College Athletes Who Committed Horrible Crimes
This article contains descriptions of domestic violence, sexual assault, and rape.
Obviously, not everyone finishes college — a lot can happen in those four years. Maybe the student dropped out for financial reasons. Maybe that person was eager to exchange their college days for some real-life experience and opted to join the workforce. But some haven't finished because they got into legal trouble, student-athletes included.
And we're not talking about these athletes getting arrested for things like jaywalking or disorderly conduct; we're talking about some incredibly heinous crimes that have made national news in some cases.
Plus, based on the online reactions when such crimes occur, there seems to be a general level of surprise — at least from some people. Perhaps those folks are prepared for student-athletes to get into a little on-campus mischief but not for them to be involved in a crime that would get them years of prison time. Either way, we've compiled a list of college athletes who were accused of committing horrible crimes while breaking down the consequences they received.
Jalen Kitna's home was searched
Jalen Kitna, a quarterback for the University of Florida, was arrested in November 2022 after being accused of possessing and distributing child pornography. An investigation began after police were alerted about someone sending illegal images over Discord, an instant messaging platform, as TMZ details. The police then searched his home. Jalen, who's the son of former NFL star Jon Kitna, was charged with two second-degree counts of distribution of child exploitation material and three third-degree counts of possession of child pornography, per Sports Illustrated. He was released from the Gators football squad, on top of that, after first being suspended.
Then on December 1, 2022, Jalen made his first court appearance via video stream, and his famous dad, his mother, and his pastor were with him. The judge eventually set an $80,000 bond, which was paid, so the young quarterback was released. His father told the court that he'd take his son back to Texas to live with him and stated he'd make sure to have him back in Florida for future court dates.
At some point, Jalen was told by the judge that he had to stay off the internet and couldn't communicate with minors without supervision. But after that court appearance, it was reported the judge allowed him to use the internet to defend himself in his case, as long as he was supervised.
Darius Miles said that he supplied the gun
From the outside looking in, it seems the biggest problem former University of Alabama basketball player Darius Miles had to deal with was being out for the 2023 season with a bum ankle, which TMZ reported. But after the events that took place on January 15 of that year, he was charged with capital murder. It was reported that a 23-year-old woman named Jamea Harris was shot and killed in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in an area known as The Strip, a popular student hangout that consists of bars and eating establishments. She was sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle at the time.
The driver of the vehicle said someone shot at them, so shots were returned in self-defense. Besides Miles, a man named Michael Lynn Davis was arrested on capital murder charges, and Miles admitted to giving him the gun that was used to kill Harris. Plus, while being led to a police vehicle, Miles was seen sobbing and telling someone that he loved them.
"The only motive was a minor altercation that these individuals had with the victim as they were out on The Strip," said Jack Kennedy in a statement, who's with the Tuscaloosa Police Department. Miles was immediately kicked off the Crimson Tide basketball team after his arrest, and as of this writing, he, as well as Davis, remain behind bars since there was no bond set. But Miles' lawyer says his client is innocent, according to ESPN.
Rashaun Jones was arrested after 15 years
It took police 15 years to make an arrest in the shooting death of Bryan Pata, a former football star for the University of Miami who was expected to go pro. Then when the arrest was made, a man named Rashaun Jones was charged with second-degree murder for the 2006 killing. Reportedly, Jones, who was Pata's University of Miami teammate, has been a suspect since 2007, so his arrest didn't come out of the clear blue.
It's said the former teammates got into a few fights before the shooting, and Pata came out the victor in at least one of them, which established a motive. The late football player's brother also said that Jones threatened to shoot his sibling, who was gunned down outside of his apartment in Kendall, Florida. A neighbor identified Jones through photos in court, and Jones pleaded not guilty.
He was eventually given an $850,000 bond, but as of this writing, there are no reports that it was paid. Plus, Jones told police that he was at home on the night of the shooting and had nothing to do with Pata's death, but his cell phone records showed otherwise. "I know how that could look because of the situation," said Jones in a video when questioned by police about the murder, per ESPN. "But I'm telling you, I had nothing to do with him dying."
Matthew Stockfeder was sent to prison after a party
One roommate was trying to sleep, and the other was partying. That's what started the violent confrontation between two members of St. John's University's lacrosse team. It happened in October of 2019 between Justin Corpolongo, who was trying to sleep after returning from work, and Matthew Stockfeder, the one partying, according to the New York Post.
After Corpolongo became upset by the noise, Stockfeder and the others moved the party to another place. Now, one would think that should've solved things, but that wasn't the case because the two men began exchanging heated text messages. That led to Corpolongo going to the new party location, where he punched his roommate. Then when others tried to restrain him, Stockfeder stabbed him twice in the stomach, but thankfully the attack wasn't fatal since Corpolongo received much-needed surgery.
In the end, Stockfeder was sentenced to six years in prison and five years of supervised release after initially facing 25 years behind bars. He was also kicked off the lacrosse team, which shouldn't be surprising.
Christopher Darnell Jones Jr.'s crime was incredibly gruesome
In 2022, after a 12-hour search, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. was arrested by police after being accused of shooting and killing three men on a bus that was returning from a play in Washington, D.C. The three victims, Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D'Sean Perry all played football for the University of Virginia. Jones, meanwhile, was listed on the roster once but didn't play. There were others shot but non-fatally. Their names are Marlee Morgan and Michael Hollins, who also played on the team. Per the New York Post, one of the victims was shot as he slept.
