Posted on 04/21/2006 12:56:01 AM PDT by OakOak
Edited on 04/21/2006 2:52:00 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
At first, a stripper who performed at a Duke University lacrosse team party doubted the story of a colleague who told police she was dragged into a bathroom and raped.
Now, Kim Roberts isn't so sure.
"I was not in the bathroom when it happened, so I can't say a rape occurred - and I never will," Roberts told The Associated Press Thursday in her first on-the-record interview. But after watching defense attorneys release photos of the accuser, and upset by the leaking of both dancers' criminal pasts, she said she has to "wonder about their character."
"In all honesty, I think they're guilty," she said. "And I can't say which ones are guilty ... but somebody did something besides underage drinking. That's my honest-to-God impression."
Attorneys for the 46 players have aggressively proclaimed the players' innocence, citing DNA tests during a public campaign that has included describing and releasing photos from the party.
Those photos, the defense maintains, show the accuser was both injured and impaired when she arrived, and also support the claim that one of the two players who has been indicted would not have had enough time to participate in any assault before he left the party. The district attorney has said he also hopes to charge a third suspect in the case.
The attorneys claim Roberts at first told a member of the defense team that she did not believe the accuser's allegations. They say she has changed her story to gain favorable treatment in a criminal case against her. They note she also e-mailed a New York public relations firm, asking in her letter for advice on "how to spin this to my advantage."
"We believe ... her story has been motivated by her own self-interest," said attorney Bill Thomas, who represents one of the uncharged players. "I think that a jury will ultimately have to decide the question of her credibility."
Roberts, 31, was arrested on March 22 - eight days after the party - on a probation violation from a 2001 conviction for embezzling $25,000 from a photofinishing company in Durham where she was a payroll specialist, according to documents obtained by the AP.
On Monday, the same day a grand jury indicted lacrosse players Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty, a judge agreed to a change so that Roberts would no longer have to pay a 15 percent fee to a bonding agent. District Attorney Mike Nifong signed a document saying he would not oppose the change.
"It seems she is receiving very favorable financial treatment for what she is now saying," Thomas said.
Mark Simeon, Roberts' attorney, said the bond conditions were changed because Roberts is not considered a flight risk. Nifong, who hasn't spoken with reporters about the case in weeks, didn't return a call seeking comment.
Roberts' testimony could be vital during any trial of the two sophomores, indicted on charges of first-degree rape, sexual offense and kidnapping.
Other than lacrosse players and the accuser, a 27-year-old student at a nearby university, Roberts is believed to be the only other person at the March 13 party.
Roberts said Thursday she does not remember Seligmann's face, but said she recalls seeing Finnerty - whom she described as the "little skinny one."
"I was looking him right in the eyes," she said.
Although she would not talk extensively about the party, she confirmed some of what the other dancer told police - including that the women initially left the party after one of the players threatened to sodomize the women with a broomstick.
The players' attorneys have said their clients were angry and demanded a refund when the women stopped dancing, but Roberts disputed that.
"They ripped themselves off when they started hollering about a broomstick," she said.
The accuser told police that the women were coaxed back into the house with an apology, at which point they were separated. That's when she said she was dragged into a bathroom and raped, beaten and choked for a half hour.
Later, police received a 911 call from a woman complaining that she had been called racial slurs by white men gathered outside the home where the party took place. The defense has said it believes the second dancer at the party made that call.
Roberts then drove the accuser - whom she reportedly had just met that night - to a grocery store and asked a security guard to call 911. The accuser was described later by a police officer as "just passed-out drunk."
The defense timeline is backed up by a cab driver who said Seligmann called for a ride at 12:14 a.m., and was picked up five minutes later. The defense argues that if the dancers were performing around midnight, Seligmann would not have had enough time to participate in the 30-minute assault described by the accuser.
The cabbie, Moez Mostafa, also said he saw a woman leaving the party in anger, and overheard someone say, "She just a stripper. She's going to call the police."
"She looked, like, mad," he said of the woman. "In her face, the way she walked, the way she talked, she looked like mad."
On Thursday, authorities released warrants detailing their search earlier this week of Finnerty's dorm room. Seized during the search were a newspaper article and an envelope addressed to Finnerty.
Also Thursday, 5W Public Relations, a New York firm that specializes in "crisis communication," distributed an e-mail signed "The 2nd Dancer," and Roberts confirmed she sent it after learning the AP knew her identity.
"I've found myself in the center of one of the biggest stories in the country," she wrote. "I'm worried about letting this opportunity pass me by without making the best of it and was wondering if you had any advice as to how to spin this to my advantage."
Ronn Torossian, 5W's president, said he replied, but got no response.
"If this person is indeed who they say they are, I would be happy to speak with her," said Torossian, whose firm has represented the likes of Sean "Diddy" Combs, Ice Cube and Lil' Kim.
