Posted on 04/11/2007 7:46:54 AM PDT by Howlin
RALEIGH, N.C. — Three members of Duke University's lacrosse team could learn Wednesday whether state prosecutors will drop the remaining charges accusing them of sexually assaulting a stripper at a team party more than a year ago.
"I think it's likely that they will do that," said Wade Smith, an attorney for charged player Collin Finnerty. "We certainly hope that would be true. But until we hear it, we're not going to acknowledge that's the truth. We'll wait and see."
The state Attorney General's Office has scheduled a 2:30 p.m. news conference to discuss the case. It is unclear whether Attorney General Roy Cooper will be at the news conference at the RBC Center, which can accommodate the crush of national media interested in the case.
The Associated Press, citing sources close to the investigation, reported Wednesday morning that all charges would be dropped in the case.
The Attorney General's Office took over the case in January after Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong was charged with several ethics violations tied to his handling of the sensational case.
No notice of dismissal had been filed at the Durham County Courthouse by early Wednesday. But a spokeswoman for the Attorney General's Office told WRAL that the investigation into the case has been completed.
"We are relieved that this day has come,” Smith told WRAL. “There will not be a celebration because this has been a train wreck.”
The families of Collin Finnerty, Reade Seligmann and David Evans arrived in Raleigh Tuesday. Officials told WRAL that the three lacrosse players would be present once a decision had been made as to how the prosecution would proceed with the case.
A grand jury indicted the three players on charges of rape, kidnapping and sexual offense last spring after a woman told police she was assaulted at a March 2006 team party where she was hired to perform as a stripper. All three have steadfastly maintained their innocence, with Evans calling the allegations "fantastic lies."
Nifong dropped the rape charges in December after the accuser changed a key detail in her story. He recused himself a few weeks later after the state bar charged him with violating several rules of professional conduct.
Among the ethics charges, Nifong is accused of withholding potentially exculpatory DNA evidence from the defense and lying to both the court and bar investigators. Nifong faces a June trial before the bar and could be disbarred if convicted.
Nifong faces a Friday afternoon hearing in the ethics case, and he spent Wednesday morning with his attorney in Winston-Salem.
Nifong's recusal put the players' fate in the hands of Cooper, who promised "a fresh and thorough review of the facts" when he took over the case in January.
Smith said the players, their families and the defense attorneys were pleased that the special prosecutors took over the case, saying they brought "sanity to this situation."
“The special prosecutors have looked under every rock, and they have searched for evidence in places even the defense did not,” he told WRAL.
While Evans graduated the day before he was indicted in May, Duke temporarily suspended sophomores Finnerty and Seligmann in the wake of their arrest. Finnerty was also convicted in July in an unrelated assault case in Washington, D.C., and sentenced to six months of probation.
Finnerty and Seligmann were both invited to return to campus, but neither has accepted. John Danowski, the former coach at Hofstra who took over the Duke program last summer, has also said that both are welcome to continue their lacrosse careers with the Blue Devils
I could’ve done without his little suck-up to the media at the end of his speech, though. I mean, I’ve got to eat dinner soon! :)
Still, though, it’s not hard to see that he’s probably a damn good defense attorney, with a speech like that.
First question about civil suits (I think, couldn’t hear it)—he’s just saying it’s “under consideration.” Not tipping their hand.
}:-)4
ok, the host is Koby...explains everything, I hated him when he was on MSNBC (yes, I watched MSNBC, you had to pay extra to get FOX, now I have come to my senses and realized it is worth paying extra)
They don’t care about truth because truth would blow their stories straight to hell.
Agreed but he just ripped Nifong multiple new ones!!
Later, after most of the families' press conference, CNN said that in keeping with blah-blah-blah they would not reveal the name of the accuser in a sexual assault case. GAG! She is a proven liar at this time.
my God, Wolfe Blitzed is asking Chris Dodd why he announced
on IMUS......Dodd sai well Imus apologized.........godless ho’s both
Wow indeed. That should be engraved on Nifong's tombstone.
One of the lawyers just went off on a mediot about some question they asked, what was it? The WPTF feed isn’t loud enough to hear the mediots’ questions.
Lawyers think the AG has made a “wise decision” not pursuing charges against CGM. Eh.
}:-)4
I couldn’t hear it either.
pretty brave decision on Foxs’ part. I applaud them.
The “experts” on CourtTV are such tools. Now they’re telling that the “boys should just move on with their lives”. I wonder if they would have had the same advice for the false accuser.
“I think he should have resigned over a year ago.”
“I think he has no business being in a position of power over any North Carolina citizen.”
}:-)4
Did I just see this right?
1. CourtTV cut the highlights to exclude the innocent statement?
2. FNC of course included it?
Now WRAL has dropped the conference too.
At the later lawyers and families press conference, one lawyer, in summing up named among the cowards the Durham Herald Sun. As soon as he said this there was a spattering of clapping, as if some from that paper thought he was praising them. If so, they are really clueless. He went on to say that they had never written a single editorial challenging the procedures carried out by Nifong. He also said that just two weeks ago they were still publishing what they knew was false.
The MSM does this all the time. Anyone who still believes what they read in the DBM is really deluded. I guess they just want to "believe."
And they will probably keep pounding how the Rutgers team has been permanently scarred by Imus, but the 3 guys accused of gang rape, and having death threats should just get over it...
Please don't ping me back to this thread.
Tell you what. I’ll answer ya publicly. I don’t stand around in self righteous judgment of what people do. Especially these college kids. They hired strippers. And the world didn’t come to an end. It falls to their parents for correction on that. Not me. And it’s none of my bidness in the first place. What you’re missing here is well....the POINT. It didn’t matter that Crystal is a stripper. She could have been anything. Delivery girl, selling Mary Kay, demonstrating vacuum cleaners or asking to use the phone. The point unspun, stay with me now....is that she LIED. Then Fong took her lies & was determined to get himself elected. No matter what. Get it? My guess is no. But I can only explain it. The comprehension is up to you. Nice try though.
Clarification——my Christianity was being called out. So I’m clarifying. ;-)
Yes, I did read all of the prior posts before I posted to you. That's exactly why I posted to you in the first place. Sorry about pinging you, but hey, you asked a question and I'm obliged to answer.
They’ve been shown to be fools. Now they want the story to end. LOL.
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