SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Former San Francisco 49er Dana Stubblefield, whose rape conviction was vacated in late 2024, will remain in a California state prison as a judge declined to rule on bail Friday. Santa Clara County’s Superior Court Judge Hector Ramon stated he was unable to grant bail or release the former football star due to the case still being under the jurisdiction of an appeals court, as reported by The Mercury News.
The Sixth District Court of Appeal overturned Stubblefield’s conviction in December 2024 and his sentence of 15 years to life in prison after determining that racial bias had tainted the trial of the Black man. However, the appellate court’s remittitur, a procedural ruling that returns jurisdiction to the lower court, is not anticipated to be issued until the following month, according to the news outlet.
Stubblefield’s legal team has been advocating for his release, arguing that there are no longer valid reasons to keep him incarcerated. In a motion presented to Judge Ramon earlier in the week, the attorneys contended that the judge had the power to transfer the former NFL player from California State Prison, Corcoran — where he has served almost four years of a 15-year sentence — to a county jail, and subsequently grant his release on bail. This action would essentially place Stubblefield back in the same position he held prior to trial, which they assert is his current legal status, The Mercury News noted.
During the court proceedings on Friday, Judge Ramon maintained that jurisdiction would not revert to the local court until the Court of Appeal issued the remittitur. Deputy District Attorney Tim McInerney’s office expressed support for Stubblefield remaining in custody, according to The Mercury News.
Outside the courthouse, Stubblefield’s legal representatives opposed the decision. “As he sits here, everything has been vacated, he has been convicted of nothing, and a legally innocent man is sitting in prison because we’re waiting on a time clock,” attorney Ken Rosenfeld stated.
Stubblefield, a retired football player, was handed a 15-year to life prison sentence in October 2020 following his conviction of raping a woman with developmental disabilities, whom prosecutors alleged he enticed to his residence in 2015 under the guise of a babysitting position. Defense lawyers argued that no rape took place, and Stubblefield maintained that the woman had consented to sexual activity in exchange for money.
In December 2024, the Sixth Court of Appeal found that prosecutors had breached the California Racial Justice Act of 2020, legislation enacted during the aftermath of the protests over the police killing of George Floyd. The law prohibits prosecutors from using race as a basis for seeking a conviction or imposing a sentence. The appeals court concluded that prosecutors had employed “racially discriminatory language,” necessitating the overturning of Stubblefield’s conviction.
Stubblefield commenced his 11-year career as a lineman
