Posted on 05/15/2006 7:14:12 AM PDT by pissant
DURHAM - A Durham grand jury is scheduled to meet today, and the session could mean new charges in the investigation of a reported rape at a Duke lacrosse team party.
Two of the team's players were indicted in April on charges of first degree rape, first degree sex offense and first degree kidnapping. They are accused of assaulting an escort service dancer in a bathroom of a house at 610 N. Buchanan Blvd. Their lawyers say the men are innocent, and lawyers representing dozens of team members say that no sex or assault occurred at the March 13 party.
But the woman says she was attacked by three men, and Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong said he has been working on bringing charges against a third person.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TODAY? If Nifong decides to submit the case, police investigators and possibly other witnesses will try to convince grand jurors in a secret session that the state has probable cause to bring a case forward. Grand jurors will hear only the prosecution's side of the case. The standard required for a true bill of indictment is far lower than the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt standard required for a conviction.
IF INDICTMENTS ARE ISSUED, WHEN WILL THEY BECOME PUBLIC? On April 17, a judge ordered the indictments in the lacrosse case sealed. The names of the players who were indicted were not released until 5 a.m. the next day when the players surrendered at the Durham County jail. If Nifong again requests that the indictments be sealed, the law allows a judge to keep them secret until the person is arrested or appears in court.
WHEN WILL ALL THE EVIDENCE BE REVEALED? State law requires prosecutors to turn over all of their case files to defense lawyers, but nothing requires the evidence to be turned over to the public. In open court hearings, lawyers often discuss some of the evidence, but the state's case may not be revealed until trial. No trial dates have been set. When a report on the DNA testing is complete, Nifong is required by law to turn it over to all 46 members of the lacrosse team who submitted DNA samples.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? The cases against Reade William Seligmann, 20, of Essex Fells, N.J., and Collin Finnerty, 19, of Garden City, N.Y., are moving forward. Finnerty has a court date in June. Seligmann is scheduled to appear in court Thursday. His attorney, Kirk Osborn, has filed a series of motions challenging Nifong's handling of the case and asking a judge to bar the prosecutor from further involvement.
Poster chart1980 wrote:
Did anyone just hear Tucker Carlson ?He said the AV's name, has that been happening? First time i heard it on tv
Staying on topic would be helpful.
Well like I stated earlier, we've only heard the defendants' side of the story so far.
It means nothing until its presented as evidence in a court of law.
nobody has said her name. people got banned for trying to tell us her name at CourtTV boards.
Who are you? Why are you coming to a thread and posting about a case you know nothing about?
Need attention, maybe?
We get to say her name here....and we don't have to post, "IMO"
Great place!
No. I'm just sick and tired of posters on FR who think they know the defendants are innocent.
"Did anyone just hear Tucker Carlson ?He said the AV's name,"
Wow.
Wow.
And I thought Tucker was a wuss b/c of the tie.
ps. Could you add me to the ping list? thanks in advance.
Come on now, ABC News' Law & Justice Unit is just another branch of the Duke players defense team. (/sarcasm)
many people have made up their mind. they did not mind listening when it was Nifong, Nancy Grace, or Greta Van Susteren talking and saying what confirmed there opinion.
the Defense starts talking and Wendny Murphy and Nancy and others are saying: why are we listening? this means nothing.
the defesne had to overcome the 70 interviews the Distric Attorney went out and did. no one questioned the Distric Attorney. No one had problems calling the duke guys out of control & arrogant & snobbish.
Didn't hear him do that.
I see that you just joined FR today/tonight.
Welcome aboard!
Tucker really said her name?
Good. It seems the worm has finally turned.
I think Nifong is required to turn over all of his evidence to the defense this week, unless he gets a delay granted.
Well, whoop di doo! And you, of course, know they're guilty??
You don't even know what she has accused these guys of doing! And you're sick and tired?? ROFL!!
You are not informed, and you aren't willing to read back to previous threads to inform yourself, so I'm done.
Actually I don't. But many many here on FR seem to believe they are innocent.
I wonder if anyone in the media will take Cheshire's suggestion and investigate Nifong's lies---nah, never gonna happen.
on most other boards the Duke guys are guilty. i was amazed by the amount of people here supporting or open.
people watch tv and make up their mind. the tv has been cruel to the duke guys. remember the posters and published pictures of the duke guys when they had not even pressed charges against any of them. the first four weeks of this thing the duke guys were made to be sub human. thats why so many support the dancer now: because of what they heard while they were eating their wendys burger
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