EAGLE, Colo. - The criminal case against Kobe Bryant case collapsed Wednesday as prosecutors said they had no choice but to drop the sexual assault charge because the NBA star's accuser no longer wanted to participate.
Bryant, whose trial had been days from opening arguments, responded with an apology to the woman who had accused him and whose civil suit for damages is still pending.
"Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did," Bryant said. "I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter."
With the parents of the 20-year-old alleged victim looking on, District Judge Terry Ruckriegle threw out the case under a deal that means no charges will be refiled. Neither Bryant nor his accuser was in the courtroom.
The dismissal marks a stunning turn in the high-profile case against one the NBA's brightest young stars. For months, prosecutors had insisted they had a strong enough case to win a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt.
Instead, prosecutors backed away just days before opening statements were scheduled to begin on Tuesday. Jury selection was scheduled to wrap up this week.
District Attorney Mark Hurlbert told Ruckriegle the woman did not want to testify or otherwise participate in the trial.
Outside the courthouse, Hurlbert said the decision to drop the case "is not based upon a lack of belief in the victim _ she is an extremely credible and an extremely brave young woman."
"Our belief in her has not wavered over the past year. ... Ultimately, we respect her decision 100 percent," Hurlbert said.
Bryant said the civil case against him "will be decided by and between the parties directly involved in the incident and will no longer be a financial or emotional drain on the citizens of the state of Colorado."
"I also want to make it clear that I do not question the motives of this young woman," Bryant said. "No money has been paid to this woman. She has agreed that this statement will not be used against me in the civil case."
The woman's attorney, John Clune, said she has been through an extremely difficult time since she alleged she was raped, and that she was disturbed by a series of courthouse mistakes that included release of her name and medical history. The woman has been the subject of death threats and relentless media coverage.
"It is in her sincere belief that when this case ends, she does not want to be brought back into the criminal process," Clune said.
"The difficulties that this case has imposed on this woman the past year are unimaginable."
Bryant, 26, the married father of a 19-month-old daughter, has said he had consensual sex with the then-19-year-old employee of a Vail-area resort where he stayed last summer. Had he been convicted, the Los Angeles Lakers star would have faced four years to life in prison or 20 years to life on probation, and a fine up to $750,000.
Bryant apologized to the victim "for my behavior that night and for the consequences she has suffered in the past year."
"Although this year has been incredibly difficult for me personally, I can only imagine the pain she has had to endure," said Bryant, who also apologized to her family, his family and friends and the citizens of Eagle.
Legal experts said a series of court rulings hurt the prosecution's case, including a decision allowing the woman's sex life in the days surrounding her encounter with Bryant to be admitted as evidence. This was expected to bolster the defense contention that she slept with someone after leaving Bryant and before she went to a hospital exam _ a potentially key blow to her credibility.
The pending civil case could allow defense attorneys to argue the woman had a financial motive to accuse Bryant of assault.
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