Former NMSU basketball player’s lawyers Washington speaks out
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- Former NMSU basketball player Deshawndre Washington's legal team is hosting a news conference this morning.
Washington has been facing multiple criminal charges after a hazing scandal.
He was indicted by a grand jury back in 2023 on multiple felony counts, including second-degree criminal penetration. On February 3rd, an amended grand jury indictment listed 2 new counts of false imprisonment, which is a 4th-degree felony in New Mexico.
Two other NMSU basketball players, Kim Aiken Jr. and Doctor Bradley, were initially charged along with Washington. Both men agreed to testify against Washington in court as part of their plea deals.
"They didn't have the opportunity that DeShawndre has to play professional basketball, so money was a factor in those two young men taking the deals they took," David Mestemaker, one of Washington's lawyers, said.
"In this case, Mr. Washington has the ability to fund his criminal defense, and so that's why I'm here and that's why Mr. Cain is here."
The New Mexico Attorney General's office did not respond to our request for comment on Monday, but a spokesperson previously told ABC-7, "the NMDOJ looks forward to presenting its case to a jury and securing justice for the victims."
Michael Cain, Mestemaker's co-counsel in Washington's defense, raised concerns about the credibility of the victims' stories.
"All of these witnesses that the state's going to present have all been interviewed under oath multiple times," Cain said. "Every time they give a different version of the events, nobody can keep their story straight, which is generally a pretty big red flag that somebody's making stuff up."
Joleen Youngers, the lawyer representing victims in one of the civil cases against NMSU, was unavailable for comment Monday due to the holiday. She previously told ABC 7, "we continue to be pleased with the AG's office insofar as they have taken what happened to our clients very seriously, and they continue to vigorously prosecute the case against Deshawndre Washington."
The trial in this case is set to begin on April 14th,
Watch the news conference below:
