A New Jersey high school basketball star must remain behind bars and will be tried as an adult after being accused of rape in Missouri.
Keiner Asprilla, 18, was detained in January at his high school, St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City. His case was initially handled in juvenile court because he was 17 at the time of the alleged assault.
Asprilla, a 7-foot-1 center, was considered one of the top basketball prospects in the state. He received scholarship offers from Kansas, Auburn, Florida State and Missouri, according to recruiting website 247Sports.
In September 2024, Asprilla took an official visit to Missouri, staying in a hotel room in Columbia paid for by the school. Police said that during the trip, Asprilla raped a female victim three times in the room, local NBC affiliate KOMU reported.
Following the recruiting visit, Asprilla returned to New Jersey and continued playing for St. Peter’s Prep. Columbia police began investigating what happened in the hotel room on Oct. 8 after receiving a sex assault report, leading to Asprilla’s January arrest, according to local ABC affiliate KMIZ.
Asprilla has been charged with first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy and second-degree kidnapping, NJ.com reported.
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