'60 Minutes' interviews Duke lacrosse defendants (DukeLax Ping)

Durham Herald-Sun ^ | October 11, 2006 | John Stevenson

[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

[jennyd]

The crock statement came from Kim's interview with Himan.
It's really hard to understand what exactly your problem is.
Kim was consistent in her written and oral interview with the police early on.
Later on, Nifong gave her favorable treatment on her probation violation, and even then neither of the stories she said to the media EVER supported claims by Precious that Kim and Precious were separated at the bathroom door by six different men.

[darbymcgill]

Kim was consistent in her written and oral interview with the police early on.

She was?

She told Hinman in the first interview that the assault was a crock and she was only away from the AV once for less than 5 minutes.

She made neither of those claims in her written statement. She insinuates that from the time she left the bath room until the boys brought the AV to the car, they were separated.

Since we know that Bissey saw them together at about 12:20 we know that her written statement is either a purposeful lie, intentionally misleading or just a boo boo. Any of which make it a deviation from her phone call with Hinman.

I suppose Bissey could be mistaken as well. He also said he saw the AV go back to the house for her shoe alone. Which would have made at least a second seperation that Kim didn't mention in her written statement.

I never said Kim gave a verbatim of the AV's statement. I said she appears to have deviated from her original phone call to Hinman and her written statement in his presence. If you want to see them as one in the same that's you privilege. I choose not to. I guess that's my "problem".

[Sue Perkick]

Geoff Fieger? I believe he was the one that used to get Nancy Grace in the snit of all snits. I had to stop watching her. I was going to damage something in the living room. Or have my head explode.

But I do know Fieger is on record saying there is no case.

[Sue Perkick]

What I do know for sure, though, is that the law in NC needs to be changed. Their system is medeval - no, make that medevIl.

It is. I honestly had no idea it's as bad as it is. I guess it's time to start making some noise.

[Sue Perkick]

I really don't know what the hell he meant,

Sounds like the "as long as a white boy pays" mentality.

[Jezebelle]

You really do need a new line, darby. Can't you think of anything new? That the same final reponse you gave five months ago when I fried your behind on the lies you were telling then. Would you care to see the thread? You were caught then in a vicious little game against Howlin and me that you started with no provocation, just like this time.

You need psychiatric help.

[Jezebelle]

If you're in NC, you might consider contacting your legislators and tell them you're disgusted with the criminal procedures in NC.

[Jezebelle]

Yeah, white boys pay, and if that doesn't work out, then it's the accuser's fault. "I'm a victim of her lies, too, because I brought support to bear for her. So is the entire black Durham "community." But we won't let this stop us from moving forward, praise the Lord."

[Jezebelle]

Yep, Geoff Fieger. His name escaped for a moment. He was on Liefong from the git-go, if I remember correctly.

Thanks.

I don't get what is up with those attorneys on Greta's show. They're all a bunch of uninformed milquetoasts on this case. Maybe the racial element has them scared. Fieger's the only one to acknowledge the race issue and what that has brought about in terms of the case. The rest are a bunch of weinies.

[maggief]

"That girl that was with her, she keeps changing her story," the father said of Kim Roberts Pittman, the dance partner of the accuser. "She's not a credible person to me."


A liar calling a liar "a liar."


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1607267/posts

The father of the woman who has accused members of the Duke lacrosse team of sexually assaulting her said he didn't find out that his daughter was the reported victim - and that she is an exotic dancer - until a reporter visited his house.

The retired trucker who lives in Durham said he saw his daughter the day after the reported attack, but she didn't say anything was wrong. She even left her car at the house for several days because he said she didn't want to drive it.

Her father, a quiet man who tinkers on cars as a hobby, said he saw news reports about the attack.

"I didn't know it was my daughter," he said. The Charlotte Observer generally does not name victims of sexual assault, so his name is being withheld to protect the identity of his daughter.

(snip)

Last week, a reporter stopped by the reported victim's house looking for her, the woman's father said, but he said he didn't know what was going on. He called his daughter and she said the district attorney told her not talk to anyone.

"(She) didn't tell us anything about it," he said.


http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/425344.html

The father said Tuesday that early on the morning of March 14, he went to Duke Hospital with his son and waited more than two hours to see his daughter. Doctors wouldn't say why she was there, he said.

The father went home and waited for word from his daughter. Later that morning, she came to her parents' house with her boyfriend.

"After she came home, that's when I knew she had been beaten up," her father said.


http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/17/ng.01.html

GRACE: Have you talked to her about the incident since that day?

TRAVIS: Yes, I have.

GRACE: What is she saying?

TRAVIS: Well, she didn`t go through a lot of it. She didn`t tell me a lot of the details, but she did tell me that three boys had raped her. And I asked her where was it at, where did it happen at? And she said at that house. And then I felt horrible, because that was the same place that she asked me how to get to.

GRACE: Sir, I just -- I hate what you are going through right now. (DRAMA QUEEN ALERT!) When you spoke to her afterwards, did she talk to you about having to go through the whole examination, and talking to police, and so forth?

TRAVIS: Yes, she mentioned something about where she said she had -- the next day, she had to go to see or identify the people, I think it was, the way she put it.

