Bravo, bravo, excellent!
Posted on 04/11/2007 7:46:54 AM PDT by Howlin
RALEIGH, N.C. — Three members of Duke University's lacrosse team could learn Wednesday whether state prosecutors will drop the remaining charges accusing them of sexually assaulting a stripper at a team party more than a year ago.
"I think it's likely that they will do that," said Wade Smith, an attorney for charged player Collin Finnerty. "We certainly hope that would be true. But until we hear it, we're not going to acknowledge that's the truth. We'll wait and see."
The state Attorney General's Office has scheduled a 2:30 p.m. news conference to discuss the case. It is unclear whether Attorney General Roy Cooper will be at the news conference at the RBC Center, which can accommodate the crush of national media interested in the case.
The Associated Press, citing sources close to the investigation, reported Wednesday morning that all charges would be dropped in the case.
The Attorney General's Office took over the case in January after Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong was charged with several ethics violations tied to his handling of the sensational case.
No notice of dismissal had been filed at the Durham County Courthouse by early Wednesday. But a spokeswoman for the Attorney General's Office told WRAL that the investigation into the case has been completed.
"We are relieved that this day has come,” Smith told WRAL. “There will not be a celebration because this has been a train wreck.”
The families of Collin Finnerty, Reade Seligmann and David Evans arrived in Raleigh Tuesday. Officials told WRAL that the three lacrosse players would be present once a decision had been made as to how the prosecution would proceed with the case.
A grand jury indicted the three players on charges of rape, kidnapping and sexual offense last spring after a woman told police she was assaulted at a March 2006 team party where she was hired to perform as a stripper. All three have steadfastly maintained their innocence, with Evans calling the allegations "fantastic lies."
Nifong dropped the rape charges in December after the accuser changed a key detail in her story. He recused himself a few weeks later after the state bar charged him with violating several rules of professional conduct.
Among the ethics charges, Nifong is accused of withholding potentially exculpatory DNA evidence from the defense and lying to both the court and bar investigators. Nifong faces a June trial before the bar and could be disbarred if convicted.
Nifong faces a Friday afternoon hearing in the ethics case, and he spent Wednesday morning with his attorney in Winston-Salem.
Nifong's recusal put the players' fate in the hands of Cooper, who promised "a fresh and thorough review of the facts" when he took over the case in January.
Smith said the players, their families and the defense attorneys were pleased that the special prosecutors took over the case, saying they brought "sanity to this situation."
“The special prosecutors have looked under every rock, and they have searched for evidence in places even the defense did not,” he told WRAL.
While Evans graduated the day before he was indicted in May, Duke temporarily suspended sophomores Finnerty and Seligmann in the wake of their arrest. Finnerty was also convicted in July in an unrelated assault case in Washington, D.C., and sentenced to six months of probation.
Finnerty and Seligmann were both invited to return to campus, but neither has accepted. John Danowski, the former coach at Hofstra who took over the Duke program last summer, has also said that both are welcome to continue their lacrosse careers with the Blue Devils
Mangum won’t be charged. She believes all the different stories.
She’s nuts!
Precious may actually believe her own stories, so charges won’t be brought against her. Grrrrrr
Awesome, this AG is not mincing words at all.
Awesome
Awesome
She may actually believe the many different stories she had been telling? Decided it was in the best interests not to bring charges. Against the liar or the lax players?
Question: “Did she lie?”
Answer: “We think she may actually believe all the different stories she’s told us (!)...no criminal charges will be filed.”
CGM’s off the hook, the families have already said (see post #101 this thread from CNN) they’re not going after her.
}:-)4
Without saying it, he just called the ho a mental case.
That means they think she is mentally ill.
In Austin, Berkley on the Colorado? I doubt it. But it would be nice.
I know! Rogue Prosecutor!!!
Well, he damn near caused a race riot -— recall the new black panthers were on the scene?
I want the whole office of the DA to go down. They knew and not one of them came forward to be a whistleblower to my knowledge. This was an attempt to destroy lives just so jobs could be kept.
BTTT
Cool, somebody actually asks about the racial factor and how much damage it has done!
I honestly thought Roy was going to wimp out on us & just leave it at “insufficient evidence”. I’m stunned.
He’s essentially saying she’s not to stable in the head.
I think so.
But she’ll be on TV tonight.
Where’s the N&O columnist who wrote the following early on in this case about the boys:
“WE know YOU know - tell the truth.” She pronounced them guilty during the first week!
The thread is moving too fast! I’m having to really strain to hear the questions too. Have the t.v. turned up real loud.
Bravo, bravo, excellent!
Sue her skanky hiney, anyway! She’s not THAT crazy.
Now that the players have been declared innocent, can they sue the 87 professors via civil suit for slander?
We have Nifong’s hearing on Friday to break up the wait for information. Friday, the 13th.
Think I’ll prepare BBQ chicken, mashed potatoes and corn ... ala Nifong Appreciation Week. LOL
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