“He is a liar, a predator, a wolf in sheep’s clothing preying on a vulnerable flock, and a rapist! Hold him responsible!” These were the strong and forceful words of Deputy District Attorney David Williams III as he concluded his closing argument in the rape trial of Sean Patrick Banks. The case made media headlines in 2013 when Sean Banks, a former U.S. Navy intelligence officer, was arrested at his home in Del Mar after a woman he met on ChristianMingle.com accused him of raping her in November of 2012. After the police issued a press release, another woman came forward claiming that she too had been raped by Sean Banks back in 2009 after meeting him on Match.com, another on-line dating service. Before the dust could settle, a third woman came forward, this time a beauty queen who promptly took her case to the media.
The former Miss California contestant started making the circuit of local and national television shows describing how she met Sean Banks through ChristianMingle.com, but before they could go on their first date, he called her to tell her that he had been arrested for rape. She claimed she had evidence against Sean Banks, that he intimidated her, and tried to keep her from talking to the police. In interviews she tearfully expressed her belief that she could have been his next victim, implored women to protect themselves on-line and to listen to their instincts. With Sean Banks’ face plastered on television screens and the press eagerly covering each new development, was Sean Banks already convicted in the public arena, with woman warned to be careful who they met on-line? On June 23, 2014, in an El Cajon courtroom, the jury returned a verdict of guilty. Did the jury get it right? You be the judge.
The Three Women
The First Woman: K.K.
Charges: Sexual Penetration with Foreign Object (Sean Banks’ Fingers) & Rape
A young woman known in the courtroom solely by her initials K.K. testified she met Sean Banks, who she knew only as “Rylan,” in 2012 on the dating website ChristianMingle.com. She was attracted by his looks, his faith, his carefree spirit, and that he wrote on his profile page that he “gives free hugs every day.” After weeks of texting and talking on the telephone, they agreed to meet in person on November 21, 2012, at K.K.’s apartment in La Mesa. When asked why she would meet a stranger at her apartment, she testified that she felt safe because they had talked about God, they had met on a Christian website, and she believed him to be a Christian man.
Sean Banks arrived at K.K.’s apartment around 9:00 p.m., bringing rum and diet coke with him. After mixing a drink for each of them, they moved to the couch to watch a movie. Shortly after the movie started, Sean Banks put his arm around K.K. and they started kissing. He fondled her breasts on the outside of her clothing and she rubbed his inner thigh. K.K. made “mmm” sounds which encouraged Sean Banks. He positioned himself above K.K. and wanted her to lie down on the couch. At this point, K.K. said, “We shouldn’t be doing this.” He responded that they were not going to have sex. K.K. told him again, “No, we shouldn’t be doing this.” Sean Banks stopped and they watched the movie again.
About fifteen minutes later, he tried to kiss her again and pushed her legs apart. He then put his hand down her pants and used his fingers to penetrate her vagina. K.K. said, “We shouldn’t.” She grabbed his wrist to pull his hand out but was unable to do so. K.K. said, “I don’t think this is a good idea.” Sean Banks responded that he just wanted to make her cum. K. K. told him she couldn’t as things were moving too fast. She told him to stop.
At this point, Sean Banks stood up from the couch, said he could not get a good angle, and that they should go to the bedroom. K.K. said “We should slow down. This is not a good idea.” Sean Banks grabbed her wrist (or forearm) and pulled her to the bedroom. She testified that she was scared, but did not scream or forcefully fight him off because she did not know if he would kill her. Once in the bedroom, K.K. sat on the bed by herself, then tried to roll off the bed, but couldn’t because Sean Banks put his forearm across her chest which prevented her from moving. His pants were off, and he took her pants off too. She told him that she did not want to have sex, to which he responded that they were not going to have sex. He touched her vagina with his fingers and K.K. continually said, “We shouldn’t.” Then he was between her legs, and his penis went inside her, and she screamed, “Please!” Sean Banks stopped and got off of her. K.K. got off her bed, put on her pants, and walked out of the bedroom. Sean Banks got dressed and came out and said, “Do you want me to leave now?” She was crying and said “yes.” He took the alcohol that he had brought and left.
