football players will move forward
The prosecutions of two former Penn State football players charged with rape and other sex crimes will move forward following a pair of decisions made public this week.
Jameial J. Lyons Jr., 19, of Philadelphia, waived his preliminary hearing Tuesday, ceding his first opportunity to challenge the evidence Penn State police and Centre County prosecutors gathered against him.
Kaveion A. Keys, 19, of Virginia, saw his case advance Wednesday after District Judge Steven Lachman ruled prosecutors have enough evidence to head toward a potential trial.
The woman Lyons and Keys are accused of raping while they were still on the team fielded questions from Centre County Deputy District Attorney Crystal Hundt and defense lawyer Michael Walker over the course of about 90 minutes Wednesday.
In a matter-of-fact tone, the woman recounted everything from the off-campus pool party they attended in July to the alleged attack that she testified was “traumatic” and painful.
“I could not move. I could not breathe. I could not see,” she testified. She later said she was afraid to scream for help, fearing they would hit her or “do something worse than what was already happening.”
The woman — who was 17 at the time of the alleged assault — told university police she and two friends went to Lyons’ and Keys’ on-campus apartment, where they all drank alcohol and most smoked marijuana.
After her friends fell asleep, the woman testified Wednesday she walked into a bedroom to “chill” and watch a TV show. As they smoked, she testified feeling impaired and laid on the bed to rest.
She told investigators the two men then groped, digitally penetrated and raped her while also forcing her to perform oral sex. She testified she attempted to push them off, but was unable because of their size.
Lyons was listed as 6 feet, 5 inches tall and 250 pounds. Keys was listed as 6 feet, 3 inches tall and 225 pounds. The woman also testified she was restrained and told police she was strangled.
She testified Wednesday that the men ignored her attempts to make them stop and that she did not consent to the sex. Her statements included telling them she “didn’t want them” and that they were “so done,” she testified.
Lyons was accused of filming some of the alleged assault. A short video that documented “indecent contact” was found on Keys’ cellphone, university police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause.
When interviewed by police the following day, a detective wrote that Keys denied knowing the woman and said he did not engage in sexual contact with any of the women.
Lyons, meanwhile, admitted to having sex with the woman and Keys was reported to have participated, police wrote. Lyons believed it was consensual, but told a detective he thought the woman would “likely report the situation to the police.”
Lyons is also accused of indecently assaulting a second woman the same night. He is charged with felony counts of rape, aggravated indecent assault and voluntary deviate sexual intercourse, as well as misdemeanor counts of indecent assault and invasion of privacy.
Keys is charged with felony counts of rape, aggravated indecent assault and sexual assault, as well as a misdemeanor count of indecent assault.
Walker largely declined to offer a public statement after the hearing, telling the Centre Daily Times they would let the case play out in the courtroom.
The next court appearance for each man is scheduled for Jan. 8. They each remain free. Lyons’ bail was set at $500,000 unsecured, while Keys’ bail was set at $400,000 unsecured.
Reaction from Penn State
The two were initially placed on interim suspension at the end of July to “deal with a personal matter,” according to a team spokesperson at the time — about a month before the start of the Nittany Lions’ season.
The statement came after neither player was seen at the team’s first fall practice in a portion open to the media. Days after being suspended, the team spokesperson said the two were no longer enrolled at the university and were removed from the team’s roster.
“We are aware of the serious charges against Mr. Keys and Mr. Lyons, who are no longer enrolled at the University,” Penn State wrote in an October statement. “The safety of our community is our top priority, and Penn State takes any report of sexual assault or misconduct very seriously and investigates any and all reports.”
Lyons, a defensive end, was projected to fill a top reserve role after recording one sack last year as a true freshman. Keys, a linebacker, was expected to see an increased role after he redshirt last season.
Neither appears to have landed with another program since their departure.
Coach James Franklin issued an unprompted apology in October for his initial handling of reporters’ questions about the charges against two of his former players, saying he “didn’t do a great job.” He described it as a “difficult, difficult situation.”
“The university had put out a statement, and the reality is there’s not a whole lot more I can say other than that statement. It’s an ongoing legal situation. And it’s challenging. It’s challenging on everybody,” Franklin said after his team’s victory over Wisconsin. “So at the end of the day, I did not do a good job of handling that situation and representing this program the right way. ... I’m trying to get better like everybody else in a difficult situation. And I think that is a big reason for all of this. It’s a difficult situation. A challenging situation.”