Duke lacrosse files show gaps in DA's case (DukeLax - NandO FINALLY tells the story)

Raleigh News & Observer ^ | August 6, 2006 | Joseph Neff

[abb]

DURHAM - Investigator Michelle Soucie of the Durham Police Department was working the phones the afternoon of April 17, trying to set up DNA tests on evidence in the Duke lacrosse case. A private laboratory in Burlington gave a price, and Soucie immediately contacted District Attorney Mike Nifong.

- snip -

In examining the files Nifong has produced in the case, The News & Observer found that the accuser gave at least five different versions of the alleged assault to different police and medical interviewers and made shaky identifications of suspects. To get warrants, police made statements that weren't supported by information in their files.

- snip -

Much of the district attorney's evidence is contained in more than 1,800 pages of documents he has made available to the defense under a recent state law requiring prosecutors to open their files before trial. Those documents are only part of the evidence that could be introduced in a criminal trial. They do not include information still being gathered or testimony that might occur under oath.

But they offer the most complete picture thus far of evidence in the case that has put Durham and Duke in the national spotlight. The documents -- police notes, court orders, DNA tests, interviews and handwritten statements -- show what the prosecution has learned and how it conducted itself in State of North Carolina vs. Collin Finnerty, Reade W. Seligmann and David Forker Evans, who could face decades in prison if convicted.

[jennyd]

And one more thing. Where are any statements from UNC that she was badly beat when she showed up there? Do you think Nifong would keep something like that a secret?

[pepperhead]

I think it is funny what CTV's mods are doing. Every time they close down the forum people look elsewhere for info or a place to discuss things. Then when they open the forum back up they either lose posters or get more informed posters that make all the pro-av people look even worse.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

I bet her computer is loaded with names, dates, planes, trains and automobiles. Delete does not mean gone forever.

Just to read her email. I think we'd all be foaming at the mouth for that opportunity.

[abb]

MOMMY, MOMMY!! Make it stop!! ROFLMAO!!

[pepperhead]

I don't think we will ever hear about what he said to the grand jury. But what he said in his affidavit to get the search warrants should be enough to make any judge question anything he ever says again. Himan better get a lawyer.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

I did sneak over to CTV. Nothing has changed. Still want to bitch-slap that 2 braids into oblivion.

[abb]

Over on the abc11tv boards, HarleyinVT is already asking if Nifong's trial will be on court tv, lol. I told him he wouldn't go to trial - he would prolly plead out...

[pepperhead]

LMAO!!!

[Hogeye13]

And who besides a medical expert would be a witness to something like that? That reasoning make no sense at all. He wanted to make sure the trauma (beating) did not occur before the incident, without considering that it could have occured after the incident.

[Mike Nifong]

Just a word of caution to HarleyinVT, the last time we all thought the media had seen the light and the blinders were coming off (when Abrams/Filan reviewed the entire Disovery file) - Filan spends a little time with Nifong and he's suddenly her hero. She is so impressed with his committment to "his victim." And she was overwhelmed by the seriousness of the case in the courtroom.

The rest of the Media never touched it.

Never underestimate the Media's ability to choose to live in denial.

[JLS]

Why was Nifong talking about Escort Service business in relation to her "trauma"?

Let see what we have here:

1. jennyd conjecture 1: Nifong wanted to know about the Escort Service business because Nifong and jennyd wonder if they have their hookers come in for an inspection of the privates by MDs or someone between each job every night. Afterall they want to provide a undamaged product.

2. jls conjecture 1: Nifong wanted to know about the Escort Service business because Nifong wondered if she checked in in person at times during the night and they might have seen her uninjured just prior to going to the lacrosse party.

3. jls conjecture 2: Nifong wanted to know about the Escort SErvice business because Nifong wanted to track down her customers just prior to the lacrosse party that evenning to see if they would say she left them with no visible injuries of a run in with a sink or something.

Sorry, I did not answer this before but it seemed pretty clear to me based on a response in this thread by someone, Mike Nifong, possibly. You are welcome to believe any of the three scenarios about are most likely. I would tend to side with 3 or maybe 2 if Nifong is particularly dumb about this business.

