Logan • In July 2016, former Utah State University linebacker Torrey Green sent a text to a female friend.
"they said i raped them yes i did its my fault im the one who did it," he wrote.
Six days earlier, The Salt Lake Tribune had reported that four women told police in 2015 that a USU student had sexually assaulted them. No charges had been filed, and The Tribune did not name the accused student.
Green texted a link to the story to a family member and to others the day after it was posted online, according to testimony in 1st District Court on Thursday.
The later text to the female friend was profanity laced and apologetic. "i f---ed up people make mistakes," Green wrote to her.
The messages were read during the second day of preliminary hearings for Green, who is charged with 12 felonies in seven alleged attacks between November 2013 and November 2015, when he was a student at USU.
Defense attorney Skye Lazaro noted that there is no punctuation in his text messages — and asserted that they could be interpreted in a number of ways. He could be saying that he "messed up" in having sex with the women, Lazaro said, not that he was admitting to illegal activity.
The Tribune later named Green, after the Atlanta Falcons learned of the allegations and cut the undrafted free agent. Prosecutors reviewed the original four allegations, filing charges in three of those cases, and added charges stemming from alleged attacks on women who subsequently came forward.
After further testimony Friday, 1st District Judge Brian Cannell is expected to decide whether there is probable cause for the cases to move forward toward trial. Green is charged with six counts of rape, one count of aggravated kidnapping, three counts of forcible sex abuse and two counts of object rape.
Three women testified on Wednesday about their alleged assaults, and on Thursday, two more women took the stand and recalled their encounters with Green in emotional testimony. Both women had reported to police that they were assaulted in 2015.
Catherine — who is identified by a pseudonym — testified that she met Green on USU's campus in January 2015 and gave him her phone number. A few days later, she said, Green called to say he was on his way to her dorm.
She said she was nervous but felt better when she saw that Green had arrived with a friend. They drove back to Green's apartment and started watching TV, she said, and the friend soon left.
Green started kissing her and pulling at her shirt, Catherine testified. "I told him that I didn't want to do this, that I didn't know him," Catherine said.
She said Green then carried her to his bedroom and raped her. Catherine testified that she said no "the whole time" and was sure that Green knew she did not want to have sex.
Afterward, Catherine said, Green asked her, "You're not the kind of girl who would report a rape, right? Because that would ruin my career."
Catherine called a friend for a ride home from Green's apartment, she said, and soon disclosed to that friend that she had been raped by Green.
The friend testified that they eventually woke up the dormitory complex's resident assistant, who informed Catherine of her options, including reporting to police and going to the school's Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information (SAAVI) office, which provides confidential counseling.
Catherine went to SAAVI first, and then reported to police. She underwent a rape kit exam a few days after the rape, she said, and tried to keep going to classes. But she couldn't concentrate, she said, and dropped out about two weeks later.
"I loved Utah State," she testified, in tears. "I loved it so much. But I finally realized it was never going to be the same and I was terrified of ever having to see him again."
Cache County prosecutors initially declined to file charges in Catherine's case and her rape kit was not sent to the state crime lab for DNA testing until August 2016 — after prosecutors began re-examining the cases.
"When this was collected, it was common practice and policy to not send rape kits down until there were court proceedings or unless we had a reason to send them down," Logan police Detective Kendall Olsen testified, adding that the department hasn't received results from the crime lab yet.
Anna, who also testified Thursday, said Green raped her about six months after he allegedly raped Catherine. The Tribune generally does not identify victims of sexual assault, but Anna has agreed to the use of her first name.
Anna said she met Green on the dating app Tinder in late May or early June 2015. Late one night, he came over to her apartment despite her saying that she was tired, she said. As they talked, he seemed "nice, decent and pleasant," she said.
But then he started grabbing and kissing her, Anna testified, while moving her to her bedroom. She ended up facedown on the floor, she said, and he started pulling off her clothing.
"I told him to stop and I didn't want to have sex with him," she testified. "He ignored what I was saying and continued."
After the alleged assault, she said, he lay on her bed and "demanded" she do the same. He snapped a photo of the two of them, she said, and she smiled because he asked her to.
Anna said she did not immediately report to police because she didn't think anyone would believe her.
She went to police in November 2015 — after someone at SAAVI informed her that another woman had reported Green to the office, she said. She did not disclose that Green took the picture because she had forgotten about it, she testified Thursday.
In August 2016, Green sent a text message to his brother containing the photo. "I forgot I had this pic. This will save me a bunch," he wrote, according to testimony.
Two other alleged victims are expected to testify Friday. Green is being held in the Cache County Jail without the opportunity for bail.
