Matt Baker, the first reporter to file a public records request for the potential sexual battery incident perhaps somehow linked to Jameis Winston, now has an exclusive with the family of the alleged victim.
Update: the full statement is now available. In it, the family's attorney claims that the victim identified Jameis Winston as the perpatrator in her "rape," and that Winston's roommate witnessed the attack.
The victim's family also claims that they were available at all times, which contradicts the statements from the TPD, which were that they could not contact the victim through multiple methods and were then informed that the victim did not want to pursue the case.
The statement also reveals the name of a victim's advocate, which may be of interest to those who have been following rumors about actions by a victim's advocate. The advocate is identified as Fawnisha Brown.
Previously:
"When the attorney contacted Detective (Scott) Angulo immediately after Winston was identified, Detective Angulo told the attorney that Tallahassee was a big football town and the victim needs to think long and hard before proceeding against him because she will be raked over the coals and her life will be made miserable," the family said.
This statement is not a good look for TPD. But, it might actually be realistic advice if the evidence was very weak. The unfortunate reality is that in an era of social media, the alleged victim's life will indeed be turned upside down if a case were to happen, even though the mainstream media will likely not identify her. And if the probability of a conviction (or even a charge) is quite low for whatever reason, the alleged victim would have a choice to make. Of course, this is assuming the detective actually said this to the family.
It's also important to note that Winston was in no way a celebrity at the time of the alleged statement (early January).
The family also reportedly complained that the TPD refused to collect Winston's DNA, interview his roommate, etc. And they are unhappy that Winston's attorney was notified, while, according to them, they awaited blood work results until April.
The statement implied that the TPD had reason to interview Winston's roommate and collect Winston's DNA -- facts that have not been established.
And there's this...
The family said they are not responsible for the leak of this information, which comes during the height of Winston's Heisman Trophy campaign and FSU's push for its first national title since 1999.
"It was never the intent of the victim or the family for this to become public," the family said. "The victim was trying to move on with her life, which has now been turned upside down once again."
Do you believe the family? It is very curious that Matt Baker, the reporter who initially requested the information from TPD days before other media outlets, is the one who received an exclusive statement from the family of the alleged victim. Is that simply a coincidence? Or is Baker somehow connected with the family?
It's also very interesting to note that the alleged victim was trying to put this behind her and move on with her life. Is that still the case? Does the family want the case to proceed? Does the victim as well? Are the interests of the family those of the victim? Is this setting up for some sort of civil action?
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