Posted on 10/11/2006 1:52:56 AM PDT by abb
DURHAM -- A CBS "60 Minutes" segment on the controversial Duke University lacrosse rape case is expected to air Sunday evening and will include interviews with all three indicted players and Kim Roberts Pittman, the second dancer at the party where the attack allegedly occurred.
CBS would not comment on the show. The network's normal practice is to withhold information about "60 Minutes" broadcasts until a few days in advance.
But Pittman's lawyer, Mark Simeon of Durham, confirmed Tuesday that his client was interviewed. But Simeon ended a telephone conversation before fielding a question about what Pittman told the interviewer.
An exotic dancer at the time, Pittman was with another dancer who claimed she was raped and sodomized by three lacrosse players during an off-campus party at 610 N. Buchanan Blvd. in mid-March.
Pittman since has been quoted as saying the rape charges were "a crock." She also told police in a March 22 handwritten statement that she and the accuser ended their performance when someone at the lacrosse party "brought out a broomstick and ... said he would use the broomstick on us."
"That statement made me uncomfortable and I felt like I wanted to leave," Pittman added. "I raised my voice to the boys and said the show was over."
Pittman said she then asked the alleged rape victim to leave the party with her. But she said the accuser "felt we could get more money and that we shouldn't leave yet."
According to Pittman, the accuser "began showing signs of intoxication" early in the dance performance and was "basically out of it" by the time it ended.
Pittman finally drove the other dancer to a Hillsborough Road grocery store, from which a 911 call was placed to police.
There is nothing about an alleged rape in Pittman's written statement, which is included in public-record court files.
All three defendants also were interviewed for the "60 Minutes" segment, sources told The Herald-Sun. The interviewer is veteran reporter Ed Bradley.
The three -- Collin Finnerty, Reade Seligmann and David Evans -- remain free under $100,000 bonds as they await a trial that is expected to occur next year. Each maintains he is innocent.
Neither they nor their families could be reached Tuesday for possible comment about the CBS show, and their attorneys had no comment.
Defense lawyers apparently will not appear on the television program. Neither will District Attorney Mike Nifong, who has been widely criticized for allegedly rushing to judgment in the case and making inflammatory public statements before he had sufficient evidence.
For the past four months, Nifong has not discussed the situation publicly. He was out of town on business and unreachable for comment Tuesday.
Benjamin Himan and Mark Gottlieb, police investigators in the lacrosse case, also could not be reached. But sources said the two had not been interviewed by "60 Minutes" as of Friday.
The Police Department repeatedly has declined to discuss the lacrosse incident.
It could not be determined Tuesday if a one-time driver for the alleged rape victim, Jarriel Lanier Johnson, was among those Bradley contacted.
"I have nothing to say about it," Johnson told The Herald-Sun by telephone before hanging up.
But Johnson gave police an April 6 handwritten statement about an "appointment," "a job" and a performance the accuser had at three different hotels in two days not long before the alleged rape.
Johnson also said she had sexual intercourse with him during the same time period.
URL for this article: http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-777449.html
He said ( I hope I have it straight) if a prosecutor has someone who says she was raped and he believes her , he should take it to trial. Everyone was pretty shocked that Greta and Hammer said to drop and the other two said to go to trial.
Does she even report on it anymore? Did she tonight?
As far as I can tell, she does not even report on the Duke case for quite a long time. However, I usually watch only a segment of her show. When she used to cover it, it was so biased I would change channels.
Oh, she was awful. If she had any shame at all, she's cop to how disgraceful she acted - no pun intended!
One of the many things that bothers me is that Ted Williams today on Greta and others keep saying let it go trial. And Bernie's point was that the accuser said it happened therefore it has to go to trial. If the guys are innocent (I have yet to see evidence that even a rape occurred), the mental stress and financial burden it creates for the families is horrific.
I was surprised too. All it takes is an accuser? That's scary.
The worse the case has become for Mangum and Nifong, the more fascist CTV boards became. They, meaning the management, have an agenda, and it doesn't involve the truth. CTV is part of the smear machine. My suggestion is to not watch their TV channel or frequent their site.
I'm stunned that Bernie Grimm said it should go to trial. He had been very strong for the defense side. Wow.
The standard for prosecuting a case is whether the prosecutor has a good faith belief that the case can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. I don't see how Nifong could possibly believe he could prove his case unless he totally has his head in the sand.
It's more likely that he is going forward for political reasons and because he is stubborn and his ego is too big to admit he was wrong.
And yes, it's extremely unfair to the three players and their families. There's no way this case should be going forward and they shouldn't have to go through any of this for one more minute.
They don't pay for interviews but often pay expenses, which may include first class air travel, first class hotel for a few days, travel to hotel, studio, meals by limo, etc. In other words a few days of living the lifestyle of the rich and famous. It can amount to quite a heady experience.
In Nifongland, apparently all you need is an accuser but everywhere else you are supposed to have an accuser with a credible accusation. If the allegation isn't credible you don't even have probable cause. I don't think Crystal and her 101 stories could survive a probable cause hearing.
Yeah I wonder if Bernie drew a shot straw? Ted of course was quite willing to say it should go to trial. Maybe they did not want it to continue to be 3 against 1 and white against black on their panel and drew straws to see who had to side with Ted and Bernie lost?
Either that of Bernie was goofing on us?
I haven't been on FR for awhile, so I might have missed this, but O'Reilly made a comment that one of the accused (I am assuming Evans) has already lost his job with a New York Company because of this case...Is this true?
Leni
I think it is him....he's the only one that graduated, right?
Horrible, isn't it?
Did you hear Meagan Kendall tonight on O'Reilly? She said she hadn't heard one attorney, prosecution or defense, say that they thought Nifong has a case -- even the ones who come on TV taking Nifong's side.
Thanks for the info.
This is a super kid, you can believe that.
This is exactly why there should be some major fall out for Nifong, LE and the AV. Like Selligman is quoted as saying about just pointing a finger and ruining someone. A DA shouldn't be able to do that. The whole thing just sickens me, and I grew up around judges, DA's, LE, I can't imagine that any of them would be a part of this. Other DA's should be speaking out very loudly against this.
I had stopped going there, because of the dumba**es. I haven't watched ctv in a long time. I agree with the agenda! I can't take their spin.
oh well, they will keep their sheeple in line, and they all deserve each other...LOL
I just looked it up: http://janus.state.me.us/legis/statutes/17-a/title17-asec509.html
Filing a false police report in the state of Maine is a class D crime which carries a sentence of less than one year, which equates to a misdemeanor in states using that terminology (ME doesn't use the terms "misdemeanor" and "felony"). Perjury in court or signing governmental documents under penalty of perjury is a felony.
I just read of a Portsmouth woman who was arrested and charged with filing a false report of rape a few months ago. It is a a misdemeanor charge: http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/07122006/nhnews-ph-p-fake.rape.html
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