New Jersey high school basketball star faces trial for alleged rape

A juvenile court judge in Missouri on Tuesday ruled that Keiner Asprilla, one of the nation’s top basketball prospects, must stand trial as an adult for rape, sodomy and kidnapping charges

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A Missouri juvenile court judge ruled on Tuesday that Keiner Asprilla, an 18-year-old top basketball prospect from St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, New Jersey, will face trial as an adult for charges of rape, sodomy, and kidnapping, according to NJ Advance Media. The 7-foot-1 Colombian center stands accused of assaulting an intoxicated woman he met during a University of Missouri recruiting visit in September, in a university-funded hotel room.

In a motion to deny bond, Assistant Prosecutor Risa Perkins stated that Asprilla ordered others to leave the room, undressed, and tried to undress the woman, throwing her phone across the room to prevent her from getting help. According to the report, when Asprilla stepped away to the bathroom, the accuser, barefoot, fled to the hotel lobby wrapped in a white bath towel. Perkins argued that Asprilla, held since his January arrest, is a “danger to the public” and no bond conditions could ensure community safety or his court attendance. Judge Tracy Gonzalez denied bond, and Asprilla is detained in Boone County Jail.

Arrested on January 21 at St. Peter’s Prep as a “fugitive from justice” by Hudson County Sheriff’s Officers, Asprilla was 17 during the alleged assault and in the U.S. on an I-20 student visa. His adult certification was confirmed on April 18.

Columbia police officer Jonathan Sauceda’s probable cause statement noted that the accuser, not a Missouri student, reported three assaults by Asprilla at The Tiger Hotel, where the university booked rooms at $762.42 per night. Asprilla was with his North Bergen guardians, Oscar and Martha Ruiz, and their son, Adonis, in separate rooms. The university offered no comment on recruit oversight, and the Ruiz family did not respond to calls.

The accuser said she met Asprilla while drinking in downtown Columbia around midnight on September 21, agreeing to join him and his friends in his room but refusing sexual activity. She told investigators Asprilla tried to remove her pants despite her objections, and she “let it happen” out of fear. She alleged he said, “let me put it in your butt,” “be strong and let it happen,” and, when she cited being too drunk, “That makes it better.” He allegedly assaulted her three times, ejaculating during the first and continuing soon after.

Asprilla reportedly threw her phone and removed a friend from the room. The accuser texted a friend for help and fled to the lobby when Asprilla went to the bathroom, reporting the alleged rape to a hotel employee, who gave her a flannel shirt and flip-flops. She told her friend, “I just got raped. I left my clothes.” A witness saw her return to her dorm, pale and crying, wrapped in a towel.

Extradited to Missouri post-arrest, Asprilla was initially represented by attorney Chris Kinum, who said he would face the charges head-on, but the case was handed to a Missouri lawyer. Recent documents list no attorney. A Spanish interpreter assists Asprilla in court, as he spoke little English upon arriving from Colombia. He previously played at Don Bosco Prep, helping win a state championship, before transferring to St. Peter’s Prep.

Missouri allows minors as young as 14 to be tried as adults for certain felonies. Asprilla faces three first-degree felony rape counts, one first-degree sodomy count, and a second-degree kidnapping charge. Before his arrest, he had scholarship offers from Kansas, Auburn, Villanova, and Seton Hall and starred for Team Renaissance in Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League.