VERDICT: Kevin Olsen Found Not Guilty On All Charges

CHARLOTTE, NC. — Kevin Olsen is a free man. The former UNC Charlotte football player was found not guilty on all the charges he faced. He was accused of raping a former girlfriend in 2017.

The courtroom erupting in cheers, Kevin Olsen lowered his head, sobbing of joy, when the not guilty verdict was read.

“His family never lost faith in him, we never lost faith in him, and the jury did the right thing and we commend them for their efforts,” says Defense Attorney George Laughrun.

Olsen faced three counts of Second-Degree Forcible Rape and one count of Second-Degree Forcible Sexual Offense. Prosecutors accused him of trying to kill himself, then beating and raping a girlfriend in 2017. The state asked WCCB not to release the name of the ex-girlfriend because she was a suspected victim of rape. After the verdict, prosecutors crediting her bravery.

Kristen Northrup, Mecklenburg County Assistant District Attorney says,”She told her story, and she told her truth, and it was consistent and corroborated with many pieces of evidence, and it was a difficult road for her.”

Jurors heard five days of testimony. The ex-girlfriend testified, but Olsen decided to stay quiet.

In closing arguments, prosecutors argued the woman feared Olsen after he beat her, meaning she did not consent to sex.

Defense attorneys argued she was not credible, pointing out text messages to a friend in which she was concerned about the rape charges police filed writing: he’s not a rapist.

Prosecutors argued that was just a victim processing what happened to her, she did not know what to call it.

The jury took three days to reach a not guilty verdict.

“Finish his degree, and move on with his life. The whole family wants to move on with their lives,” says Laughrun.