Domestic violence charges against Stanford biology professor Hunter Fraser dismissed

Santa Clara County Superior Court dismissed domestic violence charges against Stanford biology professor Hunter Fraser on Nov. 20.

Fraser was arrested and charged In September 2022, he crashed into a wall for misdemeanor domestic violence after opening a door with his girlfriend behind him, causing him to break two ribs. Fraser claimed he did not know his girlfriend was behind the door and that the incident occurred during a game he was playing with him and his then-nine-year-old daughter. He did not accept the accusations.

In November 2022, charges were announced against Fraser, who had been at Stanford since 2009 and was scheduled to teach BIO 191: “Evolutionary Genomics” and BIO 4N: “The Science and Ethics of Personalized Genomic Medicine” during the Winter Term. raised from a misdemeanor to a felony due to the injuries the woman suffered.

Fraser in June 2023 disappeared On a 40-mile solo hike in Olympic National Park. He said that during the walk he “slipped on a snowy slope, hit my head and lost his bearings.” He missed a June 9 preliminary appearance in Santa Clara County Superior Court and was eventually located June 10 after a manhunt involving 90 search and rescue personnel.

The State Attorney General’s Office requested that the charges be dismissed. In addition to dismissing the charges, Santa Clara County Superior Court also lifted a restraining order that Fraser’s ex-girlfriend had filed against him.

“After a careful evaluation of all the evidence, including the accident defense, we concluded that there was insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt,” Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office Communications Director Sean Webby wrote in an email. to The Daily.

Fraser’s lawyer said the woman said it was an accident just a few days after the incident, and argued that Fraser had caused the injury “accidentally, without any criminal intent”.

“This has been a devastating two-year ordeal,” Fraser said in a written statement. “It is deeply disturbing that a simple accident has been turned into a narrative that portrays me as an abuser, which I am not and never have been.”