Taxicab Driver Explains Accused Duke Player's Alleged Alibi ($25 for a roughly $17 fare)

ABC News ^ | April 20, 2006 | CHRIS CUOMO, LARA SETRAKIAN

[skaterboy]

He gets an 8 buck tip and thats news? Well im sure the kid is very glad he gave him that 8 bucks right now

[mjwise]

However, the defense would still need to prove that during the time both he and the alleged victim were at the party, he did nothing to justify the charges he's facing...

Whoops, someone failed criminal law 101. All he needs is a reasonable doubt, and IMO they've already got that.

I do believe DA Nifong prematurely shot his wad on this case. (pardon the expression)

[rightwingintelligentsia]

I think the tip was actually $25--in addition to the $17 fare, if I'm reading it correctly.

[thoughtomator]

Probably just bad writing from another ill-educated 'journalist'. Either way, it shows, being a good tipper can come in mighty handy sometimes!

[Ken H]

Almostafa said Seligmann was not nervous, drunk, or out of sorts.

"They were just joking and laughing in inside my car, and everything [was] just fine," he said, of the men's demeanor.

Almostafa said he didn't notice anything unusual or suspicious about Seligmann or the friend who rode with him in the cab. When asked whether he had seen any sign of wrongdoing or any indication that they had been in a struggle, his answer was an immediate "no."

Outstanding!

[Ken H]

After he dropped off Seligmann, he went back for a second pick up of Duke lacrosse players from the party house. [snip] There was yelling, the cab driver said, but he said, "I didn't hear any racial [comments], I didn't see any blood, I didn't see any scratch." He also said he didn't hear anything about a rape or assault.

The Duke students are telling the truth.

[Sacajaweau]

The DA wants to prosecute white dudes who supposedly raped a stripper. Dems will do anything for a vote.

Okay....I'm from NY. When I first moved to Virginia, someone told me to get rid of my NY plates ASAP.

[Mercat]

"However, the defense would still need to prove that during the time both he and the alleged victim were at the party, he did nothing to justify the charges he's facing, which are set out in a sworn affidavit by the accuser"

Isn't that backward? Isn't it the state that needs to prove that he was there committing the offense?

[HumanitysEdge]

Drunk stripper's word > a dozen college students = new PC

[AmishDude]

Ping.

[staytrue]

All he needs is a reasonable doubt

It depends on the jury. With the wrong jury, he needs undisputable proof of innocence. I thought Ebbers was innocent. He held on to his 600 million of worldcom stock all the way down to zero. That makes him innocent by me and he still went to jail for a long time.

[mjwise]

Well, I was speaking to what SHOULD be reality of course. I think it's wrong to report they must prove their innocence though. That just condones an unjust jury. There are plenty of sad examples of what can go awry though when the DA, the community, and the jury are all out of control though.

(I linked you above to a discussion of the various day care abuse scandals of the 80's. If you want to read about some disgusting homegrown perversions of justice, read up on some of those cases. How people's lives were destroyed by completely wild, unsubstantiated allegations is amazing.)

[pepperhead]

I haven't thought of it that way yet. But now that I do, it reminds me more and more of the persecutions the MSM and various DA's did back then. They ruined many peoples lives and didn't have to pay for it.

[Howlin]

This guy is "fleshing out" his story; if there's a trial, he won't be worth a damn.

[I.D.E.A]

Frankly, it would be nice to get this guys story all at once rather than doled out in small, daily "breaking news exclusives" from Rita Cosby.

Yesterday she 'broke' his story but then today we learn it was only part of the story. Today we hear about the second fare and Kim screaming in the streets. I wonder what other detail they will drag out tomorrow to nurse this tragedy along enough to keep it front page news.

[Steve_Seattle]

the tip

It's ambiguous and poorly phrased, but I think the tip was probably $8, not $25.

[Steve_Seattle]

I don't see how the cabbie is harming the defense by providing more details. He says Seligmann wasn't drunk or disheveled or physically exhausted or worried, which makes it seem unlikely that ten minutes earlier he was involved in a half-hour struggle and rape on a bathroom floor.

[Howlin]

Here's what bothers me, from the story about the 2nd dancer:

Now he is saying:


The cabbie, Moez Mostafa, also said he saw a woman leaving the party in anger, and overheard someone say, "She just a stripper. She's going to call the police."

"She looked, like, mad," he said of the woman. "In her face, the way she walked, the way she talked, she looked like mad."


That's NOT what he told Rita Cosby and it's not what he told the local news; when he gets on the stand, he can be impeached for changing his story.

That's all that worries me.

It's turning into a real circus.

[RegulatorCountry]

"She looked, like, mad," he said of the woman. "In her face, the way she walked, the way she talked, she looked like mad."

At least one of the two showed up trashed and unable to entertain the lacrosse players in the manner that they expected, and so they refused to pay them, either completely or not as much as the two expected. This whole tale is revenge for that, imho.