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.
That's "blockbuster"? Hate to know what Sean calls nuclear.
Guilt vs Innocence is what the scale of Justice is about.
You START by putting all the cr** on the guilty side. Then you slowly shift the scale. The scale goes back and forth during a trial. You do indeed have to "prove" your innocence.
Welcome, welcome, welcome
Son of a bitch. (sorry the only words in my brain) ZERO hours?
Hell, no wonder she is an honor student--no courses to fail.
Hannity is pretty shameless about teasing stories into the next segment. At least he's keeping up with this story.
More like "picking" the judge. A lot of attorneys play the calendar to get the judge they want.
"The security guard says she smelled alcohol on the driver, but not on the alleged victim."
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/LegalCenter/story?id=1849938&page=1
I remember this inconsistency in Kim's story. Kim claims she didn't drink at the party, but the guard says Kim smelled of alcohol.
Those are community service hours, not classroom hours.
No community service fits, though.
That's "blockbuster"? Hate to know what Sean calls nuclear.
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I am guessing it was that the DNA material was reported to have been on top rather than under the pop off nail.
Sean is good for repeating things for those who pay inconsistent attention. Breaking is not often his thing particularly compared to here.
Thank you.
I had not read that previously.
No I think the MAJOR development was that Kimberly Catfish has turned. She has done a complete 180. She even looks less Piscean. Badden sounds like he has been hired by Nifong....or he may have just finished an interview w/ Nancy Grace.
Yeah, Baden is pretty dense.
If there were tissue under the nail, we'd have a complete DNA profile. He oughta know that.....
I did read on, and he did get out of hand.
At the time, he had only made one comment.
>I think the MAJOR development was that Kimberly Catfish has turned<
I think Susan Filan on Abrams turned before Catfish did. When Susan turned I knew the case was over. Frankly she grew a bit of charm after she turned. Hatred does no good to a woman's looks.
i agree, except a few hours later it became a whole lot more than that. I'm surprised the police didn't even do a cursory search of the car the AV was driven to Kroger's in. The AV could have left all kinds of evidence in that car.
I can't believe the talking heads keep mentioning condoms.
NiFong clearly had no thought that condoms were used because he was certain he would get a DNA match on the rapists.
The police would have been looking for condoms at 610 as well. They would have seized any they found, new or used, if they thought condoms had been used.
Yeah, like red press on nails with messed up polish on them....
I disagree. The AV was drunk, half-dressed, and wearing one six-inch white shoe. The DPD bought Kim's story without asking her name or running the plates on her car? Sloppy, or they are familiar with the AV.
I saw after I posted, but look at all the names,LOL!
We got names!!!
One press on nail with hardened messed up polish on it would be very interesting. It would tie right in with the photos of the AV.
I didn't think of that....
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