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King has 'very strong defense' in sexual assault case, claims attorney

June 7, 2017
<p>Ex-MSU football Player Josh King is taken into custody on June 7, 2017 at 54-B District Court in East Lansing.</p>

Ex-MSU football Player Josh King is taken into custody on June 7, 2017 at 54-B District Court in East Lansing.

Photo by Jon Famurewa | The State News

Former MSU football player Joshua King was arraigned Wednesday morning in the 54-B District Court, on three charges stemming from an alleged sexual assault that took place on Jan. 16 at University Village apartments.

King, 19, has been charged with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of capturing and/or distributing pictures of an unclothed person. King could face life in prison if convicted of the first-degree criminal sexual conduct, and up to 15 years for each additional charge.

Judge Richard Ball set King’s bond at $25,000 cash or surety despite prosecutors seeking bond be set at $50,000 cash or surety. Ball scheduled the preliminary hearing for all three defendants on June 22 at 9 a.m. and a probable cause conference set for June 15 at 1 p.m.

King is one of three ex-MSU football players to be allegedly involved in the incident. Demetric Vance and Donnie Corley were arraigned before King and each face one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. Ball set bail for Vance and Corley at 10 percent of $10,000.

In a Swear-To hearing to authorize arrest warrants, King allegedly had forceful oral and vaginal sexual intercourse with the victim and recorded the incident. When police seized King’s phone on Feb. 7 with a search warrant, they found the video of King having sex with the victim in the bathroom.

According to the hearing, King then let Vance and Corley into the room, where they both allegedly forced the victim to perform oral sex on them.

Despite the severity of the charges, King’s attorney — Shannon Smith — said during the arraignment King has a “very strong defense” that the sex King had in the bathroom during the party was completely consensual.

“My client has taken this case very seriously since the very beginning,” Smith said. “We believe those videos — had the police been able to open them and access them — would completely show this was a consensual sexual act.”

Smith was unavailable for comment after the arraignment and Smith has yet to release a formal statement. After bond was set, King was taken into custody and escorted from the court in handcuffs.

MSU football head coach Mark Dantonio removed Vance, Corley and King from the football team after Ball authorized their warrants.

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