WONDERFUL NEWS. Jury Declares Former UNC Charlotte Quarterback Kevin Olsen Innocent
Late Wednesday afternoon, 19 months after he was arrested and charged with the rape of his girlfriend, Kevin Olsen became a free man. The former UNC Charlotte quarterback, 23, was found not guilty on three counts of second-degree rape and one count of second-degree sex offense. Each charge carried a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. When the verdicts were read aloud, Olsen turned in his chair at the defense table and stared triumphantly at his family behind him. He hugged his attorneys, George and Bree Laughrun, then sank back in his chair in tears. “He told me, ‘You never lost faith in me. You and your daughter have helped put my family back together again,’ ” Laughrun said. Olsen was indicted in May 2017 and pleaded not guilty in September 2017 after rejecting a plea deal. In the end, Olsen’s case was heard by nine men and three women – most of them a generation or more removed from their college years. In picking the jury, Laughrun said the defense team got a break that the jury pool was largely bereft of college-age women. He said a discussion he had with one juror after the trial supported that conclusion. The juror told him the first jury vote after deliberations began was 10-2 in favor of Olsen. The jury sent a note to Superior Court Judge Karen Eady-Williams asking her “What would happen if we have a hung jury?” The judge brought them into the courtroom to tell them that they had a duty to reach a decision that “reflected the truth” in the case. An hour later, they came back. Video of Kevin Olsen responding to jury’s decision
