A jury found a former Webster girls basketball coach not guilty on charges of first- and second-degree rape.
The jury deliberated for less than two days before reaching its decision Monday morning that Kali Watkins was not guilty of raping a 14-year-old player in January 2017.
Watkins had been accused of raping the girl in the Webster Schroeder High School locker room.
As the verdict was read, Watkins hugged his defense attorney, Jon Getz, and let out a sigh of relief.
Defense attorneys focused on an alibi that Watkins brought his dog to the vet at the time the rape was alleged to have taken place. They showed text messages between family members discussing the appointment and showed the receipts to prove what time he was there. Watkins’ ex-wife and their veterinarian testified that he had taken the family dog to the vet’s office that afternoon.
Outside court, Getz called it a “just verdict.”
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