USC Defendants’ Stories Varied, Tapes Indicate

A detective’s taped interviews with three USC football players on trial in Los Angeles Municipal Court were played before a jury Tuesday, and indicated that the defendants had given different versions of the events the night a woman alleges she was pinned to a bed and sexually assaulted.

The interviews were conducted by detective John Campbell at the Los Angeles Police Dept.’s Southwest division, located near USC, last July 26 and July 27.

Jason Oliver’s account was similar to that given by the woman, a 23-year-old USC graduate student, last week in court. However, Oliver, charged with misdemeanor counts of false imprisonment and battery, said he did not believe any sexual misconduct had occurred.

Willie McGinest and Michael Jones, who talked to the investigator the next day, said Jones’ then-girlfriend was hiding in the closet when the woman was in the room. They told the detective they were watching movies when a group, including the woman, entered the room.

McGinest is charged with misdemeanor counts of battery and false imprisonment. Jones is charged with misdemeanor counts of false imprisonment and sexual battery.

The incident allegedly took place in Jones’ dormitory room at USC on July 20, the last day of a special one-month summer course for incoming freshmen with academic deficiencies.

Jones’ then-girlfriend, Tina Griffin of Woodland Hills, also told Campbell that she was hiding in the closet when the woman was in the room. Later in the interview, however, she recanted. She testified Tuesday that she had not been in the closet during the alleged incident after being granted immunity from any charges by the Los Angeles district attorney’s office.

The woman testified that she had twice had sex with Jones on the evening of the incident, and was in his room until about 1 a.m. Witnesses had previously testified that the incident occurred about 12:30 a.m.