Posted on 04/18/2006 3:26:57 AM PDT by Mad-Margaret
DURHAM -- A day after a grand jury indicted two Duke University lacrosse players in connection with a reported rape, two men emerged from a sheriff's deputy vehicle and were led, handcuffed, into the magistrates office at the Durham County Jail at 4:54 a.m. today.
The arrests stem from a party that began March 13. The accuser, who is a mother of two, an N.C. Central University student and an escort service dancer, told police March 14 that she was sexually assaulted by three men in a bathroom at an off-campus house shared by three lacrosse team captains. The accuser is black; she said her rapists were white.
Defense lawyers said players maintained that there was no sex at all. They said the accuser concocted the story, that she was drunk and injured late March 13 when she arrived at the three-bedroom house at 610 N. Buchanan Blvd.
"... Two young men have been charged with crimes they did not commit. This is a tragedy," Bob Ekstrand, who represents team players, said Monday in a prepared statement. "For the two young men, an ordeal lies ahead. They do not face it alone; they face it with the love of family and friends and strengthened by the truth. They are both innocent."
Superior Court Judge Ronald Stephens sealed a manila envelope containing the indictments shortly after the grand jury finished its business Monday. The judge cited a state law that requires everyone involved in a case, including witnesses, to keep the indictment secret until a suspect is arrested.
Last month, a judge ordered DNA tests on the team's 46 white players; he excluded the only black team member. The players' attorneys say the tests showed none of the players' genetic material on or in the woman.
Nifong, bolstered by a medical exam that found injuries on the woman consistent with sexual assault, says he is confident that she was assaulted in the university-owned house. Nifong said last week at a forum at NCCU that the accuser identified at least one of her attackers.
Until Sunday night, the only other witness, the second woman hired to dance at the party, had remained silent. In television interviews, she told her story.
The woman's attorney, Mark Simeon of Durham, declined Monday to make her available for an interview. She spoke on the MSNBC cable news network, which did not identify her and showed her in silhouette. Simeon confirmed that it was his client on MSNBC.
The woman told MSNBC that she did not witness a rape and does not know whether one occurred.
The woman said she arrived thinking that she would be dancing at a bachelor party of 15 people. She was not expecting a party of lacrosse players, many of whom she said were in a drunken stupor. The woman said she was infuriated to learn that some players photographed her dancing.
The accuser did not appear to be on drugs or to have been drinking when she arrived, the second dancer said. She was "absolutely fine and in control of herself."
When the accuser left, less than an hour after she arrived, she was incoherent and stumbling, the second dancer said.
"She couldn't really walk on her own," the woman said. "She really couldn't get her thoughts together enough to answer any questions. ... She was a different person than I met at the beginning."
The second woman said she was the person who called 911 as the party was breaking up, to complain that some lacrosse players had used racial slurs. "The boys hollered the 'N' word," she said. "I was upset and called 911."
She said she pretended to be a passer-by because she didn't want people in her life to know about her job as an escort service dancer.
It is unclear how that woman's story would affect the case. Players' attorneys have said she would only help them. By day's end Monday, Nifong left without talking to reporters; it remains unclear what evidence he has.
Throughout Monday, there were many more reporters on the sixth floor of the courthouse than the 18 members of the grand jury panel. Reporters tracked the district attorney's movements in minute detail. Just after noon, Nifong emerged from his office and walked across the hallway to the bathroom.
Reporters surrounded the bathroom door in a crowd that included five television cameras, three still photographers, sound men with boom microphones and at least a dozen print reporters. At the sound of flushing, the group tensed, raised cameras and prepared. Nifong did not emerge with news.
"I no longer get to go anywhere in my community without people knowing who I am," said Nifong, who faces two challengers in a primary election May 2. Staff writer Anne Blythe can be reached at 932-8741 or ablythe@newsobserver.com.
I think the defense needs to turn up the heat now too. They should keep it up till they get the case thrown out or they get gagged.
She better hope that his father isn't the "Kevin Finnerty" who is a.k.a. "Tony Soprano".
Dig out the name of every accuser of rape and broadcast it, unless she's a minor. It's ludicrous to continue to blast the name of the accused all over the place, even in a case that's obviously phony.
The Press is the only vehicle that can make this change, and the feminoids have 'em by the short hairs.
I'm glad to see that certain talk show hosts (Mark Davis here in DFW) broadcast the Kobe Bryant rape accuser, and he has said he'll do the same in the Duke case if it becomes evident that she's lying (he's not convinced yet).
Williams is terrible on TV. He didn't have Greta there to protect him tonight and the three other guys were basically all ridiculing him. I thought Ted looked like he was gonna cry.
After she stole the car, didn't she almost run over the cop that chased her into the alley? Oh well, no harm, no foul.
Jesse on the Duke Case, Looks like our inept public school system and oppressive political correctness has improved the country:
"You do not have the kind of political polarization I've seen in some instances. You have two university presidents working together, the mayor working together. There's an awful lot of positive activity. Young white and black females marching together against violence against women. I see a lot of positive energy taking place in this crisis. This is no Birmingham." - Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson.
Kevin Finnerty
Director at Newcastle Investment Corporation
New York, New York
FINANCIAL / REIT - DIVERSIFIED
Director since August 2005
Mr. Finnerty also serves as an independent director of Newcastle Investment Holdings LLC, an affiliate of the Company.
"The rapist gave his ATM card to someone and said, "go use this. I'm busy raping this dancer and need an alibi""
ATMs have cameras and are required to retain images for x-amount of time, primarily for homeland security.
I did not make it an issue, others did. Now that it is, I will let them make fools of themselves. They want to play ball and hurl insults, which have not done to anyone personally, now they can deal with me. lol.
I'll bite. Why?
From bodybuilding shows I compete in. Nothing lude or vulgar.
The Car-Jacker / Stripper tried to run over the policemen when he tried to approach the vehicle.
AND the media was claiming the fact the boys open-container violations were plead out without time was PROOF of their special priviledged status.
However, they're silent on the Stripper that stole a car and took the polic on a high speed chase through two counties and then tried to run over a LE officer - and she had to spend a couple weekends in Jail and they were all plead down to misdeameanors. She also has a drug charge that she got a sweetheart deal on.
.
Seriously, a few Freepers asked for pictures, and I gave a few that we nothing lude or nude. They were from bodybuilding shows, I compete in.
I am proud of that, don't do roids, and don't give a shiite what anyone else thinks about it.
"She won't be smiling when she is deposed in the near future."
Once the final DNA tests are in and presumably are consistent with the first set and the preliminary discovery is done, those pictures will be released enmasse and will destroy this case.
I'm not sure of the next court date and how much discovery to be presented but I pray it is before the election so this scum doesn't win his position and is allowed to scapegoat anyone else.
Holy Shiite Batman! That must be from the Spanish Channel.
Those women are unreal!
That's right; it was no big deal.
I thought of that; but I happen to know these attorneys; I'm pretty sure they have a big old chart up in the office with a timeline of it.
And they have pictures. And video.
Chumming.
Weenie O'Reilly didn't even have the guts to ask Sharpton to compare this to Tawana Brawley.
I'm positive that Billy wouldn't want to offend slimy Al.
Since the DA has refused to look at the pictures, I hope they wait until the third indictment is issued and the DA is locked into his three defendants before releasing the pictures.
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