About ten minutes after Sean Banks left K.K’s apartment, Sean Banks sent her a text message stating, “Sorry I got lost. Maybe we’ll meet another time.” She replied with a long text about how she wanted to be a woman of God and that he was a poor example of a godly man. Sean Banks and K.K. continued to send texts back and forth, with K.K. growing angrier with each new text. K.K. testified that she was livid as she realized that Sean Banks was trying to pretend he never came to her apartment. She sent him a text that said, “You may think you are smart, but I am smarter.” She also wrote him that she was going to make this a big deal. K.K. called the police.
The defense showed that K.K.’s story had changed over time. The responding officer who came to K.K’s house on the night of November 21, 2012, wrote in his report that K.K. had said that Sean Banks did not force her into the bedroom and that he had not put his penis inside her. Although this officer encouraged K.K. to submit to a rape exam, K.K. refused to go to the hospital and refused to do any medical testing. That night, the police did not take any photos of K.K., of the inside of the apartment, of the couch, of the bedroom, or collect any of the bedding. The defense vigorously argued that there was no DNA evidence or any other physical evidence of rape, and that the only evidence was K.K’s word, which changed from the night she spoke with the investigating officer. The defense showed that six days after K.K’s call to police, she gave a videotaped interview at the police station which lasted two hours. However that videotape was destroyed by police incompetence. The defense stated that no one will ever know what story K.K. told during that interview. The defense stated that K.K. had in fact given her consent, then withdrew the consent, at which point Sean Banks stopped. The defense theorized that K.K. felt bad that things had gone too far and changed her story because she was angry that Sean Banks pretended he was never at her apartment.
The Second Woman: R.O.
Charge: Rape of an Intoxicated Woman
R.O. met Sean Banks in May of 2009 through Match.com. She knew him as “Rarity here,” but later learned his name was Sean Banks. Their first date was a casual meet and greet at a sports bar in the Gaslamp district. Their second date took place at Sean Banks’ house, where he cooked dinner for her and they watched a movie. Their third date was to Jacks in La Jolla, where all the trouble began. At Jacks, they enjoyed a bottle of wine at dinner, and then moved into the bar, where they had a shot of alcohol (R.O. could not recall what they drank). At the preliminary hearing, R.O. testified that she believed that Sean Banks put something in her drink, because after the shot, she had no memory of anything that happened until she awoke with her bent over her couch and Sean Banks having sex with her. At the trial, she was not allowed to testify to her belief that Sean Banks placed a date rape drug in her drink, because she never submitted to any medical testing. The judge ordered that it was too prejudicial to Sean Banks for her to suggest a date rape drug when there was no scientific evidence to support her statement.
At the trial, R.O. testified that when she awoke to find Sean Banks having sex with her, she was freaked out, very angry, and told Sean Banks to get out. She stated that she never intended to have sex that night as she had a yeast infection and was using medication. R.O. testified that the next day she felt very sick and spent the day crying in her room. R.O. also discovered that her keys were missing, which included her car keys and house keys. She called Sean Banks to find out if he had her keys, but he denied having them. She never found her keys.
The defense sought to show that the actions of R.O. were not that of a woman who had been raped. The defense played the series of telephone messages that R.O. left on Sean Banks’ telephone the day after their date. In the first call R.O. said, “I want to make sure everything is cool” and then asked about her keys. The defense pointed out that her first words were not “You raped me!” In subsequent calls she stated that she was really drunk, that she was unsure of what happened exactly, and didn’t remember if they needed her keys to get into her house. In each call, she asked about her keys and asked Sean Banks to call her back. When Sean Banks did not call her back, R.O. grew angry. Fed up, R.O. left a profanity laced message telling Sean Banks that he date raped her, that she wanted her keys back, and that if he didn’t call her back something bad was going to happen. This message got Sean Banks’ attention, and he called her back. He told R.O. that she was making a very serious charge, that he would no longer speak with her, and that she needed to contact his attorney. He gave her his attorney’s name and telephone number.
