Posted on 05/19/2006 7:17:27 AM PDT by Perdogg
DURHAM, N.C.—One of three Duke University lacrosse players charged with rape wants the case resolved in time for the next school year, his lawyer said in court yesterday. But the judge warned he will not fast-track the proceedings.
The case "is not going to jump ahead of the line and be handled any differently," Superior Court Judge Ronald L. Stephens said at a hearing for sophomore Reade Seligmann.
After the brief hearing, District Attorney Mike Nifong said he does not expect any trial to begin before next year.
(Excerpt) Read more at thestar.com ...
Thanks so much for the ping. I missed yesterday, so I'm desperately trying to catch up. As a new Freeper, I'm really impressed with the level of factual reporting here. The links are so helpful. Thanks to all!
See my post #24.
NC don't need no stinkin' 6th Amemdment!
Perhaps.If possible,I would think that the defendants in this case would want a change of venue and to have the case taken away from the County Prosecutor and handled by the NC Attorney General's office.
I think that's the only way that justice can be assured.
If the woman involved has truly been wronged,I can't see how she'd have a problem with that.
Maybe for the same reasons he downgrades felony charges to misdemeanors - for some individuals.
If you or I were to steal a car, drive 70 mph with a blood alcohol level of twice the legal limit, try to run over a policeman, and crash into a police car we would be in jail for 30 years. Crstal did ALL of the above and more and was charged with a misdemeanor. Why?
If it is available I think these boys and their attorneys should come out and say publicly that there is no reason why this trial cannot go ahead now.
If it isn't I would still have them go out publicly and demand to know why they are so backlogged and that they should be required to SHOW publicly why their claim is legit.
As I said thru the wacko jacko trial, the OJ trial, the Scott Peterson trial, the David westerfield trial and even the martha stewert trial....IF the accused has really done nothing wrong then by all means get in front of those camera AND sit in front of the jury answering every question asked of them.
When accused the worst thing the innocent can do is remain silent. I take notice that the team captain came out strong in words and action. He offered help that was rebuffed. He took a lie detector by his own willingness. He did not force a warrant for the cops to search and even impound some of his things.
I predeict these boys did NOTHING wrong except piss off this girl and she played the race card and the gender card trying to get back at them. Sure looks to me like the one that needs to go to jail is the accuser herself and if things turn out to be the way I see them I sure hope she does go to jail.
All the "protect the victim" folks may just find themselves in a position that they SHOULD have been backing the ones they are currently attacking.
I see alot that shows these boys couldn't have done what they are accused of and nothing but the word of the accuser to show they did.
To all those big brother is bad folks I offer that the cameras at the ATM may just play a HUGE part in proving innocence. That FRiends is a good thing.
Being this turned out to be a rant ( sorry) I would also like to say that if the accused names can be out in the public domain then by all means the accusers should as well. If keeping private the accusers name is so proper then by all means lets have some equal justice under the law and keep the accused names private as well.
I must say if this is dealt with very quickly someones blood is going to be shed and when that starts it we will see many people hurt that need not be.
I think this girl LIED and alot of folks are going to be eating a main course of crow with a side of humble pie. I just really hope they will sit down and eat the dinner they deserve before more people are hurt in more serious ways than they already have been.
If these boys are shown to be guilty I would be happy to sit down and eat that dinner myself.
Sorry about the rant folks, but hey, what s a FReeper to do when typing about such an emotional subject? :)
Also, why is no one, not even an independent, opposing him in the election?
OK you make a fair point on that note Alberta, so I would offer the best way to deal with it is to show clearly WHY the backlog exists. Wouldn't you agree?
In the meantime, Duke has suspended them from school.
I also heard that Nilfong (Nullfang) was the DA in a case involving this woman in an earlier incident in which she stole a taxi, drove at a high rate of speed through congested areas, drove in the wrong lane of traffic, had a blood alcohol content of .19, had no valid license, and tried to run over a police officer.
The D.A. in that case was Nilfang. He allowed a plea bargain down to probation. This is beyond incredible.
I think Nilfang's actions in this case go beyond getting himself re-elected.
I think that woman and Nilfang had some kind of relationship and he knows she will spill the beans on him if he doesn't cooperate with her.
Nifong knows that these guys won't be able to go back to school as long as this thing is in limbo, so their lives are essentially being ruined. My guess is that he's hoping that they'll get fed up and cop a lesser plea to something. They're already out a substantial amount of money from the $400,000 bail, and the legal fees have barely even started yet.
Suspended? Sure sounds like punishing someone before proving guilt to me.... Also, ending the entire season for the entire team sure sounds like collective punishment to me. WHat is it that I am missing here?
All monies that the accuser will ( or at least should) be liable for when she is shown to be the liar that she sure appears to be with the available evidence so far.
I think it speaks VOLUMES that Al sharpton has not said one word about this.
You would think that because of the personal relationship with Nifong, Judge Stephens would recuse himself from this case. What a circus.
How will the False Accuser and Kim be 'making a living' during this time? HA
Really, most prosecutors are guilty themselves of prosecutorial misconduct, but nobody ever dares hold them accountable. They pick and choose who they want to be guilty. There are, unfortunately, monsters in the system and no disciplinary mechanism when they step out of line.
The young man who went so far to face the cameras and say that he turned over his emails, that he had nothing to hide and the lengths he went to prove that, is very probably innocent. No one that is truly guilty would go so far as to let the police in without the benefit of counsel present as he did. He cooperated, told the truth, and look where that got him. This happens all the time at the High School level and students are often severely punished for wild stories based on someone else's lies. I honestly think the people bringing the accusations and their witnesses should submit to a lie detector test themselves. The burden of proof lies with the State. As a taxpayer I'd sooner pay for a lie detector test than a stupid trial.
Happens all the time. This is called zero tolerance, my friend. Read all about it on my website. :)
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