Darren Sharper’s DNA was found on one of his alleged victims, according to an Arizona detective who testified in a Maricopa County Superior Court on Wednesday. That detail automatically dashes Sharper’s hope for bail.
The former all-star NFL player is accused of drugging and raping multiple women in five different states, including California, Arizona, Louisiana, Florida and Nevada. Prosecutors in the last two states have yet to formally charge Sharper.
Sharper couldn’t make Wednesday’s Tempe hearing because he is still in a Los Angeles County jail for his other charges in New Orleans where he’s accused of drugging and sexually assaulting two women with friend Erik Nunez. None of that has stopped Sharper’s attorneys from requesting bail, of course, but his release isn’t coming any time soon.
According to the Associated Press, the discovery of Sharper’s DNA on one of his two alleged victims in Arizona means bail is automatically denied per the state’s Constitution, which the judge ruled on Thursday. Specifically, bond is denied if the person charged with sexual assault has proof against them or “the presumption of guilt is great.”
Sharper has not entered a plea in the Arizona case where he is charged with two counts of sexual assault and three counts of administering dangerous drugs. However his lawyers have said that he will deny the allegations. Back in California, he pleaded not guilty to felony charges on February 20. In Florida and Nevada, he has yet to face any formal charges.
Image via Getty.
GET JEZEBEL RIGHT IN YOUR INBOX
Still here. Still without airbrushing. Still with teeth.