R.O. admitted she never contacted the police to report that she was raped and never went to a doctor for a rape exam. She explained that she had recently moved to San Diego, and when Sean Banks told her to contact his attorney, she Googled the attorney’s name and discovered that he was a prominent attorney. As Sean Banks had told her he owned several houses, she believed he had financial resources which she could not match. She decided to not make a police report, but she did make a complaint with Match.com, stating she had been date raped. The defense confronted R.O. claiming that the real reason she did not contact the police was that she was mad at herself and was confused about what had happened, just like she had stated in her telephone messages to Sean Banks.
The defense brought in R.O.’s roommate, who was also her landlord as she owned the house R.O. was living in. This roommate testified that the night of the Jacks date, R.O. came home with Sean Banks around 9:30 p.m. and introduced him to her. The roommate testified that R.O. was her usual happy self and that there was nothing out of the ordinary with R.O. The defense showed that although R.O. didn’t remember these events, her roommate did. The roommate also said that the next night, R.O. got dressed up and went out in a limo to a party. The defense further showed that R.O. was mistaken about the date she had the yeast infection, as the defense presented her medical records, and it was the following week that she went to a medical clinic for treatment. The defense argued Sean Banks reasonably believed that R.O. had the ability to give consent, and that when she told him to stop, he stopped.
The Third Woman: Victoria Kinney
Charge: Intimidating a Witness
Victoria Kinney is a model and beauty pageant contestant. In December of 2012 she set up a ChristianMingle.com account and was contacted by “Rarity.” They first communicated through the ChristianMingle.com site, where they discussed their Christian values. She eventually gave him her personal e-mail and he communicated with her using the name “Rylan” but the e-mail also had his name of Sean Banks. They talked often about God and other various topics. In January of 2013, Sean Banks called Victoria Kinney, which surprised her as she had never given him her telephone number. She testified that Sean Banks told her that he was trained as a computer hacker while he was in the Navy. He then recited information about Victoria Kinney, including her parents’ address, her prior employment, and the London address where she lived when she was in college. Sean Banks told her that there was a lot of information on the internet and he wanted to keep her safe. Although she felt it was odd, he seemed sincere about keeping her safe, so she believed him. They continued to speak by telephone and through text messages, talking a lot about God.
As Sean Banks had told her he had traveled extensively with the military, one day Victoria Kinney sent him a photo of a garden in Japan and asked him if he knew where it was located. He responded by asking her if that was where she wanted to bury a dead body, his dead body. She started feeling that something was wrong, and decided to stop answering his calls. She was traveling a lot for her career and during one trip to New York, she began to believe that Sean Banks was hacking her cellular telephone as text messages disappeared from her phone, including the one about Japan.
Then Sean Banks started calling her frequently, in one instance, calling her fourteen times while she was on a date with another man. In February of 2013, Victoria Kinney had just returned to her home from a trip to Dallas and Sean Banks called her and told her he had been arrested for rape. She testified that he told her not to talk to the police. Victoria Kinney started crying and felt stupid for not listening to what she believed had been warning signs.
On cross-examination, the defense showed Sean Banks willingly gave Victoria Kinney the database from which he obtained all the information on her, and forced Victoria Kinney to admit that she has a significant presence on the internet because of her beauty pageants, her anti-aging infomercials, and her platform of advocating for sexually abused children. The defense argued that Sean Banks never intimidated her and that when Victoria Kinney went to the police station asking for a restraining order, the police told her that she did not qualify for a restraining order because Sean Banks had not threatened her. When the police told her this, they told her to contact the District Attorney’s Office as they already had a case on Sean Banks and that they could “add her to the pile.” The defense also showed that Victoria Kinney had become friends with K.K., although Victoria Kinney testified they were instructed to not talk about the case.
The defense contended that this case had helped Victoria Kinney’s career and showed that she launched her own media campaign with the help of a friend who is a media lawyer. Through his connections, she was interviewed on local and national television shows, including The Today Show and Good Morning America. Victoria Kinney countered that she wanted to give advice to help other women avoid sexual predators on-line and vowed to always speak out for women and children. She said this case had actually hurt her career.
