Duke's Lacrosse Team Fiasco

[Ground Fighter]

Wow, you know, I hadn't seen anyone post anything about this farce of a case lately, so I had assumed that the charges were "quietly" dropped, so to avoid any negative attention directed to the lying accuser. You know, like in the Tawana Brawley case. Once again, I was wrong.

My only question is this. When these players are eventually found to be innocent, is Mr. Nifong going to be brought up on charges for ruining these kids lives???

 

[Bart]

This is amazing!


http://www.newsobserver.com/1185/story/521773.html
<DIV style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10px">By Joseph Neff, Benjamin Niolet and Anne Blythe, Staff writers
<DIV =story- id=story style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10px">The head of a private DNA laboratory said under oath today that he and District Attorney Mike Nifong agreed not to report DNA results favorable to Duke lacrosse players charged with rape
<DIV =story- style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10px">Brian Meehan, director of DNA Security of Burlington, said his lab found DNA from unidentified men in the underwear, pubic hair and rectum of the woman who said she was gang-raped at a lacrosse party in March. Nurses at Duke Hospital collected the samples a few hours after the alleged assault. Meehan said the DNA did not come from Reade Seligmann, David Evans, or Collin Finnerty, who have been charged with rape and sexual assault in the case.
<DIV =story- style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10px">...Under questioning by Jim Cooney, a defense attorney for Seligmann, Meehan admitted that his report violated his laboratory's standards by not reporting results of all tests.
<DIV =story- style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10px">


Did Nifong and his investigators know the results of all the DNA tests? Cooney asked.


"I believe so," Meehan said.


"Did they know the test results excluded Reade Seligmann?" Cooney asked.


"I believe so," Meehan said.


Was the failure to report these results the intentional decision of you and the district attorney? Cooney asked.


"Yes," Meehan replied.


At that answer, several people in the packed courtroom clapped. Superior Court Judge W. Osmond Smith III warned the standing-room only crowd to be quiet or leave.

 

[Poacher]

What are we witnessing here? A prosecutor deliberately tries to cover up evidence and gets away with it. And the courtroom crowd cheers the action. If you're a white male and you have a brush with the legal system all I can say is God help you because no one else is going to. This just goes to show that our enemies, be they black or one of our own, care nothing for concepts like due process, the rule of law, etc... they care only that they have power. They hate us with an intensity that borders on being a mental condition. Soon they will be able to drop the pretext of formal charges all together and come after us at will. Let us decide right now as white males that we will direct our anger and frustration not at each other but at those who deserve it.

 

[Warnipple]

The applauding crowd shouldn't surprise; what do you expect from blacks? (Or, maybe they were just too dense to understand the ramifications of this testimony.)

Is Nifong Jewish; the scourge of the Jewish laywer who abuses his power for political gain is becoming, ominously, more commonplace. Witness the horror of Spitzer in NY.

Sadly, prosecutors are largely immune from this sort of malfeasance. Hopefully, though, this private lab can be sued into bankruptcy.

Edited by: Warnipple

 

[PitBull]

The way it works for most politicians is that you simply bluff your way
through it. You only admit you're wrong as the absolute last resort. Nifong
has travelled too far down the path. I'd be surprised if he dropeed the case
without lots of outside pressure. He could be tried and convicted himself for
misconduct.

 

[White Shogun]

I read the report of clapping as though the audience understood this would clear the Duke players. Hard to say what it meant without knowing the makeup of the crowd. Could have been player supporters in the court room. It was essentially an admission of prosecutorial misconduct. The prosecution is (supposed to be) legally bound to turn over ANY and ALL evidence uncovered during an investigation. Failure to disclose exculpatory evidence can get a case thrown out of court very quickly. We'll see what happens next in this case.

If I were the boys, I'd definitely sue for wrongful prosecution. Their case is mounting and getting stronger with every passing week.

 

[Ground Fighter]

If I were the boys, I'd definitely sue for wrongful prosecution. Their case is mounting and getting stronger with every passing week.

Yeah, I agree, and I mentioned that in one of my above posts. And, again, I really hope that Nifong is brought up on sime kind of charges. He put these kids through hell, and he withheld evidence to boot. Sounds like someone is, legally, in trouuuuuuuble. lol.

