The legal saga of Kellen Winslow II, the first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2004, took a turn on Friday as he agreed to a plea deal that will sentence him to 14 years in prison for various sexual offenses.
The new plea agreement replaces a prior plea agreement in his case from November 2019, when he pleaded guilty to rape and sexual battery charges to avoid the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison. The previous deal stipulated a sentencing range of 12 to 18 years behind bars, to be determined by the judge after a sentencing hearing.
“I would like to agree to 14 years,” Winslow, 37, told Judge Blaine Bowman remotely from his jail.
The new deal also includes another significant change: a new guilty plea by Winslow for assaulting a hitchhiker with the intent to commit rape in March 2018 – a woman in her mid-50s who was known in the case as Jane Doe 1. That new guilty plea replaces a guilty plea he made in November 2019 for sexual battery against the same woman.
The son of the Hall of Fame tight end by the same name will be formally sentenced on March 3.
USA Today has a detailed report on how the decision came down and what crimes were committed that led to the legal case. Click here to read the complete story.