Former MU basketball prospect detained by ICE after rape, sodomy charges dropped
Alison Patton
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A former basketball prospect for the University of Missouri who was accused of raping a woman during a September 2024 campus visit is now being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Kansas City.
Keiner Asprilla was charged in Boone County last year as an adult with first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy and second-degree kidnapping. Asprilla’s attorney Adam Dowling told ABC 17 News that those charges were dropped on Jan. 21 because of alleged inconsistencies with the victim’s statement.
Asprilla is from Colombia and was attending St. Peter’s Prep in New Jersey with a visa, according to Dowling.
When Asprilla was brought to the Boone County Jail, ICE placed an immigration hold on him, according to court documents. The hold was one reason he was denied bond in April 2025.
According to the ICE website, detainers are issued for immigrants that ICE agents believe can be removed from the country, usually because of criminal convictions or because the person is believed to be a threat to public safety or national security.
However, Asprilla’s charges have been dropped, and the case has been dismissed.
The Boone County Jail would have held Asprilla up to 48 hours while waiting on ICE agents to pick him up, according to ICE. Dowling told ABC 17 News that Asprilla is being held in Kansas City.
“I’m very hopeful for Keiner, with regard to the immigration case that is now ongoing in Kansas City. I’m hopeful that he will be exonerated there, be returned to his prior status with his visa,” Dowling said. “I’m very hopeful that he will be allowed to stay here in the United States and continue his education and continue to play basketball.”
Check back for updates.