Former AAU coach acquitted on CT rape charge, convicted of having sex with teen athlete
A jury acquitted Danny Lawhorn Jr., a former coach with the Bria Holmes Elite girls basketball program, of rape but found him guilty of having sex with a girl under his tutelage as a coach — an act prohibited under state law when an athlete is under 18..
The jury came back with its decision Thursday in Hartford Superior Court after hearing final arguments earlier in the day and deliberations that lasted between 30 to 40 minutes, according to Lawhorn's attorney, Hartford-based lawyer Jon L. Schoenhorn.
A judge set Lawhorn's bond at $250,000 immediately after the verdict and scheduled sentencing for Nov. 14, court records show. He did not immediately post bond and was held at the Hartford Correctional Center, Connecticut Department of Correction records reviewed Friday said.
Lawhorn, 33, had been free on bonds in connection with the case, as well as two other pending sexual assault matters stemming from arrests in October 2021 by the Hartford and East Hartford Police Departments.
The case Lawhorn took to trial arose from an arrest on June 13, 2021, after a 17-year-old girl who was living in his Hartford residence accused him of sexual assault .
When investigators went to speak with Lawhorn about the allegations and, upon patting him down, found four white rock-like substances that were each in smaller baggies. Lab tests later confirmed the substance to be crack cocaine, which weighed about 11.46 grams.
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Later in the day, police arrested Lawhorn on one count of second-degree sexual assault and a drug offense.
Prior to his trial, prosecutors added a first-degree sexual assault charge under a forcible rape provision.
"Mr. Lawhorn was acquitted of rape," Schoenhorn said, adding that his client did not deny having sex with the teen.
Schoenhorn said his interpretation of the "unusually" brief deliberations suggested jurors believed the sexual encounter between Lawhorn and the teen was consensual and "must have immediately, unanimously rejected" the rape accusations.
"That's just my opinion," he said. "I haven't talked to them. That's the only logical interpretation of that."
Lawhorn's conviction stemmed from a sexual assault provision that prohibits a coach from engaging in sexual activity with an athlete under their tutelage who is under 18. It is separate from a similar provision that prohibits teachers from engaging in sexual behavior with students younger than 18.
"My principal argument, which I raised in a motion to dismiss, was that the particular statute on which he was charged is unconstitutional," Schoenhorn said. "It's vague. There's no definition of a coach."
According to Schoenhorn, during the trial, he challenged the notion that Lawhorn could be considered the teen's coach. Lawhorn at the time coached what essentially equated to the varsity team in the Bria Holmes Elite girls basketball program, while the teen played for what Schoenhorn described as the team at more of a junior varsity level.
In 2021, Lawhorn was engaged to Holmes, a former Hillhouse High School standout and WNBA player. The two share a child.
During the trial, prosecutors played a video that showed the teen playing for the team Lawhorn coached, but Schoenhorn said he had several witnesses testify that she did not play for that team.
"Occasionally they brought her in for a few minutes because, if they were short a player — you know, you need a minimum number of players or you forfeit — but he wasn't her coach," Schoenhorn argued. "And he certainly wasn't her coach at the time of the sexual activity."
According to Schoenhorn, when he brought up the issue during a motion to dismiss the charge, a judge denied the motion without giving a reason and indicated he would write an explanation in the future, though that has not yet been done.
Schoenhorn said the dispute over whether or not Lawhorn could be considered the teen's coach will serve as the "principal issue upon appeal" and that he expects the conviction will not hold up under appellate review. He also said there is no case law concerning that specific provision and that Lawhorn's case could set a legal precedent going forward.
Schoenhorn described the provision "overbroad" and "vague" and one that he says was rushed through legislation.
"This was not a school program, it wasn't even a formalized program," Schoenhorn said. "It was a summer travel amateur basketball organization."
Former AAU coach accused of sexually assaulting minors sentenced to federal prison on drug charge
The trial came in the wake of Lawhorn receiving a federal prison sentence of 12 months and a day after pleading guilty to being found with narcotics on two separate occasions while authorities were investigating sexual assault allegations.
The first instance occurred when police patted him down and found crack cocaine in June 2021. The other came on Oct. 5, 2021, when Hartford police attempted to arrest him in connection with sexual assault allegations involving another teenage victim.
According to federal court papers, Lawhorn took off from authorities on foot outside of his mother's apartment complex. He tried to get into a locked door of the complex before attempting to climb over a fence, where police apprehended him,
As he was being taken into custody, several wax paper sleeves fell out of Lawhorn's pockets, according to federal court documents. The sleeves contained a white powder substance that was later tested in a lab and confirmed to be fentanyl, which weighed about 5.09 grams.
Schoenhorn said Lawhorn has denied having sex with the two other teens who have accused him of sexual assault.