 

[jaxvid]

This story gets more bizzare every day, now it turns out the accuser is pregnant.

Accuser pregnant; defense wants photo lineup

RALEIGH, N.C. --The woman at the center of the Duke lacrosse rape case is pregnant and due to give birth any day, roughly nine months after the team party where she says she was raped by three men in a bathroom.

The pregnancy was confirmed late Thursday by a person familiar with the case, speaking to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. Both Fox News and WRAL-TV in Raleigh reported she gave birth Thursday night.

There had been no prior indication the woman, a 28-year-old college student who already has children, was even pregnant. She has not spoken in public since granting a single interview to the News & Observer of Raleigh shortly after the party.

The person who confirmed the pregnancy to the AP had no information about the father. Defense attorneys have stressed for months that no sex occurred at the party and they have cited DNA testing that found genetic material from several males in the accuser's body and her underwear -- but none from any member of the lacrosse team.

Calls to attorneys representing the three indicted players were not returned Thursday night. Nor were calls and messages left with District Attorney Mike Nifong.

Medical records included in a defense motion filed Thursday were not made public. It wasn't clear whether a pregnancy test was taken immediately after the party.

The development came just hours after defense attorneys filed a motion saying the woman misidentified her alleged attackers in a photo lineup that was "an incoherent mass of contradiction and error." The attorneys asked a judge to bar prosecutors from using the photo lineup at their clients' trial and prevent the accuser from identifying the players from the witness stand.

Duke University law professor James E. Coleman Jr. said the case would be "effectively dismissed" if the court finds the lineup inadmissible "and rules that it is so suggestive that there can't be an in-court identification."

Within Thursday's motion, the defense highlighted what it considers numerous holes in the accuser's story.

Among the details cited are examples of how the accuser's story changed in the hours and days after the party; that she has a history of bipolar disorder; that she identified two people as having attended the party who were not there; and that she identified four attackers during the April photo lineup.

An earlier defense motion argued the lineup was "unnecessarily suggestive" because the accuser was shown photos of only lacrosse players.

Thursday's motion adds details about efforts by police investigators and Nifong to assist the accuser in identifying the three men she said gang-raped her in a bathroom at a March 13 team party where she had been hired to perform as a dancer.

Based in part on those identifications, Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and David Evans were indicted on charges of rape, kidnapping and sexual offense. All three players have insisted they are innocent.

Investigators conducted three photo lineups, according to the defense motion. In the first two, the accuser failed to identify Evans and did not identify Seligmann as an attacker, despite being shown photos of both men.

Defense lawyers argue that the third lineup, conducted April 4 at the Durham Police Department, violated departmental policies and the defendants' constitutional due process rights because it included only pictures of those at the party.

A hearing is scheduled Friday, but it is unclear whether the defense might argue their motions filed Wednesday and Thursday. The hearing had been expected mostly to deal with scheduling.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

 

[Ground Fighter]

This story gets more bizzare every day, now it turns out the accuser is pregnant.

Accuser pregnant; defense wants photo lineup

RALEIGH, N.C. --The woman at the center of the Duke lacrosse rape case is pregnant and due to give birth any day, roughly nine months after the team party where she says she was raped by three men in a bathroom.

Pregnant huh? When Tyrophus Jenkins III pops out of her, black as night, I expect aplogies coming from the mouths of both her and Nifong.

 

[Tired old White]

The accuser is due the first week in February according to D. A. Mike Nifong, which woul be almost 11 months after the incicdent. According to her father the she the baby this week which would be 9 months after the incident but the hospital where she allegedly gave birth has no record of her admission.. Congressman Walter B. Jones R-NC has asked the U. S. justice Dept. to inverstigate Mr. Nifong's vilation of the three young men's civil right. I would not however try holding my breath until the feds do this.

 

[Darby]

Maybe Nifong is the father of her baby. That anti white creep is capable of anything.

 

[Ground Fighter]

Maybe Nifong is the father of her baby. That anti white creep is capable of anything.

That would be hysterical, if it were actually true.
Missa Nifong be da baby dad. lol.

