Rape Charges Dropped in Duke Lacrosse Case (On Drudge)

WRAL ^ | 12-22-06 | staff

[Anti-Bubba182]

Durham — Defense attorneys called Friday for all charges to be dismissed against three Duke University lacrosse players after prosecutors dropped rape charges against them.

Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong said he didn't have enough evidence to proceed with a rape case but said he plans to take the players to trial on kidnapping and sexual offense charges.

Reade Seligmann, 20, Collin Finnerty, 20, and David Evans, 23, were indicted last spring after a North Carolina Central University student told police she was beaten and raped by three lacrosse players while performing as a stripper at a March 13 team party....." [snip]

[snip]...Nifong's investigator interviewed the woman Thursday, and she told the investigator that she couldn't testify "with certainty" that she was raped, according to the dismissal motions.....[snip]

[Anti-Bubba182]

"Nifong's investigator interviewed the woman Thursday, and she told the investigator that she couldn't testify "with certainty" that she was raped, according to the dismissal motions."

The wrong people are on trial. I did not expect the women to recant like this.

[duckman]

Three lives ruined. What a shame, not to mention the expense for the family.

[napscoordinator]

I say finally these guys are let off. Way too long. Nifong should answer his critics. I was so hoping that he did not win reelection when this first became public. Well I guess the city, college, etc should prepare for very serious lawsuits. This should be fun. I think each guy should get 5 million to compensate for the financial hit they will take for the rest of their lives.

[mtbopfuyn]

Nifong said he didn't have enough evidence to proceed with a rape case but said he plans to take the players to trial on kidnapping and sexual offense charges.

Why? Nifong just can't let this go, can he. He and that woman need to be on trial.

[umgud]

Nifong seems to have less credibility than his supposed victim. I hope he's held to account.

[Anti-Bubba182]

So true but Nifong still keeps on. He knows he is toast if he does not get a conviction, particularly if he drops the case on his own. I think his secret hope is that the Judge throws
out the case so he can tell his constituents he did all he could.

[evad]

Rape Charges Dropped

I can only hope this is true.

It's just another example of the upside down justice system run completely amok.

[Anti-Bubba182]

It true, but other charges, sexual assault and kidnapping, are
still pending.

[BamaAndy]

I don't know what kind of game this racist woman was playing-but I suspect it had to do with trying to rip off the young men--whether it was their parents paying her or whatever--
And Nifong--his game was dim politics, pure and simple and corrupt as usual with these liberals.

[DB]

They haven't been "let off". Nifong is still pursuing kidnapping and sexual offense charges. Nifong should be in jail now.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Stick a fork in Nifong, he's done.

I hope these guys sue the SOB and the woman for all they're worth!

[ardara]

I would not like my white middle-class grandsons going to college in the Duke area.

[Prophet in the wilderness]

" It's just another example of the upside down justice system run completely amok. "
It's just evidence of what ( Feminism ) has done to our justice system and society.
You watch, when the charges are dropped, the feminist will be out in full force and hollering about how this is a in justice ( in spite of the fact they know many women lie and falsely do this )

[bboop]

I'm just hoping these guys' parents are savvy enough to SUE Nifong and this tramp for defamation of character and a zillion dollars.

[Always Right]

"Nifong's investigator interviewed the woman Thursday, and she told the investigator that she couldn't testify "with certainty" that she was raped, according to the dismissal motions."

You know it is so hard to be certain if you were raped or not....

[Always Right]

It true, but other charges, sexual assault and kidnapping, are still pending.

The women does not even know if she was raped, but somehow she is certain she was kidnapped??? This whole thing is a bad joke that has ruined the lives of many young men.

[Dreagon]

I'm just hoping these guys' parents are savvy enough to SUE Nifong and this tramp for defamation of character and a zillion dollars.

---

This is probably why Nifong won't drop it. He knows now that his only chance to avoid some big lawsuits and an investigation is to convict those kids of something. He doesn't even care if they are guilty or not anymore, he is trying to save his own scalp.