But as I said when you first questioned me about this AND I AM SERIOUS ABOUT THIS, you are welcome to believe what you want about this. I have made my conjecture, but it is conjecture based on the facts that I think I know. It could even be the case that Nifong was talking about the injuries he saw on the woman and the detective though he meant the swelling or you could be right. I just don't see how anyone could get on the stand and testify as to the state of Mangum's privates prior to the lacrosse party.

[Mike Nifong]

thank you abb

[JLS]

Right, I am content here. I went over there to see if there was another side we might be missing by all generally agreeing here. There wasn't. It was a waste of time to even try to engage the so called other side there.

But that is the left, they would rather be liberal than succeed in their business anyway.

[Mike Nifong]

Newport - a poster on Talkleft (who seems to stick to facts) - is saying he has proof the Leak of the semen, Zash, etc. came from Nifong's office.

Also something about a report for the Herald Sun:

http://forums.talkleft.com/index.php?topic=43.105

[JLS]

Yep, Nifong is a pleading out kind of guy.

[Mad-Margaret]

I think "Joan" is Joan Foster. She frequently posts on the N&O blogs and the FODU blog. Her posts are intelligence and very even-tempered, but she is relentless. And she writes poetry no less!

So is the N&O coverage the rumor that Joan predicted or is the rumor the AV's computer? Or maybe Joan knew that from her Duke sources.

[jennyd]

What trauma from beating? She was described as having a few not bleeding scratches on her legs when she was examined by DUMC.
Where are statements from UNC describing trauma from beating?
Why wouldn't Nifong talk about these statements, if they existed? He talked about everything else. Yet, such a bombshell-the accuser beaten to a pulp, yet not a peep out of Nifong? Could it be because no such statements exist?
As for who can testify to the conditions of her private regions?
I would like to find that out from Nifong-what did he mean when he said he wants to rule out trauma prior to the incident -with witnesses? Cause like I said before, I agree with N&O that Nifong was talking about vaginal swelling.

[Mike Nifong]

Does UNC or anyone verify injuries to the AV?
(other than swelling)

Or is this coming from Jackiit, Crystal & co. ?

[abb]

Jackiit

ROFLMAO!! On a blog somewhere, I saw her referred to as the "family spokesit."

[maggief]

Some background on H-S's Stevenson:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://indyweek.com/durham/2003-05-14/cover2-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://indyweek.com/durham/2003-05-14/cover2.html&h=151&w=100&sz=4&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=JzTCVvw2szapQM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=59&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522John%2BStevenson%2522%2Bdurham%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26hs%3Ddgi%26lr%3D%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN

John Stevenson, Staff Writer

With two decades on the civil and criminal court beat, Stevenson serves as the lead writer on the Peterson trial, though other reporters fill in feature stories and a variety of sidebars. Among the reporting staff, Stevenson also holds the longest tenure in the Herald-Sun newsroom, by far. He isn't often in the newsroom, though, as he's usually hanging out in the fourth-floor courthouse lounge, working sources and drinking coffee. Stevenson isn't known for winning writing awards, but he's respected among the courthouse regulars, including the judge who's handling the Peterson case. A Penn State grad who worked at the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot before coming to the Herald-Sun, Stevenson has experience covering several of Durham's high-profile murder trials, including the racially charged case of white Durham homeowner Michael Seagroves, who shot and killed a black teen-aged intruder in 1993, and the murder trial of drunken-driver Timothy Earl Blackwell in 1998. In addition to covering the court system as a journalist, Stevenson for years ran a side business publishing a legal newsletter that detailed Durham trials for an audience of local attorneys--an enterprise even Stevenson (who has since sold the business) admits "might have been seen as a conflict of interest." On May 6, in the heat of a pre-trial hearing in the Peterson case, Stevenson dodged a conflict of a different sort. When defense attorney David Rudolf began calling reporters to testify, Stevenson split moments before he was summoned to the witness box, leaving Deputy Managing Editor Rocky Rosen to explain sheepishly from the audience that Stevenson had suddenly become ill.