Ex-49er Dana Stubblefield freed from prison after rape conviction overturned
A judge has granted the release of former San Francisco 49er Dana Stubblefield after his 2020 rape conviction was vacated by a California appeals court last December.
The Sixth Court of Appeals overturned the conviction of the Stubblefield, who is Black, after determining that prosecutors had made racially discriminatory statements during his trial. However, Stubblefield remained in prison because a lower court judge said he didn't have the jurisdiction to grant bail or release.
After the state attorney general's office and the appeals court weighed in, Santa Clara Superior Court Judge Hector Ramon granted Stubblefield's release Friday from the state prison where he has served close to four years of a 15-year sentence.
'Finally, an innocent man is no longer sitting in a cage away from his family,' said Stubblefield's defense attorney Kenneth Rosenfeld in a statement.
Stubblefield was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison in October 2020 after being convicted of raping a woman in 2015 who prosecutors said he lured to his home with the promise of a babysitting job. Defense attorneys argued that no rape occurred, and Stubblefield said the woman consented to sex in exchange for money.
Deputy District Attorney Tim McInerny objected to Stubblefield's release at Friday's hearing and said his office plans to re-file charges, The Mercury News reported.
'A jury unanimously found Mr. Stubblefield guilty of raping a woman at gunpoint, he was given an appropriate sentence, and we felt that justice had been served," Assistant District Attorney Terry Harman said in a statement. "That justice has been interrupted and although we are disappointed that the judge released Mr. Stubblefield from custody while we await a decision from the California Supreme Court, we remain focused on the sexual assault that occurred, the victim, and the need for accountability and community safety.'
The Sixth Court of Appeals found that prosecutors violated the California Racial Justice Act of 2020, a law passed during a summer of protest over the police killing of George Floyd. The measure bars prosecutors from seeking a criminal conviction or imposing a sentence on the basis of race.
The appeals court said prosecutors used 'racially discriminatory language' that required them to overturn Stubblefield's conviction.
'The entire trial was infected with error and bias from the start," Rosenfeld said. 'This was a consensual, transactional encounter, and (Stubblefield) lost years of his life due to a flagrantly biased trial that blocked critical evidence and allowed prejudice and racial bias into the courtroom.'
Rosenfeld said prosecutors used 'prejudicial racial tropes' and called Stubblefield a 'large Black man' in front of the jury during his trial.
The terms of his supervised release include wearing an ankle monitor, not possessing firearms, and being barred from contacting the reported rape victim.
Stubblefield began his 11-year lineman career in the NFL with the 49ers in 1993 as the league's defensive rookie of the year. He later won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1997 before leaving the team to play for Washington. He returned to the Bay Area to finish his career, playing with the 49ers in 2000-01 and the Raiders in 2003.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
5 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Teen to appear in court following discharge of firearm in Limerick last month
A male in his late teens is to appear in court after being charged in connection with an incident involving the discharge of a firearm on Hyde Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston, Limerick City, on Thursday, May 8th. He is due to appear before a sitting of Limerick District Court at 10:30am on Monday. Advertisement A second individual arrested (male 20s) remains in Garda custody. Gardaí said investigations are ongoing. During the course of the operation last month, gardaí also seized suspected controlled drugs with an estimated street value in excess of €28,000 at a domestic residence.
