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.
Right, Cheshire's lying. And if so, why we he lie and anger the DA? Toobin's stupid if he believes that.
Oh, he points to the woman and says "People like this woman right here are trying to make it about race."
____
I cannot see what is happening, but I am getting angry just hearing it described.
He is so gullible.
Toobin said that we're only hearing from the defense, that Nifong isn't saying anything.
So the defense is making up stuff about the line up? We are only hearing from the defense because Nifong is coward. Toobin needs to get off the crack.
He certainly took the press to the woodshed over their shoddy reporting, didn't he??
WOWZA!!
Good ol' Shep, mugging for the cameras. ;-)
If memory serves, it took us two and a half months just to get the police report to look over. We didn't get to depose the AV until 12-13 months after that. It's a long wait. That's why I say pray for the parents and boys. It's hard to live under the stress of this for that long.
I referred in this thread to the story of the Scottsboro Boys. 9 Black Teens charged with gang-raping two white girls in the 1930s. They were all free-riding on a train.
Yes, he did!
And he was dead on.
That was so good, I may need a cigarette. :-)
Toobin mever has a clue. Why does he think a defense attorney would make a statement like that to THE PTESS, FGS, if it were not true ? That would make Chessire as dumb as Nifong.
You're welcome.
I can't get over Nifong refusing to accept exculpatory evidence. Just had a phone call about the same thing from a friend following this.
Too bad they will be stuck on stupid again in no time.
I wonder how old Crystal and Kim would do on polygraph tests regarding their ever-changing stories and charges?
There is so much corruption in that city I don't think it could ever be cleaned up.
My favorite character is the Durham Police criminal investigation detective. He and his partner were accused of 'losing' up to $100,000 in rent money and security deposits. They both had their their real estate licenses revoked yet one of them still works for the police department.
I'm beginning to wonder if the source of the DNA wasn't from someone in the police department.
Evans already took and passed a POLYGRAPH !! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Nifong has egg and manure all over his face...
Where are all the idiots who criticized me for saying they should not 'cooperate' with the cops, even if they are innocent. This is exactly what can happen when you do.
When the cops showed up, he should have said he had no information about any crime. If the cops persisted he should have asked, "Do you have a search arrest warrant?" If the answer was "No", the appropriate response would have been to reply, "Then get off of my property or I will file a criminal complaint for trespassing."
Ouch!
Listening to Brit now on FNC; I don't think I can handle being on a live thread tonight for the speech.
It is time we all group-ask Cheshire " Was it as good for you as it was for us?"
Did you notice that NOT ONE mention of Duke was ever made by either of them?
bttt
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