Terrence Shannon Jr. found not guilty in Kansas rape case

Former Illinois star Terrence Shannon Jr. has been found not guilty on both charges in a rape case stemming from a September incident in Kansas, according to Mitch Gilfillan of Quinn Johnston Henderson Pretorius & Cerulo. Shannon took the stand Thursday as the trial wrapped up, and the jury deliberated for about two hours before turning in the verdict.

The jury found Shannon not guilty on both rape and aggravated sexual battery charges. The State of Kansas v. Terrence Shannon Jr. trial began this week in Douglas County and included testimony from the alleged victim, who said a man grabbed her at a bar and sexually assaulted her.

Shannon and his legal team, as well as family and friends, reacted to the verdict after it was read.

Emotions in Kansas court as the verdict is read NOT GUILTY for former #Illini Terrence Shannon Jr.

The immediate reaction from his legal team, family and friends in Lawrence pic.twitter.com/bL1bhAGYQ0

— Bret Beherns (@WCIA3Bret) June 13, 2024

In a separate testimony, text messages were revealed from a group chat including the alleged victim, her friend and two others. The texts showed one person sharing a link to an article about Shannon’s suspension at Illinois with another message saying “Got his ass” with two emojis with dollar signs for tongues.

Shannons’ legal team also petitioned to submit mistaken-identity evidence prior to the trial, saying a “third-party defendant” was investigated for the alleged actions against the other woman, but the charges were dropped.

“Terrence Shannon, by and through his attorneys Tricia A. Bath and Thomas J. Bath, Jr., and, pursuant to the 14th Amendment due process clause and the 6th Amendment compulsory process and confrontation provisions, hereby moves this court for a pre-trial ruling on the admissibility of evidence related to an identified third-party defendant who is alleged to have committed a similar sexual assault in the same location less than two weeks prior to the alleged assault in Mr. Shannon’s case and who was present [as evidenced by video] within a couple feet of the precise location of the alleged touching in the case at [the] bar,” the filing said, via ESPN’s Myron Medcalf.

Shannon was a key piece for Illinois this past season, leading the Fighting Illini with 23 points per game en route to an Elite Eight appearance. He was suspended when the charges came to light, but a judge granted a temporary restraining order allowing him to play the rest of the season.

Shannon was making a strong case for an All-American selection at the time of his suspension, and he declared for the NBA Draft after the season. He recently came in as the No. 33 overall pick in ESPN’s Jonathan Givony’s most recent mock draft, and On3’s James Fletcher III ranked Shannon as his No. 27 overall prospect in his latest big board.