BreakingNews.ie
6 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Brazilian man with expired visa caught with €7.5k worth of drugs in Dublin
A Brazilian cyclist, whose tourist visa expired six months ago, was caught with more than €7,500 worth of assorted drugs in a Dublin city centre seizure on Friday, a court has heard. Juan Souza Gomes, 25, provided a false address, resulting in a follow-up search of a home with occupants who "never heard of him", Judge Michele Finan heard. Advertisement Mr Gomes, with no fixed address, appeared at a weekend sitting of Dublin District Court. The contested bail hearing followed his arrest on the evening of June 13th when he was held and later charged with unlawfully possessing cannabis, cocaine, ketamine, LSD, MDMA, and methamphetamines at Litton Lane, Dublin 1. He is also accused of having the drugs for sale or supply. Store Street Garda Gerard Hanahoe alleged the accused was "caught red-handed" after being seen conversing with another unknown male, and money was handed over. Advertisement The garda approached and tried to detain the second man, but he fled. Searching Mr Gomes's backpack led to the large quantity of drugs, it was claimed. Garda Hanahoe said the accused claimed in his interview that "he found the backpack minutes before gardaí arrived". The officer informed the court that Mr Gomes came to Ireland in 2024 on a temporary tourist visa, which had expired six months ago. He voiced concerns about the man's credibility, fearing he would evade justice if granted bail after he provided a false address. Advertisement As a result, gardaí especially obtained a warrant to search that residence, "and the occupants had no idea who he was". Defence counsel Kevin McCrave, instructed by solicitor Michael French, said his client could now disclose he lived at Frederick Lane, Dublin 1. However, while agreeing Mr Gomes had the presumption of innocence, the garda countered that the accused had no fixed address or family in the country and was unlawfully in the State. The barrister said the case could still be dealt with at the District Court level, but the judge said that was speculative. Advertisement Mr McCrave, pleading for bail, said the man's partner was in Dublin, and she had his passport. Judge Finan stressed that the gardaí had to investigate the address mentioned in the exchanges between the defence and Garda Hanahoe. Ireland Legal action considered to stop government purchas... Read More She set Mr Gomes's bail in his bond of €700 but required a confirmed address and approval of an independent surety who must lodge €7,000 before he can be released. Once the terms have been met, he must surrender his passport and not use any bicycle, e-bike, motorcycle, or e-scooter. He was remanded in custody with consent to bail to appear again next week. The charges are under sections 3 and 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act. Mr Gomes, who listened to the proceedings with the help of a translator, was granted legal aid. Directions from the DPP must be obtained.
NBC News
9 hours ago
- NBC News
How a city in Nebraska is recovering after the state's largest worksite immigration raid
Immigration The city of Omaha is trying to forge ahead following the raid's chilling effect on the local workforce and the community at large. June 15, 2025, 6:00 AM EDT By Nicole Acevedo OMAHA, Nebraska — Every seat in the waiting area of Glenn Valley Foods was occupied with people filling out job applications early Thursday afternoon, two days after the meatpacking plant became the center of the largest worksite immigration raid in the state of Nebraska so far this year. Dozens of prospective employees, many of them Spanish speakers, had been coming in and out of the plant all day. Some were hoping to land a new job; others were coming in for training. The scene gave the company's president, Chad Hartmann, a glimmer of hope amid the chaos that ensued after Tuesday's raid purged roughly half of his staff — many of whom had been longtime employees of the company, which has been processing boxed beef for more than 15 years. Hartmann had never seen or experienced a raid before. He is finding out in real time that 'there's no playbook' on how to move forward after one, Hartmann told NBC News. The process of re-hiring new workers, Hartmann said, feels like asking someone to replace a family member. 'You cannot, in my mind,' he said. 'They were part of our family, and they were taken away.' Seventy-six people working at Glenn Valley Foods were arrested by federal immigration authorities Tuesday morning, the Department of Homeland Security told NBC News in an email. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the arrests were part of an enforcement operation to execute a federal search warrant in connection to an investigation into ' the large-scale employment of aliens without legal work authorization.' As of Friday night, criminal charges had not been filed against those arrested in the raid. About a dozen of them have already been deported or transferred out of state. At least 63 others were taken to the Lincoln County Detention Center. The county's sheriff, Jerome Kramer, said none of the detainees are 'violent offenders' and he hopes to help them 'complete the process to correct their work status and reunite them with families or employers.' Samantha Santiago, who owns a business selling accessories in South Omaha's predominantly Latino business district, said many of the detained people were her customers. 