No, the real scary thing is that Nifong's action are not all that unusual, and that prosecutors DO get away with this kind of obscenity on a day to day basis in this country.
Once in the cross-hairs of a prosecutor, guilt or innocence become irrelevant details.
Some months ago Phyllis Schafly had a column about a Michigan man who is serving a long prison term for supposedly raping his wife, which he denies. There was no evidence other than his wife's say-so but the prosecutor was running for re-election and wanted to win the feminist vote. The wife was pregnant by another man and her boyfriend promised to marry her if she could get rid of her husband. The husband couldn't hire a lawyer for his defense because his money was impounded, but he was not allowed a public defender because he was not destitute...and he had no funds to be able to appeal the verdict. Worse than the Duke case...at least the lacrosse players are allowed to have lawyers.
The Michigan case was a flagrant violation of the 6th amendment (right to the assistance of counsel for one's defense in a criminal trial) but what does that matter in our legal system nowadays?