A former Boise State University football player is accused of beating another Boise State student to the point of unconsciousness.
The incident between Jace Richter, the accused, and Ben Taylor, the victim, happened on Oct. 8 around 1:30 a.m in a dorm room.
Taylor's father, Trent, spoke to KTVB about it on Oct. 13. He told KTVB the beating happened when his son Ben went to visit a female friend in her dorm room in Taylor Hall.
"The guy that beat him up, I believe thought that Ben was being too loud and was kicking and yelling at the door," Taylor said. "I heard this from a lady who was in the common room at the dorm and when Ben opened the door the two were face to face."
But the other side said there's more to the story than that. Richter's attorney, Michael Bartlett, hired a private investigator to help with this case. KTVB reviewed witness statements that investigator took.
All three witnesses told the investigator that Taylor appeared to be aggressive and angry before the beating and they were concerned for their female friend he was visiting.
According to those accounts, Richter and two females knocked on the door to make sure everything was okay and that's what lead to the beating. At that point all three witnesses told the investigator Taylor initiated a fight, swung at Richter and missed.
Following that, the witnesses said in their statements that Richter punched Taylor multiple times.
Richter's attorney declined to go on camera but did send us this statement:
"Jace is a young man who found himself, along with others, concerned for the safety of a young woman when he was forced to defend himself against an unprovoked attack by Ben Taylor. Unfortunately, Mr. Taylor's initial story was highly misleading."
Richter was dismissed from the football team after the incident.
David Claiborne, Ben Taylor's attorney, said the girl was never in any danger. He wasn't available to do an on-camera interview, but gave KTVB the following statement:
"Her safety was never an issue. That's never been raised by the girl herself. My client is not under an investigation by police or the university. "
Trent Taylor told KTVB earlier this month that he didn't know if words were exchanged between his his son and Richter. But he said he was told by witnesses that when Ben opened the door that's when he was punched and knocked unconscious. From there he said Richter continued to beat Ben.
"You know what's most sickening and disgusting as parents to think about is one, who can do this to somebody? Who can beat them unconscious and then continue to hit them and then leave them," Trent said.
No criminal charges have been filed. Boise Police and the university are still investigating.