Sean Banks’ Tape Recorded Interview with Police
Once K.K. made her complaint to the police, it took detectives months to locate Sean Banks as K.K. only knew him as “Rylan” and never learned his last name. When the identity and location of Sean Banks was finally known, two detectives went to Sean Banks’ Del Mar home to interview him. Although only two detectives knocked on Sean Bank’s door, there were an additional six officers in the vicinity ready to execute a search warrant on his home. Sean Banks was not told about the search warrant or that his interview was being tape recorded.
Sean Banks explained that he was changing his name to “Rylan,” and that his roommate and friends already knew him as “Rylan,” and that he was not trying to deceive anybody. He told the detectives that he had recently filed for bankruptcy, was currently unemployed, and was looking for a job.
Sean Banks admitted going to K.K.’s apartment, but adamantly denied ever raping her or raping any other woman. He kept saying that K.K. was deeply disturbed. He also criticized K.K. by saying that her house was dirty, that her appearance was disheveled, and that she had misrepresented her weight on the ChristianMingle.com website as in person K.K. was quite heavy. He emphasized that K.K. had pursued him, and bluntly said that she was really not his type. He said that he only stayed at her apartment because he did not want to leave and hurt her feelings.
Sean Banks said that he and K.K. were on the couch watching a movie, and then they started kissing. He said she encouraged him to touch her breasts and that she was moaning and saying, “yes, yes.” He said that K.K. wanted it and that she led him to the bedroom and that she took off her own pants. He claimed he would not have been able to get her pants off, because she was “a round girl like that.” K.K. was naked, he got on top of her, and then she said, “Stop” and he stopped immediately. He emphatically stated that his penis was never inside her and that no physical evidence existed because he did not rape her. He said, “They didn’t find any pubs in her. If there is, she manufactured it in advance.”
Sean Banks said that K.K. must have felt bad, angry, and even rage because a Christian man wanted to have sex with her on the first date. He theorized that the reason K.K. was enraged was because he failed her representation of a godly man, and then went even further by stating that K.K. must have believed that what he did to her was tantamount to Jesus doing to her.
Sean Banks complained that K.K. sent him text messages which were disturbing, threatening, and showed she wanted retribution. After one detective confronted Sean Banks with the fact that he was the one who sent the first text message stating “Sorry I got lost. Maybe we’ll meet another time” Sean Banks acknowledged that he did send that message. He said after he left K.K.’s apartment, he panicked and sent the message.
Following the interview, the police officers executed the search warrant, but Sean Banks was not arrested at that time.
The Prosecution’s Closing Argument
Armed with a power point presentation, Deputy District Attorney David Williams III began his closing argument by displaying a photo of Sean Banks on the large television monitor and asking ominously, “WHO is this man?” The prosecutor then detailed the numerous alias used by Sean Banks, including Rylan Butterwood and Ben Kansas, the false ages he posted, the extensive phone numbers and e-mail addresses he possessed, and the various addresses he listed, including two out of state addresses. The prosecutor argued that Sean Banks lied about everything in his life, such that he was a master at lying. Mr. Williams then said what was true about Sean Banks was that he was unemployed, had filed for bankruptcy, was an intelligent man, and a trained computer hacker.
Mr. Williams then moved to the heart of the case, whether Sean Banks had committed rape. Mr. Williams said that case was about one thing: consent. Mr. Williams argued that K.K. did not consent and neither did R.O. Mr. Williams asked, “Who is telling the truth?” The prosecutor stated that K.K. was a young Christian woman hoping to meet an honorable man on ChristianMingle.com. She was groomed by Sean Banks through text messages, where he professed his faith and gave her compliments. In one text, he wrote that his priority was scripture and prayer, and in another told her “You seem like a wonderful person.” Mr. Williams argued that K.K. was a vulnerable young woman, with no motive to lie, stating that she had gone through the wringer having to discuss the most intimate details of the rape, had to endure countless interviews, and was grilled by lawyers for hours. K.K. was afraid she would be killed or would suffer serious bodily injury. The prosecutor stated that it was Sean Banks who was lying. It was Sean Banks who created evidence, trying to pretend he had never made it to K.K.’s apartment. The prosecutor stated that after raping K.K. in her apartment, Sean Banks left and then sent her a text stating “Sorry I got lost. Maybe we’ll meet another time” and “What are you talking about? I am trying to sleep.”