Roberts, like the accuser a divorced single mother who is black, took umbrage at the notion that she should not try to make something out of her experience. She's worried that once her name and criminal record are public, no one will want to hire her.
"Why shouldn't I profit from it?" she asked. "I didn't ask to be in this position ... I would like to feed my daughter."
Roberts is bracing for an all-out attack, but said she's almost past caring.
"Don't forget that they called me a damn n####," she said. "She (the accuser) was passed out in the car. She doesn't know what she was called. I was called that. I can never forget that."
Roberts, 31, was arrested on March 22 - eight days after the party - on a probation violation from a 2001 conviction for embezzling $25,000 from a photofinishing company in Durham where she was a payroll specialist, according to documents obtained by the AP.
Let's see if I have this straight then:
3/13-14 - this girl performs at this party
3/23 -- she's arrested for a probation violation.
4/17 -- she gets a sweetheart deal from Nifong
Now........would it be safe for me to say that somewhere between 3/14 and 3/23 she talked to the DA and the DPD? I mean she is the ONLY witness for his side, right?
So can we assume that she may not have validated Crystal's story, she's arrested, and all of a sudden she's backin Crystal and then gets a deal?
Supposing "Mark" says I'm sorry for calling you the "N" word---how much do you want to bet he'd be suspect #3?
Howlin wants to be in charge of everything.
The threads were changed twice.. Had nothing to do with FACTS and you are misleading.
One change was the ARTICLE itself had the N word printed out, so it was xxx out.
One change was that I put part of the article in the body .. All the Moderator did was put the ENTIRE article in . The Link was there for everyone to use to the same article.
You want to RUN the place and be the big expert. You don't like it when people ask someone else questions.
The are no facts wrong and you constantly PICK because you can't stand it.
The were no misleading Facts changed by the Moderator.. I simply erred in selecting the excert box.
We went through this before and you just can't want to think you run everything. And others have posted the same thing to you. The first day,, when you jumped on got upset.. I said "Do you run this site?" and another Freeper Posted "She just thinks she does"
There's the facts.
Ya really mean this, huh? Then by your own logic, alll white boys who play sports like LaCrosse are, to wit, going on the stand for an "alleged" rape.
Are you the spokesman for all the podpeople of the world? Whaddya think when some says "F U"? Are they attacking your sex? Is it a threat to rape you?
I'm sure these girls have heard everything from some "real" crude dudes....They're there for one thing....Money.
BUT the onlinereviewboard.com warns that most of the firms listed are not as competent as advertised.
They DO recommend 2 firms for doing good work: WebDetective...$34.95 fee, reliable, money back guarantee. And the other firm...NetDetective (not as good as the 1st one)...$29. for 3 yrs. w/90 day money back guarantee.
Does anyone else have an access site for public records here in NC?
ahhhhhh....rape hoodies! That makes a lot more sense than Wendy Murphys "rape jackets"....
Now I know why my college son didn't know what I was talking about! Rape hoodies...not jackets!
Nooooo...You were my only hope....
As a fellow newbie, I'm learning the hard way too. You're way out of line..think about it. Thanks.
Like I've said previously, this really reminds me of Schaivo. People bring their own baggage to the discussion and it prevents them from being objective. We've had moralists, sexual assault victims, lawyers, former police officers, locals, and now someone who apparently sees the world through race-colored glasses. All of us see this through the prism of our life experience, and it's hard to let it go. Me? Like I've said, in high school I was horribly mistreated by jocks - I know what some can be capable of. I tended to believe the allegations, till I found these threads. Even with my bias, it's obvious to me that, at the very least, the DA brought charges too soon.
I am popping in & out. Grandson coming to visit for the weekend & cleaning up. Whoops! Grandson is but 4 1/2 months old, my son & his wife are also coming, LOL!
If I am reading this right she has a probation violation dated March 24, 2006 for domestic violence.
Mmmm...
Besides the embezzelment she also has a
DUI or is it 2 DUI's?
Hard to understand it.
It would seem to me that she might be facing some jail time for her probation violation. Wonder who the target was on that domestic violence charge? Kid? Boyfriend?
One thing for sure--they are 2 peices of work. Just goes to show you-trash is trash regardless of where you are or what color their skin is.
To borrow from Forrest Gump with apologies: Trash is as trash does.
I knew you were a ringer who came on this forum to make this about you; thank you for proving it with that post.
I have to agree--I think Nifong thought he had an election winner case. He was wrong.
I have an inside source on that one.
The two moderator changes were explained ..
Why do you pick so? Because it's about you?
"Maybe trying Kimberly Roberts would work for you."
For a minute there I didn't know what to think.
Would you like some cheese with that whine?
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