[Dallas59]

Tawana Brawley

Origins of the case

On Saturday, November 28, 1987, Brawley, who had been missing for four days, was found lying conscious but unresponsive in a garbage bag several feet away from an apartment she had once lived in, her clothing torn and burned, her body smeared with feces. She was taken to the emergency room, where various slurs and epithets were discovered written on her torso with a black substance described as charcoal.

A detective from the Sheriff's Juvenile Aid Bureau, among others, was summoned to interview Brawley, but she remained unresponsive. The family requested a black officer, which the police granted. Brawley, described as having an "extremely spacey" look on her face, communicated with this officer with nods of the head, shrugs of the shoulder, and written notes. The interview lasted 20 minutes, during which she uttered only one word: "neon." Through gestures and writing, however, she indicated that she had been raped repeatedly in a wooded area by three white men, at least one of them a police officer. A sexual assault kit was administered, and police began building a case.

Public response

Public response to Brawley's story was at first mostly sympathetic. Bill Cosby, among others, pledged support for her. Articles about Brawley captured headlines across the US. Public rallies were held denouncing the incident. However, racial tensions also climbed, and when up-and-coming civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton, with attorneys Alton H. Maddox and C. Vernon Mason, began handling Brawley's publicity, the case quickly took on an explosive edge.

Under the wing of Sharpton, Maddox, and Mason, a full-fledged media sensation was born. The three claimed that the entire case was a coverup going all the way up to the state government. They named New York prosecutor Steven Pagones specifically, calling him a racist and a rapist, among other accusations.

Grand jury hearings

By the time of the grand jury hearings, six men had been accused of rape. After seven months of examining police and medical records, the jury determined there was not enough evidence to charge these suspects with a crime.

In the decision, the grand jury noted many problems with Brawley's story. Among these were the results of the rape kit, which did not indicate sexual assault. Also, despite her claim of having been held captive for days, Brawley was not suffering from exposure, was well nourished, and appeared to have brushed her teeth recently. There were no burns on her body, despite her clothing being charred. A shoe she was wearing was cut through, yet she had sustained no injuries to her foot. Testimony from her schoolmates indicated that she had attended a local party during the time of her supposed abduction, and one witness claimed to have observed Brawley climbing into the garbage bag. An ex-boyfriend of Brawley's told Newsday that Brawley had admitted making the attack up.

A total of 180 witnesses were called during the hearings. Brawley herself never testified.

Aftermath

Brawley and her mother had both been subpoenaed to testify in front of the grand jury, and refused to do so. This may have prompted Brawley and her family to move hastily to Virginia, taking with them a "defense fund" of $300,000 which had been contributed by well-wishers. There is still an outstanding warrant against the two for ignoring the subpoena, and they are subject to arrest in New York state should they ever decide to return.

The case still hangs over Sharpton, particularly following his entry into mainstream politics (his race for the 2004 Democratic Presidential nomination involved his addressing the convention from its podium), not merely because he defended Brawley's story but for the unfounded accusations he leveled, and, according to some of his critics, his "playing the race card".

Maddox was later disbarred after being accused of billing and abandoning clients in an unrelated series of incidents.

In 1997, Tawana changed her name to Maryam Muhammad.

In 1998 Pagones was awarded $345,000 (he sought $150 million) in suit for a defamation of character that he brought against Sharpton, Maddox, and Mason.

[Amelia]

I hope these guys sue the SOB and the woman for all they're worth!

I doubt the woman is worth much, but Nifong and the county might be a different matter....

[IndyTiger]

The NC state bar association needs to take a long look at Nilfong's conduct as well. I think Nilfong should be disbarred for what he has done to these three young men, when it was clearly obvious there were gaping holes in the accuser's story, and no DNA evidence to back up her claims.

The accuser, Nilfong, the city of Durham, Duke University, need to be held accountable. Here's hoping the attorneys for these young men go after them with lawsuits up the kazoo. I know if my child were one of these kids, I'd be out for blood.