Quotes from Baillie Gibson are taken from an interview given to ESPN. Unless otherwise noted, all other information is taken from court transcripts, witness testimony and arrest interviews.
JUNE 2012 – While at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, Gibson attended a house party the last night of the trip. She reached out to coach Craig Carter for a ride back to the hotel. Gibson woke up the next morning with no memory of what occurred after being picked up by Carter. Gibson said Carter proceeded to show her photos taken on his phone of her naked and engaging in sexual acts with him in his car. She said Carter threatened to show them to her friends and family on the internet if she did not submit to his sexual commands.
FALL 2012/SPRING 2013 – Gibson and Carter’s sexual relationship continued into Gibson’s junior year. Gibson said she tried to end their relationship multiple times but was once again threatened with the release of photos taken in Eugene as well as physical threats. Gibson’s closest friend, Julie LaBonte, noticed a significant change in Gibson’s behavior throughout the course of the year but was completely unaware of her relationship with coach Carter. Gibson said she continued the relationship because she felt scared and helpless.
NOV. 5, 2013 – Former UA athletic director Greg Byrne called Carter into a meeting after a fellow track athlete went to visit Carter’s office and found Carter slow to come to the door, in “disheveled clothing” and Gibson sitting uncomfortably on his couch, and filed a report. Head track coach Fred Harvey attended the meeting as well, and Carter claimed that Gibson “came to him for support.” Gibson was never contacted by Byrne, Harvey or any other school official about the report.
SPRING 2014 – Gibson met with coach Harvey to discuss a request to transfer. Gibson became emotional but did not disclose her relationship with Carter. She instead said she butted heads with Carter. But, because of Gibson’s injuries during her sophomore season, transferring was not a possible option.
APRIL 20, 2015 – Gibson shared what was going on with LaBonte and broke down in tears. At around 5 p.m. that day, LaBonte went with Gibson to McKale Center and waited for her outside as she went to Carter’s office to break off the relationship before she graduated. Gibson told Carter she was leaving Tucson soon and that she never felt the same way he did for her. Carter proceeded to pull out a box cutter, held it to her neck and choked her while saying, “I should just cut your face up and cut your eyes so that no one can see those pretty eyes.” According to testimony from Gibson, Carter then started crying and blocked her in his office until 6:30 p.m. and also said he would kill himself with the box cutter.
APRIL 21, 2015 – Carter showed up outside of Gibson and LaBonte’s house the next morning and began banging on their door. The women locked the doors and hid in the bathroom. Phone records show Carter was repeatedly texting, calling and leaving voicemails while outside the house. According to Gibson, he was outside the house for more than 30 minutes, but even after he left, the threatening messages continued. Gibson received a photo from Carter in which he appeared to have the barrel of a gun in his mouth and said that Gibson won because he “[didn’t] have the balls to pull the trigger.” He later claimed that it was a pipe.
RELATED: Craig Carter found guilty of multiple assault charges
APRIL 24, 2015 – Carter left a voicemail for Gibson threatening to send CDs of pornographic photos and videos of her to her family. “I think I had about eight, eight or nine pictures. And uh, six videos if I remember. All burnt off, getting ready to ship ‘em out. You wanted to go get ugly, and it’s going to get ugly,” Carter said in a voicemail. Two days later, Gibson received a phone call from Carter, and per LaBonte’s request, Gibson recorded over an hour of Carter’s threats toward her, her family and LaBonte as well.
APRIL 29, 2015 – At around 3 p.m., Carter waited outside of McClelland Hall for Gibson to get out of class. According to Gibson, he grabbed her arm and verbally assulted her. LeAnne Shoemaker, a manager for the track team and Gibson’s other roommate, saw this happen, along with another student. The other student called 911, and once Carter realized this, he fled the building. He then sent an email to Gibson, continuing to threaten her about what Shoemaker and LaBonte had now witnessed. The next day, Shoemaker went to coach Harvey and told him the situation. Gibson flew to Las Vegas to stay with a relative, and during her stay there recited the last two years events to her family.
MAY 1, 2015 – Because she did not feel safe in Tucson, Gibson waited until she was in Las Vegas to call the University of Arizona Police Department. Gibson then gave her first full interview describing the box cutter incident, the sexual meetings and the threats. Carter was booked into Pima County Jail the same day following Gibson’s phone call. Once in custody, he admitted to pulling a box cutter on Gibson but said it was the first time he touched her. Carter was charged with aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, domestic-violence-related stalking and disruption of an educational institution.
NOVEMBER 2015 – Gibson filed a civil lawsuit under the name “Jane Doe” against Carter, Bryne, Harvey, the University of Arizona, the University’s Board of Regents and the state of Arizona. The lawsuit claims officials across the university knew about the dangerous situation that Gibson was in but failed to protect her. Harvey and Byrne were eventually dropped from the lawsuit.
FEBRUARY 2016 – Carter and his wife countersued Gibson and her attorney for defamation. In his lawsuit, it states Gibson actively initiated all sexual acts with Carter and that Lynne Cadigan, Gibson’s attorney, worked with Gibson in an effort to intentionally destroy his family and career.
OCTOBER 2016 – Carter turned down a plea deal of 3.75 years in prison.
MARCH 27, 2018 – Carter’s trial on assault charges took place at the Pima County Superior Court, where Gibson, UAPD Detective T.J. Larkin and LaBonte were called to the stand by the prosecution to testify. The trial was expected to last 10 days.
MARCH 30, 2018 – A Pima County jury found Craig Carter guilty on the charges of aggravated assault and assault with a dangerous instrument. He was taken into custody at 5 p.m. He will be sentenced May 14 and faces 5–23 years in prison.
— A separate trial, date to be announced, will be held for Carter’s charges of domestic-violence-related stalking and disruption of an educational institution.
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