A former Northern Illinois University student accused in connection with a 2024 reported sexual assault at a fraternity house has been found not guilty, court records show.

Ambrose J. King, 22, was acquitted by Circuit Court Judge Joseph Pedersen after a three-day bench trial in April, DeKalb County court records show.

King, who was 20 at the time, faced up to 14 years in prison if he’d been convicted. He was charged on May 20, 2025.

Instead, Pedersen, on April 16, ruled him not guilty of criminal sexual assault. Pedersen presided over a bench trial – meaning without a jury.

The trial was spread out over three days, beginning March 23 and 24 and concluding April 7 after a pause to accommodate an out-of-country witness, said Assistant State’s Attorney Brooks Locke of the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office, who led the prosecution.

King was represented by Chicago-based defense attorneys Ted Diamantopoulos and Voss Skoullos.

King himself testified in the trial, Diamantopoulos said.

“The young man was very nervous about the allegations,” Diamantopoulos said. “However, he was adamant from the beginning that he did nothing wrong, and he was innocent.”

Skoullos said the ruling in their favor “shows how the system is supposed to work.”

“Allegations are taken seriously, but at the same time – and this is what a lot of people forget – so is the presumption of innocence," Skoullos said. “And this outcome shows careful scrutiny of the evidence. Cases like this are very complex and emotionally charged, and that’s why it’s so important to separate the emotion of the evidence and focus on what actually can be proven.”

Diamantopoulos said he was impressed with the judge.

“It was a very fair trial,” Diamantopoulos said. “The judge really paid attention and heard the evidence thoroughly, which was brought out in his assessment of the case. He hit all the points, and it was very accurate.”