I have posted this a few times. For reference, here is Cheshire's interview with Zahn, (Aired April 17, 2006 - 20:00 ET). He hints at the consensual sex prior to the party.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/17/pzn.01.html
Just a bit earlier on, I spoke with Joe Cheshire, the attorney representing one of the Duke lacrosse players.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: Mr. Cheshire, thank you so much for joining us tonight.
CNN has learned that two of the sealed indictments are, in fact, against lacrosse players at Duke. Do you represent either one of those men?
JOSEPH CHESHIRE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: My understanding is that I do not, which I am -- I'm very pleased to say.
ZAHN: And when you say your understanding of that is that you don't represent either one, what do you mean?
CHESHIRE: Well, I have been told who the indictments are against. I'm -- I'm not at liberty to mention those names. And, of course, the fact that I have been told that did not come directly from the prosecutor or any member of the grand jury or any member of -- of those staff. So, it's not a guaranty that it's the case. But I'm -- I'm pretty sure it is.
ZAHN: What can you tell us about those two men?
CHESHIRE: Well, they were two of the young men that were at the party. And, from what I understand it, the likelihood that these two men, with the facts that I understand, could have committed the crimes that this young woman has said that they committed, it would be almost impossible.
And I -- I think you will find some very interesting things out about the time line of these particular two individuals that will make it even stronger to show you and the public and everyone that no -- no rape happened in that house that night, which I'm absolutely convinced is the truth.
ZAHN: When you say it's impossible that that rape might have happened, are you suggesting that the DA is making up something here? CHESHIRE: I'm not saying -- well, you know, you can indict a ham sandwich in North Carolina, Paula. There's no record of what goes on in a grand jury. There's -- there's no tape recording, no court reporter. There are no rules of evidence. Two sides are not put on.
The only thing that happens is, a police officer goes in, in front of the grand jury and says, these are the facts. They're not always the true facts. And grand jurors indict 99.9 percent of the time. So, the fact that they have a grand -- a grand jury indictment means absolutely nothing in the process here.
And I'm not saying at all that the prosecutor is making anything up. The prosecutor has said he believes this accuser. Well, that's his right, to believe the accuser. But the facts, as I understand them -- and we have worked in this case very hard and very long. And we know much about this young lady. We know much about the timeline. And, as I have said all along, as all the other lawyers and all the boys have said, no rape happened in that house.
ZAHN: When...
CHESHIRE: No sexual assault happened in that house.
ZAHN: How, then, sir, do you explain the woman's injuries...
CHESHIRE: Well, I can show -- there are pictures.
ZAHN: ... particularly some of the internal injuries?
CHESHIRE: Paula, well, first of all, let me say this for a living -- let me say this about what this woman does for a living.
Anybody that knows what she does for a living and the reality of what she does for a living knows that she could have received those injuries any time before 12:00 that evening. Now, as -- as this trial goes on, we will be able to discover exactly where she is. But the fact that she may have had sex with somebody after 6:00 or before 6:00 would mean, if she went to the hospital, they would show that she had -- quote -- "injuries," which is a word I don't like, but a medical condition, or things in her body, consistent with the fact that she may have had sex with somebody.
That does not prove that she...
ZAHN: Are you talking about consensual sex with somebody else, or do you think she was attacked by...
CHESHIRE: Oh, I -- I -- I...
ZAHN: ... some man not on the lacrosse team?
CHESHIRE: I don't think she was raped at all. I -- I don't think there's any evidence that she was raped at all.
ZAHN: I want to know why you think this woman, who you claim to know an awful lot about, would have made up this story... CHESHIRE: Oh, I -- I -- I...
ZAHN: ... and turned her life upside down.
CHESHIRE: I'm -- I'm not -- I'm not going to -- and turned her life upside down? How about the life of this entire community? How about the life of all these boys? How about the life of the university? How about the life of the racial relations in the city of Durham?
ZAHN: Well, what's in it for her?
CHESHIRE: I mean, I'm really -- I -- I have to tell you the truth.
Well, I mean, I could give you all kind of things that are in it for -- for her. I -- I don't know exactly what was in her that night, but she was clearly under the influence of something very strong when she got to the party.
ZAHN: Mr. Cheshire, you said you and your team know an awful lot about this woman, about her background, and this story will not stand up in court. What do you mean by that? What do you know?
CHESHIRE: Well, I'm -- I'm not going to say or share what we know about her. Obviously, we have done a lot of work on her.
And, when someone makes an accusation, that accusation has to stand up to the actual physical facts of what happened. First of all, hers will not stand up to the actual physical facts.
Secondly, you pointed out that they need to have no motivation to lie. I believe that the lawyers in this case will be able to show, on cross-examination and on the presentation of evidence, that she did have a motive to lie.
ZAHN: So, you can't clarify for us tonight what you think that motivation is, based on the research you have done in her background?
CHESHIRE: No.
And -- and I wouldn't do that. It would be wrong for me to do that at this point in time. We haven't tried to try this case in the public opinion. We have just said that these boys are not guilty, in response to what the prosecutor has done. But those things will come out in court. And, when the public sees her cross-examination, and sees her answers, and finds out about that motivation, it will prove what we have been saying all along. And that is that no rape happened in that house.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: Obviously, that was defense attorney Joe Cheshire.
Thanks, maggie; you're a VAULT of information.
Hmm.. Cheshire says in that interview that Finnerty was at the party. I was hoping he could prove he wasn't there at all, as Abrams said he wasn't in any of the pictures he was shown.
"ZAHN: How, then, sir, do you explain the woman's injuries...particularly some of the internal injuries?"
RIPPED? Are we back to that? LOL.
I still want to know WHAT injuries.