The gag order really illustrates something I've noticed going on in this case. Nifong is working with and through a lot of Durham personnel. Or City Manager Baker is working through Nifong.
This case is very unusual. City Manager Baker is up to his gills in this case.
1) Nifong can't ask for a gag order, okay, he can, but the Defense will use the opportunity to score big points in publicly filed motions detailing Nifong's outrageous public statements. The NAACP steps in; this was coordinated in my opinion.
2) Patrick Baker. Okay, most people know that he got the police together and tried to get to the bottom of the statements attributed to DPD about the victim constantly changing her story. It is widely believed Baker also made it known that he was unhappy with those comments or theories and he questioned the police force. The Defense has said they believe this will have the effect of everyone carrying forward the City of Durham's story (falling into line).
The other thing I saw on Baker is that he was involved in this case again in April. He came out unsolicited and defended the Durham Police actions when the DPD a day or so after indictments were signed, approached multiple players and questioned them without their counsel. They attempted to question players without their legal representation - when they knew they were represented. Baker made statements on the record to the press defending this questioning.
3) The Durham City Council or some government body came out and made an offical statement supporting Baker running an in-house investigation to determine if and who in the PD made statements saying the victim was constantly changing her story and was not credible. The council said they felt the need to publicly support Baker.
I think this a two headed (at least) monster in Durham and Baker has been acting very suspiciously. The council feels a need to publicly support him? I'd be willing to bet they were ASKED to pass a public motion supporting Baker.
Why has Baker inserted himself at critical points in the investigation to keep it on track.
Baker and Nifong. Remember Vernon Jordan and Bill Clinton?
Baker actions are not typical of a Police Chief, much less a City Manager. This case seems to be very important to Mr. Baker. Important enough for him to conduct an intra-force investigation before the first court date of the case? Important enough for him to dispatch Police Officers
to the Duke Dorms in a controversial move that was sure to draw fire. Then the City Council introduces a motion to support Baker's actions in the Duke matter? This is a rape.
There has been multiple rapes in Durham since this alleged party rape. I'm sure Baker had no involvement in these other rape cases and I'm sure the same applies to the City Council and the Durham Chapter of the NAACP.
I was not one of those suspicious of Baker initially, but as I look deeper, I think he's involved or trying to hide something.
Now Baker has made himself a witness.
"Officer, have you spoken with Patrick Baker about any aspect of your testimony case?"
"What did Patrick Baker want you to say?"
"What did he say or imply would happen to you if you testified truthfully about the night in question?"
"Remember you are under oath."
How about this hypothesis:
There is a vice crime operation in Durham that involves or is facilitated by city or county employees. That operation runs local prostitution, drugs, gambling, etc, all the usual stuff, in Durham. Minor players in this ring might include, for example, the cab driver from Namibia who has gotten off with a laundry list of crimes. In fact, CGM and Kim have been let off from a laundry list of crimes, partly because they work for this operation (remember I am only hypothesizing this). They may have even been recruited because they could be controlled by the threat of prosecution for their crimes.
CGM and KR are mere bit players who have their bodies rented out by this syndicate/mob. One night CGM goes nuts and panics and in the absence of direct control, starts screaming rape and creates a situation that potentially draws the spotlight right to the vice ring's operations -- if someone starts digging deep enough.
Nifong is in a very hotly contested and bitter race for the DA spot with a white woman. He gets wind of CGM's allegations and sees the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone -- one, curry favor with the local black population by validating the most incendiary black slavery fantasies, and two, have a sword that he can hang over the local crime syndicate to make them control the election for him. He probably can get other favors, too, as long as he has something to hang over them.
Nifong proceeds to play up this obviously bogus case, and to try to manufacture bogus evidence, bend potential witnesses and use any other underhanded device he can think of to lynch these 'rich white boys.' In this, he seems to have the cooperation of the local police, city manager, judges, etc. Meanwhile he has the entire University by the shorthairs as well. He is in heaven. He marches the clean-cut college boys into court, wrists handcuffed behind their backs, with the national cameras rolling and publicity beyond his wildest dreams.
But Nifong, being none too bright, finds as time goes on that he has painted himself into a corner. The national media picks this up and begins to magnify this thing beyond the local boundaries where Nifong and his cronies have some control. There is danger that the state or the Justice Department might start looking at this. These young men get crack defense lawyers who can outsmart DingDong in their sleep.
The local Black Panthers get involved as the 'muscle' for this vice operation and start threatening anybody and everybody. They even threaten a defendant in the courtroom (an action unbelievable in most courtrooms but apparently not even of note in a Durham courtroom.)
Meanwhile, Nifong put CGM on ice big time. Why? Ostensibly because she might be in danger from the white establishment. In reality, it would be because CGM is now a major liability to this local crime syndicate, and has caused major problems for her bosses.
My sense of things is that CGM is in grave danger and that sooner or later they're going to find her dead from an apparent suicide. The local party line will be that she could no longer stand the pain and humiliation that these evil white boys had brought to her and she had to do away with herself.
The only hole I can think of in this scenario is why is Nifong still hanging on, and why would the police, etc, cooperate with him? The answer to the second could only be that they are now in too deep. They continue to think they can put enough of a smokescreen that the world thinks these boys are guilty and doesn't look too much further. I think in Nifong's case it may also be because as soon as he doesn't have the sword held over certain heads, he is also dead meat, figuratively if not literally.
Hmmm...neither was I. But now you are making me wonder if Baker's name and number may appear in that cell phone.