NewsFlash

A Colorado judge ruled this week that Los Angeles Lakers basketball star Kobe Bryant must stand trial for the alleged sexual assault of a 19-year-old woman who worked at a hotel where Bryant stayed in June. The preliminary hearing was designed to determine if there was enough evidence to bring the case to trial. Eagle County Judge Frederick Gannett ruled that there was.

The preliminary trial raised controversy because Bryant attorney Pamela Mackey repeatedly named his accuser, even after Judge Gannett told her to stop. At one point, Judge Gannett stopped the trial in order to meet privately with Mackey and other attorneys. Mackey also raised the victim's sexual history, suggesting that she had multiple sexual partners in the days before the alleged assault.

"We were disgusted that the defense team referred to the victim by name - that's a violation of a court order - and then proceeded to smear her in a public forum," Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault spokesperson Cynthia Stone told the Washington Post.

"It was a sleazy performance," former Denver District Attorney Norman Early told the Post. "The point was to intimidate the victim."

But most legal observers thought the defense attorneys put on a strong case that raised doubt about whether prosecutors will be able to secure a conviction. Unless Bryant waives his right to a speedy trial, the trial will be scheduled for six month after he enters a plea, which is likely to come by November.

Earlier, Mackey had asked the judge to close the preliminary hearing to media and the public, and to require Bryant's accuser to testify. Judge Gannett denied both those requests, and a detective instead testified to the victim's experience.

Bryant, who could face life in prison if convicted, has returned to the Lakers and is expected to play basketball while awaiting the trial.

In other news about the case, Patrick Graber was arrested in California for soliciting the murder of the woman who accused Bryant of rape. Graber is being held in prison in lieu of bail and will be charged with multiple felonies, reports the Associated Press. He offered to kill the woman in exchange for $3 million and was arrested after meeting with undercover officers.

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