Two students to screen / IT film

The rape trial of former Notre Dame football p layer Donald Dykes began this week and his accuser, a former Notre Dame student, testified as the first wit­ ness for the p ro se c u t io n on Tuesday. Dykes is the second of the four former Notre Dame football play­ ers accused of sexually assaulting the woman to be tr ied . He is charged with rape, conspiracy to commit rape and sexual battery. Dykes, along with Abram Elam, Lorenzo Crawford and Justin Smith, testified at Elam’s trial e a r l i e r this m onth and all m a in ­ tained their in n o c e n c e , claiming the ac ts w ere consensual. Elam was acquitted on the charges of conspira­ cy to commit rape and criminal deviate conduct, but found guilty Dykes on the charge of sexual battery. The w om an claims the four football players sexually assault­ ed her multiple times the morn­ ing of March 28, 2002 at Smith’s off-campus home. She testified today tha t she was too scared and in too much pain to leave Smith’s home after the alleged gang rape and waited to report it because she did not think accus­ ing Notre Dame football players would win her much sympathy. Ju ry se lec t io n for the tr ia l s t a r t e d M onday an d w as a lengthy process as special prose­ c u to r M au reen Devlin and d e fen se a t to rn e y s W illiam Stanley and Michael Tuszynski questioned the approximately 90 potential jurors. The ju ro r pool was larger than usual for this case due to fears that the pool may be tainted by the extensive m ed ia co v e rag e th ro u g h o u t Elam’s trial. The tria ls for Crawford and Smith begin later this year.