Posted on 10/11/2006 1:52:56 AM PDT by 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
I agree. Nifong's stupidity or brazen politiking is going to be apparent. I hope Bradley pins the tail on the Brodhead donkey while he is at it.
It just occurred to me that Nifong may actually not have heard some of wht Ed Bradley will reveal about the AV's version of events.
Remember the strong claims that Crystal did not change her story?
Remember Linwood Wilson apparently did not know what was in discovery?
I wonder if Ed Bradley asked Kim about her "tax free" income...
Well, that is what is in her police report, so it's not really "news," at least to me. Of course I am really glad she told that to Bradley, but all that information is in the report she gave to the police.
Yes, but for the last few months she has been looking like she would support Nifong in order to get out from under her own legal problems. Now it looks like she is going to stick with her original statement: it's a crock.
There is no obvious way that Nifong can make his case- particularly if Kim directly contradicts Crystal on specific interactions with the students. Do you see anything?
Nifong's case requires that a jury believe Precious and disbelieve just about everyone else. It's going to be like this - Precious is telling the truth and everyone else is either wrong or lying. And frankly, Precious contradicts herself so many times that I've lost count. This will have to be explained by "trauma".
I suppose it's possible Nifong could cook up another version of the story and say Precious was so traumatized she got confused about being separated from Kim. That would be tough though since Precious was so specific about it.
I think Nifong is sunk.
That is the point. There is no news to us here in the blurb from 60 mins other than Pittman [aka Roberts] saying aloud that she was not pulled apart from Mangum. I guess she might have claimed it did happen but she forgot to mention it earlier, but that clearly would not be credible.
Still getting that out loudly before the election could help hold down Nifong's vote total and help him lose. And the pressure on Nifong next Monday will be huge.
If Nifong had half a brain he would be in court tommorrow moving that these charges be dropped. Really he should have done this last week, but even at this date maybe CBS would pull its segment on this case if he did.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15238767/
Duke accuser lying, stripper says in interview
Roberts says alleged victim wasn't raped by lacrosse players
I wonder if Ed asked Kim about Crystal Mangum's account of her actually assisting in the rape.
What happened to FR poster Mike Nifong? He had interesting comments.
I hope he is being interviewed by Ed for the "show".
I hope so. For the first time in a while I'm starting to see a flicker of light at the end of this tunnel.
It is beginning to feel like the time Clinton had to admit that he had sex with that intern. Of course, he never really did, but then Nifong will never admit he abused his authority.
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