Witnesses on the bus said that Jones didn't fire randomly but seemed to know just who he wanted to shoot. The 22-year-old was charged with three counts of second-degree murder, two counts of malicious shooting with the intent to maim, disfigure, disable, or kill, and five counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony. As of this writing, there wasn't a motive established, but Jones' grandmother, Mary Eliza Jones, said he was facing some difficulties. "I know he had a downfall," she told the New York Post. "I believe he had some problems there ... Some people were picking on him. He didn't know how to handle it."
Before the tragedy, Jones was already being looked at by campus police since he said something about having a gun in 2022. But he wasn't arrested because the weapon was never seen.
Brock Turner's jail sentence sparked outrage
Brock Turner was a swimmer for Stanford University who raped an intoxicated woman in 2015 who was passed out behind a dumpster. Two graduate students, Peter Jonsson and Carl-Fredrik Arndt, saw him in the act, so they chased him down and called the police. Turner was then charged with five counts of felony sexual assault and pleaded not guilty before being released on $150,000 bail.
The victim's blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit, so Turner's defense team argued that she and Turner had consensual sex. The jury didn't buy it, however, and Turner was found guilty but only received six months in county jail. The light sentence sparked outrage, so a petition was created to have the judge in the case, Aaron Persky, removed from his post, which worked because he was later recalled.
But the outrage continued after Turner was released from jail after three months. Then in 2022, his name made headlines again when people on TikTok and Facebook sent warnings about him living in their town since he has to register as a sex offender. "Brock Turner is now living in the Dayton, Ohio, area," read one Facebook message. "He is frequenting bars in the area. Do not let him leave with an intoxicated woman. Inform the women of who he is. Inform the bartender, bouncers. Brock Turner does not belong in public."
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Daniel Holtzclaw had over a dozen victims
Between the years of 2005 to 2008, Daniel Holtzclaw was a standout linebacker for Eastern Michigan University. Later he became a police officer for the Oklahoma City Police Department after failing to make it onto the Detroit Lions. Holtzclaw was arrested in 2014 after Jannie Ligons, a grandmother, said he sexually assaulted her during a traffic stop. It was later determined there were 12 more victims and all of them, including Ligons, were Black and from low-income neighborhoods. Holtzclaw's father is white, and his mother is Japanese, so race, as well as social class, became factors in the case. One of the victims was also 17 years old, and another told CNN that Holtzclaw raped her in a hospital bed while she was handcuffed.
Per ABC News, Holtzclaw would do background research on his victims and check their arrest records to see if they had outstanding warrants. His trial began in 2015, and after pleading not guilty, the disgraced officer was convicted on 18 of the 36 counts against him. There was also footage of him weeping when the conviction was read, which has been shared on YouTube over a million times.
Eventually, Holtzclaw was sentenced to 263 years in prison but has maintained his innocence all along. He was denied parole in 2022. Meanwhile, his sister Jenny Holtzclaw has been trying to prove his innocence on social media.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Kamiyah Street's lawyer called it self-defense
One day Kamiyah Street was racking up stats, the next criminal charges. In 2019 Street, who was a star point guard for Kennesaw State University's basketball team, was arrested for murder after a 21-year-old man named Nashiem Hubbard-Etienne was found dead in an apartment complex near Atlanta.
Per TMZ, three others were also arrested before another suspect was found. Street, who was 20 years old at the time, received charges that included felony murder, criminal attempt to commit armed robbery, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. She was quickly kicked off the team, and the story made national news. Plus, it's said that Hubbard-Etienne wasn't a random victim; he was singled out.
In time, police said they saw Street at the apartment complex on video when the shooting occurred and brought her in. But NBC News reported they're willing to grant her immunity if she testifies against the others involved. As of January 2023, it doesn't appear that Street's trial has begun, but her lawyer, Corinne M. Mull, gave some insight to The Next about what might've happened on July 16, 2019 — saying that Street was robbed at gunpoint, brought people with her to retrieve her money, and used self-defense.
Davis Rokose got into trouble on New Year's Day
On New Year's Day 2023, University of Georgia pitcher Davis Rokose found himself in trouble with the law. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that police responded to a domestic violence call, and they showed up at his home in Athens, Georgia. Reportedly, Rokose and his girlfriend went out for a night of drinking and, at some point, began arguing before things got physical. The woman, who was crying when police arrived, said that Rokose choked her, which was backed up by the abrasions seen on her neck and shoulders. The pitcher was jailed after that, then released on January 2 after posting a $5,700 bond.
"While we are limited in what we can say about the matter, the report is disappointing and not reflective of our standards," said a University of Georgia rep. "We will be working closely with our administration to ensure we cooperate fully with all law enforcement and campus protocols."
It's not clear if Rokose — who transferred from Mississippi State to be a Bulldog — will have a future with the team, but his name wasn't included on the 2023 roster. He's kept quiet about the arrest as well, as he didn't mention anything about it on his Twitter page. Plus, his Instagram page is set to private because if it weren't, he'd probably be getting blasted by people left and right.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.