One week ago to the day, it was announced that Brittney Griner plead guilty in regards to drug charges. If convicted, she could face up to 10 years in prison.
“I’d like to plead guilty, your honor,” Griner said in court. “But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law.”
Griner is back in court a week later, according to a report from ESPN’s T.J. Quinn. He noted that not much is expected to happen today except for the judge reading Griner’s case into the record.
“A reminder Brittney Griner is back in a Russian court today,” Quinn reported. “She pleaded guilty last week, but the trial continues per Russian practice with the judge reading the case against her into the record. Nothing of huge note expected inside the courtroom today.”
Quinn added that Russia wants the legal proceedings to look legitimate.
“Russia keeps sending signals that it wants the legal proceedings to play out before addressing a deal,” Quinn reported. “The U.S. (and lots of experts) call it theater, but Russia wants to maintain the image of a legitimate trial.”
Griner’s Russian lawyers reportedly expect the trial to end in early August and believe she’ll be sentenced soon thereafter.