Elissa Ennis, the former girlfriend of San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster, testified Thursday in a preliminary hearing that Foster never put his hands on her and that she “lied a lot” to authorities about an alleged domestic violence incident.
Ennis, who testified against the advice of her attorney Stephanie Rickard, said she made up the story because she wanted to ruin Foster’s career and sue him for money after he broke up with her on the morning of Feb. 11. She also admitted to falsely accusing a former boyfriend of domestic violence in Louisiana in 2011 after he attempted to break up with her.
“I was pissed, and I wanted to end him,” Ennis testified.
Ennis said she felt she needed to tell the truth because she “had to do the right thing,” even if it meant admitting to previous lies to the police and to stealing money and two Rolex watches from Foster in the days after their breakup.
“I’m sorry. I really am,” Ennis said. “I apologize to everybody.”
To wrap up the day-long proceedings, Bentley requested that the two counts related to domestic violence not move forward and asked for the gun charge to be reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor under California Penal Code 17, which refers to the charge as a “wobbler” that can be punished as either a felony or a misdemeanor.
Smith argued that the photos of Ennis’ injuries are consistent with victimization of a possible fight with Foster and Ennis’ initial story and that Ennis’ story about the fight the previous night had no corroboration. He also argued that the gun charge should move forward as a felony based on the fact that Foster had stored the gun in a bathroom with a bullet in the chamber and 30 more in a magazine.
If convicted of all charges, Foster could face up to 11 years in prison. Foster remains a member of the 49ers although the team hasn’t allowed him to participate in the offseason program while his case is ongoing.
