CELEBRITY
Prosecutors Say Kevin Porter Jr. Didn’t Break Girlfriend’s Neck, Drop One Of His Charge
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Manhattan prosecutors on Monday dropped one assault charge against Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. after a fracture initially found in girlfriend Kysre Gondrezicks neck was found instead to be the result of a congenital defect.
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Mirah Curzer said prosecutors dropped a charge of second-degree assault due to “insufficient evidence,” but Porter, 23, still faces charges of second-degree strangulation and third-degree assault.
“What initially appeared to be a fractured vertebrae was not in fact an injury caused by the defendant,” Curzer told Judge Jay Weiner during a Monday hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court.
Porter is accused of beating Gondrezick, a former WNBA player, at the Millennium Hilton New York at 1 UN Plaza in Midtown Manhattan on Sept. 11. He allegedly hit her and choked her until she was able to escape the room. A hotel employee allegedly found Gondrezick, 26, in the hallway.
The district attorney’s office previously offered Porter a plea deal on the lesser assault charge on the condition that he undergo counseling, but he refused.
Judge Jay Weiner on Monday warned Porter not to get into any further altercations with Gondrezick.
I dont know what your relationship is with the complainant, Weiner said, addressing Porter. But if things get heated, you have to be the one who walks away.
Porter, 23, lives in Texas and has been free on bail. Rockets general manager Rafael Stone told reporters after Porter’s arrest last month that he would not be returning to the team for training camp or preseason activities. Meanwhile, the team is reportedly hoping to trade him.
Porter’s next court date is scheduled for Nov. 27.
TMX contributed to this article.
