Let's get serious. The Nazi comparison is just a wee bit tired, unsubtle, and overdone, okay?
We agree that "lawful" is not synonymous with "just", right? So obeying a lawful order does not necessarily mean obeying a just order. (Your parenthetical conclusion seems to blur that distinction.)
My reading of the constitution leads me to think that the people of Virginia have the right, through bureaucrats appointed by elected representatives, to make a bunch of laws, rules, etc. with which I disagree. But I think the people have the right to make those laws. Sometimes I'm supporting the right of the people to make dumb laws.
Oh, here's an example. The security regs in the courthouse where I often work forbid people from sitting in the window frames, which is low and wide and makes a fine 'expedient' seat. I think that's stupid. The windows have bars on them, it would be really hard or impossible to push someone through.
This reg was made by the sheriff who in 2003 was elected to his second 4 year term by a sizable margin - which suggests the people like him.
So should I resign? I know if the sheriff learns (and he makes frequent unannounced checks, so he would learn) that I was routinely flouting his procedures I would be dismissed. And besides, he's my friend, and I'd lose a friend. But the rule is dumb. And I'm pretty sure the sheriff knows I think it's dumb.
Regarding the case in question: Woman shows up with wounds and plausible (probable) accusation. Guy gets busted. (that standard for a bust is "probably cause" not "beyond a reawsonable doubt". The guys doing the busting often don't do the investigating. The case is "investigated", which probably means statements are taken and wounds described, and the prosecutors take it to court. It is tried, and either a judge or a jury finds the guy guilty.
And it's all the fault of the police? I don't think so.
You could have easily said you were doing something else, more important, or you could coax people from the window without filing criminal charges against them. (There's a law, right?) You have many options other than resigning.
Regarding the case in question: Woman shows up with wounds and plausible (probable) accusation. Guy gets busted. (that standard for a bust is "probably cause" not "beyond a reawsonable doubt".
I was answering a more general question than just one specifically about the case. I agree this case presents difficulties, if the witness is lying but her testimony is consistent with her wounds. I certainly would file serious criminal charges against her. (In my ideal world, you would face the same penalty for filing false charges, as the person faced if your charges against him were true: frame somebody for 1st degree murder, face the death penalty, etc.)