'There are just too many families who were affected,' she said in Spanish, adding that some of people in the community canceled " quinceañeras" and baptisms planned for this weekend because 'the sadness is too deep.' The raid happened on the same week John Ewing officially took office as the first Black mayor of Omaha. Ewing, a Democrat, defeated Republican incumbent Jean Stothert in last month's election. At the same time, anti-ICE demonstrations have been raging across the nation in cities like Los Angeles, Seattle, New York and Philadelphia — protesting the tactics being used when conducting raids and immigration enforcement actions. 'It's a collective effort, as a community, to both mourn together and also try to find solutions together for everybody,' Douglas County Commissioner Roger Garcia, the first Latino to occupy that position, told NBC News. Douglas County, where Omaha is located, is one of just two counties in Nebraska that went blue during the 2024 presidential election. The state as a whole is largely considered a Republican stronghold. Nevada Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, issued a statement in support of the raids and signed a proclamation Friday to activate the National Guard as a precautionary measure ' in anticipation of anti-ICE protests ' this weekend. In a news conference Wednesday, Ewing said that he does not support workplace raids and Omaha police would not, as a normal course of business, ask people about their immigration status. The dueling points showcase the source of nationwide tensions as Americans grapple with President Donald Trump's actions to fulfill his campaign promise of mass deportations. On Friday, over 500 people protesting Omaha's immigration raids peacefully marched to Charles Schwab Field, where the College World Series — the city's biggest sporting event — was kicking off. 'It is big for tourism in Omaha,' Juan Elizondo, one of the protest's lead organizers, told NBC News. 'The nation here with us — being there present, and letting them hear us, I think is more impactful.' A diverse crowd of demonstrators, from children and young people to older adults, were mostly dressed in white to show peace, though a handful of them even dressed in work uniforms to symbolize immigrants' contributions. Most of them held signs, upside down American flags signaling distress and Latin American flags to represent some of the people's heritage. Dozens of other people driving by honked at the demonstrators and placed flags outside their car windows to show support. The march marked the first time Elizondo, 32, had organized a protest. As an Omaha native and a son of Mexican immigrants, Elizondo said, he felt compelled to step up after he saw that the main message of the protests across the nation was being marred by instances of violence. 'This is definitely an extreme moment in the community,' he said. 'It's gotten a lot more political.' Reeling from the aftermath News of the ICE raid this week sent a crippling, chilling effect across the city. The local library and community college closed early on Tuesday. Construction sites and other workplaces have been desolate. South Omaha's business district, known as a vibrant Hispanic and immigrant enclave, shut down immediately after the raid. As of Friday, some had reopened. About a third of the remaining staff at Glenn Valley Foods showed up to work on Wednesday, with many staying home because they still felt afraid or traumatized, resulting in a roughly 20% drop in production that day, according to Hartmann. As more of the remaining employees showed up Thursday morning — most still reeling from the stress caused by the raid — workers and employees held a meeting. Hartmann described the meeting as a combination of 'tough love' and even passionate disagreements, as people tried to make sense of what happened and find a way to move forward. About 80 employees were at the plant processing meat early Friday afternoon. At the South Omaha business district, a popular Mexican bakery reopened Friday and welcomed dozens of customers taking home pastries for Father's Day weekend. Three hair stylists sat outside their empty salon. They said this weekend tends to be busy for the business, but many of their immigrant customers were not coming in because they were still afraid to be out in public following the raid. Santiago was back at her store Friday after taking a couple of days to process what was happening around her. During those two days, Santiago said she would cry unprompted 'every five minutes.' To find comfort, she went to church and prayed. Scrolling on social media, Santiago saw GoFundMe pages, raffles and other efforts to raise funds for the families affected by the raids. She said some are struggling to afford legal fees and immigration attorneys as well as keep up with family expenses without their spouse's income. Looking for a way to help, Santiago had the idea to take a portion of the proceeds from her bestselling item — the popular Labubu dolls — and donate them to the affected families. Commissioner Garcia's family is among those directly impacted by the raids. His wife's aunt was among the 76 people who were taken into immigration custody. Her son was able to speak with her on Wednesday at around 1 a.m. and learned she was being taken to an immigration processing center in Omaha. Currently, she is at a state detention center elsewhere. 