From Staff Reports
Jahmal Edrine, the former Virginia football player charged with rape and abduction, was released on a $25,000 bail after making his first appearance at Albemarle County Circuit Court on Wednesday.
Judge Cheryl Higgins ruled that Edrine was to wear an ankle monitor and cannot leave the state without court approval, and that he is not allowed to have any women in his apartment that are not biologically related to him, in addition to being forbidden to have any contact with his complainant, whose identity has not been released.
Defense attorney Rhonda Quagliana, who was on the defense team of the George Huguely case and also successfully defended Patrick McNamara in the 2024 Rivanna Trail groper case, introduced arguments in Edrine’s behalf, revealing texts from the accuser and the recording of a phone call between the accuser and a detective from the Albemarle County Police Department.
In that call, the complainant said, “I don’t believe that was rape at all,” with the detective confirming the statement, while agreeing that he was of the opinion the events described by the complainant did not constitute rape. Following the call, which was believed to have taken place in late August of 2025, the detective agreed to complete an investigation, but not to pursue charges. Instead, after months of investigation, the ACPD charged Edrine with rape and abduction last Thursday.
On Wednesday, the defense argued that Edrine and the complainant, who lives in Florida, had consensual sex, but that Edrine had not withdrawn before ejaculating. In text messages to Edrine, the complainant denied she had been raped and had attained a rape kit because she was worried about STDs and pregnancy.
Meanwhile, Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Susan Baumgartner claimed that Edrine’s defense was attempting to try the case in the media. Baumgartner introduced 150 pages of text messages between the complainant and Edrine, all dating back to within the 48 hours of the August sexual encounter.
One of the key texts read in court from the complainant said: “I told you ‘No’ twice, three times actually,” in reference to Edrine ejaculating in her, prior to accusing Edrine of not knowing what ‘No’ meant.
The prosecution also produced evidence that Edrine sent money to the complainant for the purchase of Plan B, which is a morning after contraception pill.
The complainant filed a report with both the ACPD and her hometown police department, with the ACPD searching Edrine’s apartment within 24 hours of the incident, although the complainant requested the police not to pursue charges.
Baumgartner read a text from the complainant, who told Edrine she had dropped the charges because she cared about him.
Quagliana read several texts between the complainant and Edrine over the weeks following the August encounter, most of which were from the complainant, with her asking about coming to one of Edrine’s football games while claiming she was pregnant with his child.
“The texts are clear and make it clear what’s going on,” Quagliana said.
