Star Opera Singer David Daniels and Husband Plead Guilty to Sexual Assault Charges
The trial of renowned opera singer David Daniels opened with a shocking twist on Friday as he and his husband, Scott Walters, pleaded guilty to charges of sexual assault in relation to the drugging and rape of an aspiring musician in 2010. The opening arguments in Houston were abruptly halted as the couple reached a plea deal to avoid the trial proceedings altogether.
Under the terms of the deal, Daniels and Walters pleaded down to a charge of sexual assault of an adult, a second-degree felony. By avoiding a conviction on their original charges of aggravated sexual assault, a first-degree felony that carries more severe penalties, the couple managed to escape a potential life sentence. Instead, they will serve eight years of probation and be required to register as sex offenders for the rest of their lives.
The victim, Samuel Schultz, alleged that Daniels and Walters raped him while he was unconscious after watching Daniels perform and having a drink with him at a Houston bar. Schultz came forward with his allegations in 2018, at the height of the #MeToo movement. Due to the lack of a statute of limitations for rape in Texas, prosecutors were able to arrest the couple in 2019.
Initially, Daniels and Walters insisted that the encounter was consensual, but the allegations had a devastating impact on Daniels’ career. He was fired from his tenured professor position at the University of Michigan in 2020 and dropped by a popular opera house in San Francisco where he had regularly performed.
Once a prominent countertenor who had graced opera’s biggest stages, such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and the Royal Opera in London, Daniels became one of the most high-profile classical stars to be convicted amid the #MeToo movement.
In a statement, Schultz described the rape and its aftermath as a “nightmarish ordeal.” He admitted to idolizing Daniels and willingly going home with him but claimed that he was served a drink that caused him to lose consciousness. Schultz woke up the next morning naked, bleeding, and alone.
Court records obtained by the Houston Time.news revealed that Schultz had fragments of memories from that night, including watching pornography on TV and witnessing Daniels raping him.
At the time of the assault, Schultz was a 23-year-old student at Rice University. Now 36, he expressed fears that coming forward with the allegations may have jeopardized his career as a musician. In a statement to The New York Times, Schultz said, “I am glad that the defendants have acknowledged by their guilty pleas the truth of my traumatic experience, and that this portion of my nightmarish ordeal has finally concluded.”
Neither Daniels nor Walters made a statement following their guilty pleas.