 

[PitBull]

From the Raleigh News & Observer (Saturday, 12/16/06):

Head of DNA Lab Says He and Nifong Agreed Not To Report Results

By Joseph Neff, Benjamin Niolet and Anne Blythe, Staff writers
The head of a private DNA laboratory said under oath today that he and
District Attorney Mike Nifong agreed not to report DNA results favorable
to Duke lacrosse players charged with rape.
Brian Meehan, director of DNA Security of Burlington, said his lab found
DNA from unidentified men in the underwear, pubic hair and rectum of
the woman who said she was gang-raped at a lacrosse party in March.
Nurses at Duke Hospital collected the samples a few hours after the
alleged assault. Meehan said the DNA did not come from Reade
Seligmann, David Evans, or Collin Finnerty, who have been charged with
rape and sexual assault in the case.

Meehan struggled to say why he didn't include the favorable evidence in a
report dated May 12, almost a month after Seligmann and Finnerty had
been indicted. He cited concerns about the privacy of the lacrosse
players, his discussions at several meetings with Nifong, and the fact that
he didn't know whose DNA it was.

Under questioning by Jim Cooney, a defense attorney for Seligmann,
Meehan admitted that his report violated his laboratory's standards by
not reporting results of all tests.

Did Nifong and his investigators know the results of all the DNA tests?
Cooney asked.

"I believe so," Meehan said.

"Did they know the test results excluded Reade Seligmann?" Cooney
asked.

"I believe so," Meehan said.

Was the failure to report these results the intentional decision of you and
the district attorney? Cooney asked.

"Yes," Meehan replied.

At that answer, several people in the packed courtroom clapped. Superior
Court Judge W. Osmond Smith III warned the standing-room only crowd
to be quiet or leave.

Meehan's testimony differed from a statement Nifong made at the
beginning of today's hearing.

"The first I had heard of this particular situation was when I was served
with this particular motion" on Wednesday, Nifong told the judge. After
court, Nifong clarified his remarks to say that he knew about the DNA
results.

"And we were trying to, just as Dr. Meehan said, trying to avoid dragging
any names through the mud but at the same time his report made it clear
that all the information was available if they wanted it and they have every
word of it," Nifong said.

Joseph B. Cheshire V, a lawyer for Evans, said he was troubled by today's
testimony.

"If any of the lacrosse players were excluded, they simply wouldn't put it
in the report," he said. "It raises some troublesome questions about
(Nifong), who has an obligation to disclose exculpatory evidence and turn
it over to the defense."

In a response to reports that the accuser in the Duke lacrosse case gave
birth recently, UNC Health care issued a statement at about 1:30 p.m.
saying that the woman is at UNC Hospitals for care related to her
pregnancy but has not given birth.

 

[PitBull]

Oops! I didn't realize this was on the Headlines section of the site. My
apologies for repeating the information.

 

[Leonardfan]

Rape charges dropped in Duke Lax case

that race traitor's gig is up

 

[sport historian]

The charges of sexual assault and kidnapping are still there. I'm watching commentary on Court TV by Nifong's supporters, who say it will be easier to prove now.

 

[Bart]

The charges of sexual assault and kidnapping are still there. I'm watching commentary on Court TV by Nifong's supporters, who say it will be easier to prove now.

Kidnapping? I don't remember hearing anything like that before. Would that have anything to do with her allegations of being locked in a bathroom for a period of time? I don't understand.

 

[Ground Fighter]

The charges of sexual assault and kidnapping are still there. I'm watching commentary on Court TV by Nifong's supporters, who say it will be easier to prove now.

Wow, they're just not going to give it up, are they? Anything to incriminate White people, right? When these players are found to be innocent, I hope that schmuck of a D.A., is run out of town with pitchforks and torches. Either that, or I hope he is brought up on some kind of charges for the irreparable damage he's done to the kids and their familes. Jackass on a stick,

is what he is.

 

[sport historian]

Nifong has finally changed his strategy because of the absence of DNA. The kidnapping charge is supposed to be that she was held in the bathroom against her will. Simple sexual assault is a lesser charge than rape. The new charges theoretically require less evidence to prove.

There were two black female attorneys who claimed the case is still strong on Court TV this afternoon. These two are defense lawyers, but for some mysterious reason are for the prosecution in the Duke case.

