Opera singer David Daniels and his husband plead guilty to sexual assault

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Famous opera singer David Daniels and his husband have admitted their guilt in a case of sexual assault involving another singer in Houston. Both Daniels, aged 57, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and his husband Scott Walters, aged 40, pleaded guilty to second-degree felony charges of sexually assaulting an adult. As a result, they received an eight-year probation sentence and are now required to register as sex offenders.

The charges against Daniels and Walters arose in 2019, when Samuel Schultz, a graduate student at Rice University, filed a criminal complaint dating back to 2010. Schultz alleged that after meeting the couple at a Houston Grand Opera reception, they invited him to their apartment, where they gave him a drink that caused him to lose consciousness. When he woke up, he found himself naked and alone.

It’s important to note that Schultz bravely decided to publicly identify himself to support others who might be afraid of reporting similar assaults. The Associated Press (AP) usually refrains from naming victims of sexual assault, but Schultz volunteered to share his identity for this reason.

In 2018, prior to these charges, Daniels faced sexual assault allegations from a student at the University of Michigan. As a consequence, he was dismissed from his position as a professor and removed from a San Francisco Opera production of Handel’s “Orlando.” The federal lawsuit filed in Michigan alleged that Daniels not only groped the male student but also exchanged explicit photos with him. Additionally, the lawsuit claimed that Daniels provided the student with alcohol and sleep medication before engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior.

After entering their guilty pleas, Daniels, Walters, and their attorney chose not to make any comments following the hearing.

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