Jury selection to begin for Quintez Cephus sexual assault trial

Amanda Quintana by Amanda Quintana

Jury selection begins Monday in the trial for former University of Wisconsin football player Quintez Cephus, who was suspended from the football team last year after being accused of sexual assault by two women.

Cephus faces one third-degree sexual assault charge and one second-degree sexual assault of an intoxicated victim charge.

The criminal complaint said he assaulted the two women, who claimed to be drunk, in his Madison apartment last April.

In a statement to police, Cephus said the encounters were consensual.

In September, Cephus’ lawyers tried to get the case dismissed, arguing that the women weren’t drunk and that surveillance video shows one of them had no difficulty standing as she left Cephus’ apartment.

Following that court appearance, Cephus’ lawyers said they are prepared to prove that his accusers “knew exactly what they were doing.”

Quintez Cephus will go to trial. He and his attorneys are confident they will prove the two women knew what they were doing when they went to his apartment to have sex. #news3 pic.twitter.com/CQIkqyoKU0

— Amanda Quintana (@AmandaQTV) September 11, 2018

“I’m innocent. I know the truth, they know the truth. And I look forward to clearing my name and fighting for who I am,” Cephus said as he left the courthouse in September.

In October, Cephus filed a lawsuit against UW Madison, claiming the administration violated his constitutional rights by punishing him before the trial was completed.

Cephus’ roommate and former teammate, Danny Davis, was also suspended from the team for two games last year. In the criminal complaint, one of Cephus’ accusers said she woke up to find Davis taking pictures of her.

The Dane County District Attorney decided to not pursue charges against Davis. In the criminal complaint, Davis told investigators that he thought Cephus’ accusers were drunk, so he could be a witness in Cephus’ trial.

The trial was also delayed in February because the case was not yet “ripe for trial.”

Get your weather forecast from people who actually live in your community. We update with short, easy-to-use video forecasts you can watch on your phone every day. Download the iOS or Android app here.

COPYRIGHT 2020 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.