Mr. Williams argued that R.O. did not give consent, and that Sean Banks raped her while she was intoxicated. The prosecutor stated that R.O. drank a half bottle of wine and a shot. He emphasized that even the defense’s expert agreed that R.O. would have displayed outward signs of intoxication. The prosecutor argued that Sean Banks should have known she was drunk, but instead he bent R.O. over her couch and raped her. Mr. Williams surmised that maybe the reason R.O. woke up during the rape was because she had a painful infection, and the pain woke her up. The prosecutor emphatically said there was no way that she consented. Mr. Williams then turned to the telephone calls that R.O. made to Sean Banks the following morning. Mr. Williams stated that the only reason R.O. was being nice was because she wanted her keys back. Mr. Williams concluded by declaring that R.O.’s testimony about the rape was corroborated because she contacted Match.com to file a complaint that she was date raped, which records were presented to the jury.
Mr. Williams addressed Victoria Kinney, and said that Sean Banks intimidated her. He stressed that Ms. Kinney had no reason to lie. Mr. Williams said that Ms. Kinney was a beauty queen, a model, and sold beauty products. Mr. Williams then said that Sean Banks was a naval intelligence officer, a trained computer hacker, had multiple AKAs, multiple addresses, and obtained all information on Ms. Kinney without her consent.
Next Mr. Williams spent a great deal of time on a book that had been found downloaded on one of Sean Banks’ computer. The book entitled How to Get the Women You Desire Into Bed was displayed on the television monitor as the prosecutor read with contempt the front page description, “A down and dirty guide to dating and seduction for the man who’s fed up with being Mr. Nice Guy.” The prosecutor said that Sean Banks lived by this book. The entire book was entered into evidence so that the jury could read all sixty three pages during their deliberations. Mr. Williams read select excerpts from the book, which ranged from bad pick-up lines to sections that Mr. Williams stated were a manual for rape. Portions included instructing a man to get the woman drunk, that the woman is the man’s territory, that the man is the rightful king, and the man must take what belongs to him. With disgust on his face, the prosecutor said there were sections he would not even read aloud in the courtroom.
The prosecutor closed his argument with the photo of Sean Banks and again asked “WHO is this man?” The prosecutor answered his own question by saying, “He is a liar, a predator, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, preying on a vulnerable flock, and a rapist. Hold him responsible!”
The Defense’s Closing Argument
Defense attorney Brian White started his closing argument by reciting the last words of the prosecutor, stating that they were strong words and strong accusations. He then vigorously emphasized that this was a court of law and that the jury must be provided with evidence. Mr. White said that there was little evidence in this case, but a lot of distractions. He told the jury that they cannot convict Sean Banks just because his character was assassinated or because he had a disagreeable personality, but must convict solely upon the evidence.
Mr. White immediately turned to the book and labeled it a distraction. He said the book was sleazy and was meant to inflame the jury against Sean Banks. Mr. White then declared that the book was not evidence, and then dropped a bombshell by stating that the book was irrelevant to the case as the last access date was June 28, 2012, five months before K.K. claimed she was raped. He said there was no evidence that Sean Banks had even read the book.
Mr. White then addressed the untrue information that Sean Banks had listed on his profile pages, dismissing it as merely “puffing.” Mr. White said that although Sean Banks tried to make himself look better on the dating website, when he was interviewed by the police detectives, he told them the truth. Sean Banks told the detectives he was changing his name to Rylan and that his roommate and friends already knew him as Rylan. He also told them that he had just gone through a bankruptcy and wanted a fresh start. Mr. White said that prosecutor tried to make Sean Banks look like a shady character because he had two out of state addresses, and a lot of telephone numbers. Mr. White told the jury that Sean Banks once again was truthful with the detectives when he explained that he traveled a lot, so he located two companies, which happened to be out of California, that would open and scan his mail, so that he could access his mail anywhere in the world. Sean Banks also explained that he had a lot of phones and telephone numbers as he was an “I.T.” guy who would test various products and then return them.