[Constitutions Grandchild]

Well, said. I used to believe it with all my heart -- came from a long line of L.E., but things have changed in St. Louis (one grandfather actually installed [i.e. developed the electric lock system in the original City Jail, so I've been told, and the other served on the force] have uncles who served for 52 years on the force,cousins still serving, married the son of an officer, was placed in the playpen along side him at the clubhouse on the river on Sundays when we were babies -- probably bonked him on the head with my rattle, work at a law firm now. I'd like to believe again that what I came from still exists, but the sad fact is, I don't.

[Constitutions Grandchild]

Let me further go on to say that my cousin had the highest civilian security clearance in the Navy during WWII, my family has fought in every war except the present conflict (my son wouldn't be accepted in the Armed Services now thanks to local law enforcement, nor will he ever be able to acquire a decent job with his education) from the French-Indian War, Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Spanish American War, Civil War, WWI, WWII, Vietnam, my great, great, great -- whatever Uncle he was -- penned the Gouvernour Morris -- penned the Constitution - yup, we write real good in this family -- we all believed in God taught Sunday School, served our country and protected it from harm. So, I can say with complete certainty things my family is microcosm of America and what it should be -- if I say something stinks -- at least in St. Louis and the County -- it stinks.

[Constitutions Grandchild]

So, I can say with complete certainty things my family is microcosm of America and what it should be -- if I say something stinks -- at least in St. Louis and the County -- it stinks.

It should read, "So, I can say with complete certainty, my family is a microcosm of America and what it should be...

[Fido969]

OK, I had a complaint related to false charges of domestic violence filed by my ex-wife when we were divorcing in Sagadahoc country a few years ago, the deputy told me it was up to 4 years, obviously he was mistaken. I did have extended correspondence with the DAs office though, and they just plain had no interest in pursuing it, even though it was a slam-dunk. The thing ended up costing me 4 years in court, about a hundred thousand dollars and custody of my kids.

Of course when it's all over it's "Sorry pal, that's the way the cookie crumbles".

[Sue Perkick]

RATS. The lot of 'em. Still worth the effort though. That may be part of the problem. It's a RAT run state. From the governor down.

[Fido969]

a Portsmouth woman

Portsmouth is New Hampshire, and that is a whole 'nother world. Across the river from Portsmouth is York County, which is in Maine. The DA for York County made a big name for himself amoung the feminists by prosecuting a schoolteacher on supposed sexual assault charges. There was nothing to it, and the case was dropped AFTER the guy lost his job and his career was ruined.

That DA Michael Cantara was picked to head the state-wide public safty office - the so-called "top cop". No matter how outragous his behavior, he knew the fems would support him.

That's the mistake Nifong is making - and you will notice that the pot-bangers are still supporting the guy. But he has gone too far this time.

But that is his only crime as far as the MSM is concerned -that he just went a little too far.

[Constitutions Grandchild]

I think this post will "light up" with stories from across this nation of prosecutorial and L.E. misconduct, negligence and failure to serve and protect. Many may be invalid, but I'd say that these days more will be valid than not. It USED to be a fluke. Now, it's the norm. People used to go to prison for major crimes, caught red-handed or witnessed by others. Are you aware that now you can go to jail for words? Duke isn't a fluke -- you're mistaken.

A person in our country today can actually go to prison if someone walks into a police station and accuses him or her of a crime -- with no evidence, no witnesses to the alleged crime, no NOTHIN'? You can even have up to 60 witnesses to say absolutely NOTHING HAPPENED, THEY WEREN'T EVEN HERE, and it can happen. I've checked among defense attorneys here locally and it happens all the time -- the accuser will lose, of course, but you can be financially ruined proving your innocense, and if you can't afford to defend yourself, you will go to prison on the word of anybody off the street with no proof thereof. Cops salve their consciences with "Better safe than sorry."

Additionally, if you can't afford to wait for the two long years for it to go to trial with your life on hold --because you can't get a job or go to school anywhere in this country with a felony charge hanging over your head, you'll take a plea. Geez, Jezzie, it's like shooting ducks in a barrel for any unscrupulous individual with an axe to grind or uncontrolled envy -- and my Uncle Gouvy and the fellow he ghost-wrote the Constitution for, Mr. Jefferson, never, ever meant it to happen that way.

I may not be a trained professional investigator or have my J.D., but I know when I'm being "shined on" and this is a scam -- a filthy, rotton scam.

[Constitutions Grandchild]

Oh, oh, wait -- I'm on a roll -- and don't tell me how after you have proven you are innocent of the charges you can file a lawsuit for damages against the accuser -- you are so dirt poor by the end of the process and so mentally and emotionally drained, you can't pay attention, much less go through the scintilating experience again. Don't give me any crap about that PUL-LEASE!!!

And chances are, your accuser is so dirt poor that that's what she had a target painted on your back for in the first place -- don't give me, "Oh, you can get your expenses back -- ARE YOU KIDDING? Who can make restitution for lives destroyed? I'm thinking only one Person, and He ain't been here to collect, yet.

[Constitutions Grandchild]

Okay, I'm done. I'll be quiet now.

[Dante3]

Mark Fuhrman also said quite a while back that there is no case. Seems it was either on O'Reilly or Hannity & Colmes.