 

[texasheat]

Well, the good news is the news media IS giving this a lot of attention instead of sweeping it under the rug like a lot of us thought they would. In fact, I specifically watched CNN tonight to see what that jackass Nancy Grace would say about it (she being one of the lynch mob leaders of the Duke Lacrosse team). She was off tonight but her replacement & all the guests (except one) really laid into Nifong & the "victim". They called it a fiasco several times & when the one idiot they had on kept saying "what about the victim? what about the victim" another panelist jumped in and said she wasn't the victim -- it was the lacrosse players that were the victims in all of this. NICE! Anyway, it was good to see. I think 5 of their 6 panelists really lit into the DA's office.

Man, I hope that guy resigns in disgrace soon!!

 

[sport historian]

I'm afraid this farce will go to a trial unless the accuser backs out. Once at a trial before a local jury, anything can happen. There will probably be jurors who will vote to convict despite the (lack of) evidence.

This is what Nifong seems to be banking on. If brought up on disbarrment proceedings, he can claim that the case was good enough to get a hung jury. The judge in the upcoming February hearing may be afraid to defy local opinion and throw the case out, even though he should.

 

[C Darwin]

I can hear it all ready...

"If they were black, they would not have gotten all of the media
attention and would have ended up in jail. "

I assure you, the media will NEVER portray these innocent men as
martyrs. The primary focus from the media of this fiasco has been
Nifong. The guy is a TOOL doing the work of the people who elected
him. Who funded his campaigns? Who campaigned for him? I believe
he is a white face on a black agenda (like my junior Senator). The
media will not address this aspect of the case, which I believe should
be the primary focus.

I hope these guys are found guilty. Evidently the OJ trial was not
enough to wake up the sleeping giant that is The White Nation.
People who are as able as these lax players can't have their lives
ruined. They are too fit. They can overcome anything that life throws
at them. They are the best of the best. I don't mind saying they need
to take one for the team. We could use the help. Edited by: C Darwin

 

[Ground Fighter]

`These two are defense lawyers, but for some mysterious reason are for the prosecution in the Duke case.

Don't believe everything you see on COURT-TV. That channel is just another evil tool of the liberal media. Theres no proof that either of those two "sistas" were lawyers, they could just as well have been actors. Like the old saying goes...Don't believe everything you see on T.V.".

I still think this case is ridiculous for so many reasons.

First off, the accuser is as ghetto as they come. No self-respecting White guy would want her "stuff" anyway. Black women are as filthy and promiscuous as they come, so would you really want to touch one? Hell no! I mean, think about it. If those kids were as racist as she said they were, they why would they put "theirs" where a brotha just put "his", if you catch what I'm trying to say. Just the thought of it makes me queezy.

Secondly, theres this preconcieved notion amongst blacks, that White men want to "steal" their "beautiful black women" away from them. Yeah right. Let me tell you, I'm really fantasizing left and right over here about my African queen....PLEASE. If anything, black women should be the poster-women for abstinence.

There is no doubt in my mind that thise kids did not know they were getting a black stripper. Its kind of like when you go to buy a product from a retailer, but if you don't specify exactly what you want, they'll just give you whatever garbage is lying around. Thats basicaly what the "entertainment company" did to these boys. They should have said, "Yes, we'd like a White girl please". They didn't do that, therefore, they ended up with "Sha-nay-nay, the gold-digger".

 

[sport historian]

There's still at least one MSM type supporting Nifong. Go to si.com and find an interview with one Lester Munson, SI's "legal expert." Get this reaction from Munson regarding Friday's dismissal of the rape charges:

"They still face some serious charges. There is little doubt that something unsavory happened at the party on March 13. After the dismissal of the rape charges, it will be easier for the accused players to attempt to settle everything with a guilty plea on lesser charges. The likelihood of a trial on any of these charges is now greatly reduced."

Yes, Munson really said the above. He expects them to plead guilty. Guilty to what? What does he mean by "little doubt that something unsavory happened?" SI and Munson in particular, have attempted to promote the idea that most law-breaking athletes are white.

 

[JD074]

Simple sexual assault is a lesser charge than rape.

I heard that the "sexual offense" charge can possibly include anal and oral penetration; only vaginal penetration is defined as "rape" in North Carolina. Needless to say, these charges are still very, very serious.

My question is: if she doesn't remember being "raped" (vaginally penetrated,) how can she remember oral and anal penetration? And if she was violated in this way, how come there is absolutely no DNA evidence of these three men anywhere on her body?