Mr. White next criticized the quality of the police investigation, emphasizing that critical mistakes were made by several of the detectives. He reminded the jury that the prosecutor himself stated that the officer who went to K.K.’s house on the night she called the police did a terrible job and botched the case. On that night, this police officer failed to record any of K.K.s interview, and failed to have any photos taken of K.K., of the inside of her apartment, of the couch, and of the bed. The police did not collect any of the bedding or any other evidence. The mistakes continued. Six days later, K.K. was interviewed at the police station, and the two hour interview was videotaped. A DVD was supposed to be burned after the interview, but the detective forgot to do it, so the tape was subsequently taped over. Mr. White incredulously stated that this detective did not even realize her mistake until two months later. Mr. White argued that the defense was denied a valuable piece of evidence, stating that “We don’t know if K.K. said something different on that tape. We will never know.” He told the jury that this is a serious case, people need to do their jobs, but instead valuable evidence was destroyed. He then asked, “Is this fair?’
Mr. White argued that there was no evidence that K.K. was raped. He said K.K. refused to give the police the best evidence that would exist in this case when she refused to take a rape examination. He said that K.K. refused because she knew there would be no evidence. e H Mr. White stated that there was no D.N.A evidence and no other physical evidence of rape in this case. He emphasized that the only evidence was K.K. word, and then highlighted inconsistencies in K.K.’s story. Mr. White argued that the responding officer wrote in his report that K.K. said she went willingly into the bedroom and that Sean Banks did not put his penis in her, but in later interviews she changed her story. Mr. White said this case was about consent given, and consent withdrawn, and when the consent was withdrawn, Sean Banks stopped.
Mr. White argued that K.K. actions showed she was not in fear. She did not run out of the front door when she had the chance to and when she finally called the police, she did not call 911, but rather just the police line. She did not say, “I have just been raped” but rather “Can I get your opinion on something?” Mr. White said that K.K. was confused and disappointed that things had gone further then she wanted, and the only reason K.K. contacted the police that night was because she was livid about the text messages Sean Banks had sent her. Mr. White said that if Sean Banks had never sent that first text, “We would not be here.”
Mr. White then addressed R.O. and said that Sean Banks’ behavior was not that of a rapist. On their second date, Sean Banks invited her to dinner at his house, gave her his correct address, and one of his roommates was present during the date. Mr. White then addressed problems with R.O.’s testimony. Mr. White said that R.O. came into court and testified that she was not going to have sex the night of the Jacks dinner because she had a yeast infection and was taking medication. Mr. White said that the defense obtained R.O.’s medical records, and R.O. had the wrong date as she went to the medical clinic for treatment the following week.
Mr. White stated that R.O. claimed that she couldn’t remember anything after she had the shot of alcohol at Jacks until she woke up with Sean Banks having sex with her, so therefore she could not have consented. Mr. White said that R.O. didn’t know her drinking habit, as she was testifying to things that happened back in 2009. Mr. White said that the district attorney did not bother to contact R.O.’s roommate, who happened to also be her landlord, so the defense had to go find her and bring her into the courtroom so that jury could know the truth about that night. The landlord testified that R.O. came home the night of the Jacks dinner around 9:30 with Sean Banks and introduced him to her. The landlord testified that there was “nothing out of the ordinary” and that R.O. was her usual self, seemed happy, and did not appear intoxicated. The landlord testified that the next day R.O. got dressed up and was excited to go in a limo to a party. Mr. White argued R.O. may have moments she does not remember, but that does not mean that she did not consent. Sean Banks reasonably believed that she had the ability to give consent and when she said “Stop,” he stopped.
