BYU’s Parker Kingston Arrested on Rape Charge, Denies Allegations
BYU wide receiver Parker Kingston, one of the Cougars’ most productive players in 2025, is facing a first-degree felony rape charge stemming from an alleged incident last February. According to court documents unsealed Thursday in Washington County’s 5th District Court, Kingston, 21, has been booked into jail and is currently being held without bail.
He is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Friday in St. George, with Judge Jay Winward presiding over the case.
The charge follows an investigation launched nearly a year ago, after a 20-year-old woman reported a sexual assault to officers at St. George Regional Hospital on February 27, 2025. According to a statement from the Washington County Attorney’s Office, the woman alleged that Kingston sexually assaulted her during a visit to her residence in the early morning hours of February 23.
In a forensic interview conducted on June 3, 2025, the woman told investigators that she had communicated with Kingston online prior to their meetup, explicitly stating she did not want to have sex and that if that was his intention, he should not come. She emphasized that she had set clear boundaries.
Per the affidavit of probable cause, the two watched a movie together after Kingston arrived. The woman said they engaged in some sexual activity that did not include intercourse.
Later, after Kingston appeared to fall asleep and the woman left the room to get ready for bed, she returned to find Kingston initiating sexual activity again. According to her statement, she told him to stop several times and attempted to push him off.
She reported that he raped her.
In an interview with law enforcement, Kingston denied the allegation, stating that all sexual activity between the two was consensual. Investigators reviewed communications retrieved from Kingston’s phone, which, according to the affidavit, suggested he had gone to the woman’s apartment with the intention of having sex. The detective who authored the statement concluded that a warrant was necessary to ensure Kingston could be located and brought before the court.
The case documents were initially sealed due to concerns that Kingston might be a flight risk. Those documents were ordered unsealed on Thursday after Kingston was taken into custody, and a previously issued warrant was recalled.
Kingston had recently indicated on social media that he planned to return for his senior season at BYU. The Cougars are coming off an 11-2 campaign that ended with a win over Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Kingston was a key contributor in 2025, leading the team with 67 receptions for 928 yards and five touchdowns. He was widely expected to be the Cougars’ top receiving threat heading into the 2026 season.
In response to the arrest, BYU Athletics released a brief statement on Wednesday:
“BYU became aware today of the arrest of Parker Kingston.
The university takes any allegation very seriously, and will cooperate with law enforcement. Due to federal and university privacy laws and practices for students, the university will not be able to provide additional comment.”
As the legal process unfolds, Kingston’s future-both on and off the field-remains uncertain.