SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Parker Kingston, a BYU football player who was removed from the team due to rape allegations, returned to court for his preliminary hearing after it was rescheduled last month.

Kingston, 21, was charged in February with first-degree felony rape after a year-long investigation. He returned to court on Thursday for his preliminary hearing.

The first witness, lead investigator Cody Layton, said the victim went to the St. George Regional Hospital for a sexual assault exam, reporting she had been raped. Layton also testified to messages from Kingston’s phone allegedly telling his friends he had “cracked her.”

According to Layton, Kingston also texted the victim afterward, saying he regretted the incident.

“You told me before and then you said yes or else I never would have done that,” the texts allegedly read.

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A forensic interview was played for the court, where the victim claimed she said no in various ways four to five times. She added that “it definitely messed me up for a really long time,” saying she only told people close to her about the incident.

The defense presented police records that allegedly showed the victim wanted to cancel the report a month later. However, a couple of months after that, the victim claimed she never made the call to cancel the report, according to records.

The defense argued that the alleged victim reopened the case after an article was published on rape allegations against former BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff.

Defense attorneys also presented a witness statement from the victim’s roommates’ ex-boyfriend, who claimed the victim “bragged” about having sex with a BYU football player.

The preliminary hearing was initially scheduled to take place in March, but was rescheduled after attorneys asked for more time.

At the end of the hearing, the judge will determine if there is enough evidence to go to trial. If the judge believes there is not, the case will be dismissed.

KUTV Reporter Samantha Hoffman contributed to this report.

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