Charlamagne tha God’s once-dismissed rape case is back in the news more details have been revealed.
via Complex:
On Friday, Bossip obtained the official police documents that revealed Charlamagne’s DNA was not found on his alleged victim.
The radio personality was at the center of controversy this month after his 2001 rape allegation resurfaced. Charlamagne was accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl named Jessica Reid when he was in his early 20s. After spending the last several weeks denying the allegations, Charlamagne announced newly released documents would underscore his purported innocence.
“New files from my dismissed assault case in South Carolina were just released […] and I hope this squashes whatever misconceptions people might have about the case,” he said on The Breakfast Club. “The documents show that I did everything in my power to fully cooperate with authorities before this case was ultimately dismissed. And, to be honest with you, the past few weeks have really made me regret helping to create an environment that allowed something like this to take place […] But I cannot take responsibility for a crime I did not commit. But, most importantly, I am praying for healing for the victim.”
According to the police documents, authorities did not find any traces of Charlamagne’s semen on Reid, after analyzing oral, vaginal, and rectal swabs. The report also reveals that Charlemagne cooperated with authorities without a warrant or attorney present, and voluntarily submitted blood and semen samples for analysis.
Though many assume a lack of DNA evidence proves innocence, legal experts and advocates for sexual assault victims insist this isn’t the case.
“People expect DNA or scientific evidence in every case and the reality is it doesn’t exist in most cases,” Sangamon County Assistant State’s Attorney Sheryl Essenburg said in a report by the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault. “It’s very much the exception.”
Villanova University law professor Michelle Anderson echoed Essenburg’s argument: “That leap is a misunderstanding of what DNA can and can’t prove. DNA can prove sex occurred. DNA can’t prove that sex didn’t occur.”
You can read Charlamagne’s full lab report over at Bossip.
