Posted on 06/18/2006 6:14:18 AM PDT by tlb
The prosecutor insists his rape case is strong. One big problem: the facts thus far.
...court documents in the case increasingly suggest that Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong had very little evidence upon which to indict three players for rape. Indeed, the available evidence is so thin or contradictory that it seems fair to ask what Nifong could have been thinking when he confidently told reporters that there was "no doubt" in his mind that the woman had been raped at the party held by the lacrosse team.
Nifong is described by some lawyers as an adversary who gets dug in—and won't budge. But Nifong's motives may have been political as well. He was six weeks away from an election when the Duke case came up. Durham voters are almost evenly divided between black and white. One of Nifong's opponents was black and the other was white, but the white lawyer was much better known in the community, thanks to winning a high-profile murder case. (That opponent, former assistant D.A. Freda Black, became a bitter enemy of Nifong's after, she claims, Nifong fired her.) Nifong promised black voters that he would not let the Duke case drop. He indicted two of the players two weeks before the election. He won narrowly, taking a larger share of the black vote than the other white candidate.
Meanwhile, the players and their families are lying low, trying to figure out how they can get their reputations back. Finnerty and Seligmann are underclassmen and may be able to transfer to another college and still play lacrosse if the charges are dropped. Evans has already started to pay a price in the real world. He was supposed to begin a good job after graduation, but the job offer was withdrawn.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Perhaps they finally read some of the actual evidence?
Nifong clearly had other priorities than the impartial enforcement of the law; no doubt he has political ambitions and was seeking to play to his fancied electorate. He should travel to Massachusetts and work for Tom Reilly, that state's Attorney General. Birds of a feather...
Newsweek is Pravda on steroids. Time and Newsweek are liberal media outlets bent on the destruction of American society to please their communist masters!
Newsweek did initially participate in the witch hunt. After all, the mantra of the wackedout media is that white guys are guilty until all chances are removed.
Now they backtrack in the face of overwhelming evidence, but as the last line of the story makes clear, the damage has been done and Newsweek along with the City of Durham has destroyed reputations and must pay a high price for their destructive actions.
Ah, the sweet sound of 'RATS deserting a sinking ship! Better put some ice on that, Nifong!
Ping list ping.
I heard Even Thomas on NPR today, discussing this article. He shounded like he'd been reading the FR threads, only he was even more sarcastic about Nifong. Needless to say that was VERY surprising.
Are DAs ever actually charged with prosecutorial misconduct? I hear threats about it all the time, but it does not seem like it happens very often. Seems to me that, like judges, they can pretty much do whatever they want and there are no consequences.
Since the dancer's word is now considered questionable, why doesn't Nifong test the DNA of the only lacrosse player not tested so far.
I think the prosecutor and the "victim" should be sued for slander along with other damages.
There should also be criminal charges against both.
I hope this is a cover story -- their original report was.
His DNA should be tested (the prosecutor)...
So you show a line to someone with fillers. Then you show them one without fillers. I would guess you would recognize someone the second or third time around. Plus these kids pictures were out there.
The only person who should be strung up is the filthy, lying Durham Dirtbag.
It'll be interesting to see how events play out when the charges are finally dropped (and I believe they will be). Kinda reminiscent of the Richard Jewel (sp?)/Atlanta bombing case--a rush to judgement by both the authorities and media in which the accused came out on top and sued the pants off everyone.
Civil suits were filed against the "victim" and her attorneys in the Tawana Brawley case, and I believe they did obtain judgments (although I think that in practice, they were unenforceable). IIRC, Fat Al Sharpton managed to get out of his by declaring bankruptcy or some such thing.
As for state prosecutors, I don't know if they can be sued or charged for such misconduct.
Even Al's clothes were in someone else' name. I think his wife owned his clothes. He's now divorced. Is he going naked?
Eeeewww...Fat Al naked is a truly frightening thought!
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