'A lot of these individuals have been here for many years, if not decades, raising a family here, have citizen children and family members here, and they don't fit that profile of being the high-level criminals that are supposed to be the priority for immigration enforcement,' Garcia said. Grappling with a system that 'needs to be repaired' Wrapping and loading boxes of product into trucks, processing meat, maintaining the intricate machinery and repairing and cleaning the plant: these are some of the jobs, Hartmann said, that workers at Glenn Valley Foods do to ensure the meatpacking plant passes strict Safe Quality Food audits and inspections from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Hartmann explained some of these jobs require rigorous safety training; 'it takes skilled people that take pride in what they do,' he said. The company's president said they have continuously used E-Verify as part of their hiring process. The system is operated by the Department of Homeland Security in partnership with the Social Security Administration to let employers know if a prospective employee has legal authorization to work in the U.S. Every employee at Glenn Valley Foods, including those who were detained by ICE, has been approved through E-Verify, Hartmann said. When he told this to DHS during the raid, an agency official described the system they operate as flawed and easy to cheat. Now, as he hires a new workforce, Hartmann has no other alternative but to continue using E-Verify system to screen employees, he said. 'That system doesn't capture a solution if somebody's got a fake ID. That's what needs to be repaired.' Garcia said that limiting immigrants' ability to remain in the country legally is what often pushes people to 'borrow' or 'make up' false identifications. It is for the 'sole purpose of working and nothing else, because there has been no other way for them to adjust their status and work under their own proper name or identification.' 'But our comprehensive immigration reform efforts have not gone through yet, unfortunately. And it's still badly needed,' García said. In researching alternatives for E-Verify with guidance from Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., DHS and federal authorities, Hartmann said the options he was presented included temporary work visa programs such as H-1A — meant for industries dealing with workforce shortages — and H-2B, for nonagricultural jobs. But because these immigration programs are for seasonal workers, 'it doesn't fit our needs,' Hartmann said. Saying goodbye to workers every six months is 'not building a business.' Hartmann wishes government officials would consider creating a limited period of amnesty for undocumented people who 'meet certain qualifications' such as never having committed a crime, a desire to work, pay taxes and be part of the community. This could be a temporary remedy for people looking to get legal immigration status, he suggested. While that might not be the answer to the larger immigration issue, he said it's 'some version that makes sense.' 'There should be no problem with that,' Hartmann said, 'to just stop the bleeding, stop the problem.' A new generation of residents speak out Elizondo organized Friday's protest with the help and support of other more experienced Latino and immigrant rights advocates. A group of them met on Thursday afternoon at a downtown Omaha restaurant to plan the demonstration. They shared advice on how to work with local law enforcement to ensure the protests remained peaceful and focused on how immigration raids are hurting their communities, the community activists said. 'That has made the new generation speak up,' Rosa la Puente, one of the advocates mentoring Elizondo, said about the recent events. Many in the community are questioning the timing of the Omaha raid, wondering if the city was targeted for political reasons. When asked about this at a news conference on Wednesday, Ewing said, 'I don't know why Omaha was targeted.' For young Omaha residents like Elizondo and Jennifer Reyna, 29, the issue feels personal. Elizondo said he was inspired to step up after he saw his mother's leadership, consoling co-workers at James Skinner Baking, a local baking manufacturer, who were paralyzed with fear following the raid. 'It breaks your heart,' he said. Reyna, who attended Friday's protest, said they want their voices heard beyond Omaha. 'Everyone at this point in time in the community is afraid and is extremely upset,' Reyna said. Amid a feeling of helplessness, "we're trying to live normal, hardworking lives in this country that we do love,' she said. Nicole Acevedo Nicole Acevedo is a national reporter for NBC News and NBC Latino.
