Former NFL player’s rape trial underway
VISTA, Calif. — Prosecutors at the rape trial of Kellen Winslow Jr., a former first-round NFL draft pick and the son of a Hall of Famer, said Monday he was a man with fame and riches who “took what he wanted” — raping three women and exposing himself to two others.
The 35-year-old Winslow was once the highest-paid tight end in the NFL, earning more than $40 million, before his career was sidetracked by injuries.
Winslow wore a suit and glasses and did not show any emotion during opening statements at the trial.
His father, Kellen Winslow, a former star with the San Diego Chargers, sat behind him and did not react when prosecutors described the attacks.
“Mr. Winslow, the defendant in this case, has been given much but it was not enough,” prosecutor Dan Owens told the jury. “He took what he wanted.”
Winslow has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts. He could face life in prison if convicted.
His attorney, Brian Watkins, urged jurors not to be swayed by public opinion.
Winslow has never hidden that he had sex with the women who alleged he raped them, but it was consensual, the lawyer said. He also disputed the prosecution’s account that the women did not know Winslow was a former NFL player.
Winslow was arrested in 2018 after authorities said they found ties linking him to two break-ins at the home of a 71-year-old woman on June 1 and an 86-year-old woman on June 7 in the California beach town of Encinitas, his hometown north of San Diego.
After posting bail, Winslow was arrested again on additional charges of raping two women — a 54-yearold female in March of 2018 and a 59-year-old woman two months later.