Bad News for Duke

[btriley01]

First of all, there is a saying about indictments.

"You can indict a ham sandwich"

The fact that these kids were indicted has almost no real prevalence. In an indictment hearing, the grand jury of 12 hear facts and make a decision based upon the "preponderance on evidence." In laymans terms, you just have to kind of think that it may have happened. Its not hard at all to get an indictment.

Secondly, you don't need any real witness statement until you want to present one in trial. A prosecutor could wait until the day of the trial to prep and present his witness. Now, that would be a stupid move, but its his choice. The victim only needs to talk to the police for a warrant to be served.

[Sonny]

By DUFF WILSON
Published: November 3, 2006
The woman who accused three Duke University lacrosse players of raping her went back to work at a strip club 10 days after the incident, the owner of the club said.

LINK (registration maybe required at NY Times site):
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/03/us/03duke.html

[Beta]

By DUFF WILSON
Published: November 3, 2006
The woman who accused three Duke University lacrosse players of raping her went back to work at a strip club 10 days after the incident, the owner of the club said.

LINK (registration maybe required at NY Times site):
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/03/us/03duke.html

Well duh, after experiencing such an awful situation like being raped by 3 men...she needed to return to her wholesome, nurturing environment where people care about you...in $5 increments.

[laxfan25]

$5?? You hang out in much higher class establishments than I do!

[OAKS]

I always ask if they can make change for a dollar.

Too soon?

[StrykerFSU]

Four days after she said she was raped, the accuser in the Duke lacrosse case told co-workers at a Hillsborough strip club that she was going to get money from some boys at a Duke party who hadn't paid her, the club's former security manager said.

Records show she had been seen at Duke and UNC Hospitals on March 14 and 15.

Thomas said dancers must sign in when they take guests into the club's VIP room. He said those sheets show that the woman had signed in March 17 and 18. He said she also danced the following weekend.

The club's owner, Victor Olatoye, said the club's records show the woman was dancing at the club March 23, 24, 25 and into the early hours of March 26. Olatoye has no record of her working the previous weekend.

http://www.newsobserver.com/1185/story/506116.html

[SLUDoubleDeuce]

I'll be interested to see how the DA election goes for good ol' Mr. Nifong today. Anyone heard anything about that today?

[cjwilhelmi]

If Nifong is ousted today, does the next DA have the power to drop the charges or does he have to take it to trial since his predecessor was working on it?

[btriley01]

The new DA has the power to drop the case, but i don't believe he or she would. Theres alot of political pressure on the DA's office.

[laxfan25]

I'll be interested to see how the DA election goes for good ol' Mr. Nifong today. Anyone heard anything about that today?

Is that today? It would be nice if he were to lose, but I think his biggest competition was earlier, in the primary. Another consideration here - do you think most of the students are registered to vote in Durham? The townies are likely to be much larger in number.

[fsusg]

Apparently, Nifong won the election


http://www.newsobserver.com/100/story/507436.html

[Sonny]

Rape of justice
By Thomas Sowell

Nothing should be surprising anymore about the Duke University rape case. Still, it is a little staggering that, after all these months, District Attorney Michael Nifong has still not interviewed either the accuser or the accused.

Rape is a felony with serious consequences for all concerned. You might think that the district attorney would have some interest in determining whose story is credible and whose story is full of holes.

But that is only if he is interested in seeing justice done. I predicted, months ago, that Mr. Nifong would let this case drag on until the public lost interest in it and then let it quietly fizzle out after the media spotlight was gone.

After all, the case has served his purpose in getting him re-elected as district attorney. It has also served the purposes of local racial activists by giving them an occasion to march, shout, denounce and threaten.

It has served the purposes of the Duke University faculty by allowing them to come out on the politically correct side of the issue by condemning the upscale white guys and showing solidarity with the black accuser.

Why ruin all this by getting bogged down in facts?

While the law enforcement officials have apparently been too busy to interview either the accuser or the accused, they have had time to spend hours grilling a black cabdriver who said that one of the accused was in his taxi, going to an ATM, at the time when he was supposedly committing rape.

Bank records allegedly corroborate what the cabbie said. But being hassled by the cops when he would rather be out working to earn some money may make him less ready to say it again to the media.

Such harassment can also serve as a shot across the bow of anybody else who might be thinking of coming forward with facts that undermine the district attorney's version of events.

While Mr. Nifong is at the heart of this tawdry perversion of the law, many others have joined in the rape of justice.

Full opinion piece here, from the Balitmore Sun:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinio ... -headlines

[SLUDoubleDeuce]

This could explain where the scrapes and bruises came from:

DURHAM - Days before a woman said Duke University lacrosse players raped and beat her, she was passed out cold at a Hillsborough strip club and had to be carried to the parking lot, according to the club's former manager.

In that gravel parking lot on the night of March 11, the four people carrying the woman accidentally dropped her, said Yolanda Haynes, the club's former manager.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/16009088.htm

Just keeps getting stranger and stranger...

[SLUDoubleDeuce]

The newest twist. Think this will gain any traction?

A North Carolina congressman has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong's handling of the Duke lacrosse case.
In a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, U.S. Rep. Walter B. Jones said Nifong may have engaged in prosecutorial misconduct and violated the civil rights of the three lacrosse players charged with raping an escort service dancer hired to dance at a team party in March.

http://www.newsobserver.com/1185/story/520626.html

[peterwho]

Latest prosecution DNA tests do not implicate the accused...

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/nationworld/ats-ap_sports10dec13,0,6532196.story?coll=sns-sports-headlines