Former New England Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs was acquitted Tuesday of trying to suffocate his former chef and lover.
The six-person jury rendered its verdict after just 90 minutes of deliberations.
The case centered on a Dec. 2 encounter at Diggs’ home in Dedham, Massachusetts where Jamila Adams, a former live-in personal chef who is known as Mila, testified he slapped and choked her during an argument.
Diggs pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys claimed the assault never happened.
The case turned on questions about Adams’ credibility and whether the dispute was about money or an assault, AP reported.
Defense attorneys pointed to financial demands she made and testimony from friends and employees who said she did not appear injured in the days after the encounter.
Prosecutors argued the case rested on her account of what happened inside the home.
Adams couldn’t have been a worse prosecution witness, toying with the defense attorney during cross examination.
She also was evasive in answering straightforward questions, raising issues over her credibility in the eyes of the jury.
Diggs faced up to five years in prison on the top charge of strangulation and two-and-a-half years in jail for misdemeanor assault.
He had on his game face as the not-guilty verdicts were read aloud by the judge, his only emotion coming afterwards as he hugged his lawyers.
