The attorney for the complainant in the Jameis Winston sexual-assault case Friday morning blasted the Tallahassee, Fla., Police Department's investigation of the matter, calling it "an investigation of a rape victim, not an investigation of a rape subject."
Patricia Carroll said she thought the direction of the investigation was "related to the fact that this gentleman was on the football team." Further, she said witness statements provided by FSU football players Chris Casher and Ronald Darby were "patently false" and called them "biased witnesses."
Last Thursday, State Attorney Willie Meggs held a news conference announcing that Winston would not be charged in the case. Carroll held a news conference of her own in Zephyrhills, Fla., where her practice is located, and said she had told Meggs she had "no confidence in this investigation."
Carroll called on the Florida attorney general to conduct an "independent investigation into this case and the Tallahassee Police Department." Friday afternoon, a spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Scott said in an e-mail released to media outlets that "the state attorney's office and [the Florida Department of Law Enforcement] did a thorough investigation of this case, and they concluded that no further action on this matter is required."
Carroll said that despite Meggs' decision not to charge Winston, "My client is alleging still that he raped her."
Winston is in New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation ceremony. He is considered a lock to win the award, which will be handed out tomorrow night. Carroll said the timing of her news conference had nothing to do with the Heisman announcement.
During her news conference, Carroll questioned the completeness of information released to the public, specifically saying the medical records released by the state in a report wrapping up the case did not match with the complainant's medical records. "There is no reason why the state would redact the injuries sustained by the victim," she said.
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Carroll also called out the work of Tallahassee Police Sgt. Scott Angulo. "You can call it an investigation; I would not," she said.
Carroll said that while police quickly asked for her client's phone records, they never did so for Winston, Casher or Darby. Carroll said that when she asked Meggs why that was the case, she was told the players' phone records were not available.
Carroll said her client had left school "for safety reasons" and that "her life has been turned upside down."
"She's not doing well, but she's a strong girl," Carroll said.
When asked if there was a potential civil case looming, Carroll said that was not being discussed at this time.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