Mr. White then turned to all of the messages R.O. left on Sean Banks telephone the next day. Mr. White said in R.O.’s first call, she didn’t say, “You raped me!” but instead said, “I want to make sure everything is cool.” Finally, when Sean Banks failed to return her calls, she threatened him by saying, “If you don’t call me back, something bad is going to happen.” Mr. White said that if Sean Banks had responded appropriately and called her back, “We wouldn’t be here”. Instead he ticked her off and she got very angry. She told him something bad was going to happen and then the next day, she contacted the website and told them she had been date raped.
Finally, Mr. White addressed Victoria Kinney by stating that in order for Sean Banks to be guilty of intimidating a witness, Ms. Kinney would first have to meet the definition of a “witness”, which she did not. Mr. White argued that the only way Ms. Kinney fit into the case was that she met Sean Banks on ChristanMingle.com and knew him as “Rylan.” Mr. White reminded the jury that Ms. Kinney went to the police department and told them she wanted a restraining order and they told her she couldn’t obtain one because Sean Banks did not threaten her. Then they told her to talk to the district attorney and since they already had a case against Sean Banks, they could just “add her to the pile.” Mr. White argued that this was a high profile case because the media was interested in it, and so the District Attorney’s Office was willing to add Victoria Kinney as they really wanted a conviction. Mr. White said that Victoria Kinney used this case to further her career by going on national television.
The District Attorney’s Rebuttal
Mr. Williams strenuously told the jury that just because Mr. White criticized the police investigation did not mean that K.K, R.O. and Victoria Kinney were lying. He said they were not lying over and over again, committing perjury, just because Sean Banks was a jerk to them. He reminded the jury that a conviction could be based solely on the testimony of the complaining witness alone, and that other evidence was not required. He denied the notion that the District Attorney’s Office was only interested in a conviction because this was a high profile case, but wanted justice for what Sean Banks did to K.K., R.O., and Victoria Kinney.
The Jury’s Verdict
The jury received the case in the late afternoon of Wednesday, June 18, 2014. They deliberated Thursday and Friday. On Monday, June 23, 2014, they came back with a guilty verdict on all counts, except for the charge of intimidating a witness. Sean Banks’ sentencing was set for September 5, 2014, but was continued until November 7, 2014.
To See Photos of Sean Banks and Media Coverage of the Case, Please Go To The Following Links:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/charges-filed-suspected-christianmingle-rapist/story?id=18637906
About Aleida K. Wahn, Esq.
I am an attorney, award-winning true crime writer, and legal analyst of criminal cases. I cover criminal trials and write stories and books about compelling, gripping, and unforgettable cases that impact our world. I take you into the courtroom in high-profile murder trials, rape cases, crimes of passion, cases involving mental illness, deviant behavior, and more. I have a deep passion for true crime, criminal law, and all aspects of the criminal justice system. I have appeared as an expert on true crime shows, including “48 Hours,” “Snapped,” and “The Dead Files,” and provided legal analysis on high-profile criminal trials on Court TV, the Law & Crime Trial Network, Fox 5 News, ABC 10 News, and KUSI News. I also create and host shows with the Del Mar Television Producers Group, addressing criminal justice and social issues in recent criminal trials.
I provided my insight and legal analysis on Court TV and the Law & Crime Trial Network of the high-profile trial of former NFL star Kellen Winslow Jr. It was a trial that captured the nation as the heralded ex-football star with fame, fortune, and a famous name stood accused of multiple rapes and other sex crimes involving five women. As the trial delved into shocking facts, complicated legal issues, and unexpected twists and turns, I was there for every minute. After the trial, I wrote a book on the case, going behind the headlines to share the extraordinary details of what happened inside the courtroom. Judging Winslow Jr.: From NFL Star to Serial Rapist? Inside the Shocking Rape Trial of Kellen Boswell Winslow II is now available on Amazon.
I am passionate about telling true crime stories, as these penetrating stories have the power to move us all, while highlighting societal issues which need to be addressed. I have personally seen the human devastation which is present in each trial and believe there is a lesson to be learned in every single case. It is through awareness and examining critical issues society can effect change and even make new laws. To learn more, please visit: https://www.aleidalaw.com.
Read about the gripping and unforgettable trials that I have covered in my latest books:
