See post 72. PPD people develop a fact pattern and any fact that doesn't "jibe" with the fact pattern they have preconceived is to be denied, lied about, or will cause them to flip out.
It's like a mega-version of "I have my faults but being wrong isn't one of them." Nifong will go to his grave actually believing "something happened in that bathroom" because he, like the judge and lead detective in my case, decided on a fact pattern and anything that contradicts that fact pattern will be "dealt with" instead of changing their mind.
This affliction hits maybe 1 in 6 adults, more prevalent in middle aged males. Charlie Sheehan is a good example with his nutty 911 conspiracy beliefs, probably heriditary from his father, the better-known nut of the two, Martin.
I have wandered through large crowds populated with a majority of individuals with this affliction. In the crocumentary "Fahrenheit 911" one such group was pictured as harmless, peace-loving souls. In real life, though, the group, Fresno Peace, members surrounded the very Sheriff's cars that were on hand to keep peace, when one of their leaders was arrested for failure to obey a lawful order from the police. And they wondered why the police felt they needed to keep track of'em.
“In his mind, it just didn’t click. That’s the way his mind works.”
This was Nifong’s attorney as much as he can admitting his client is mentally ill. Paranoid personality disorder. Think of the people in your lives that are the most vexatious and there you will probably find your PPD perp.
As to jail time? Ain’t gonna happen. The immunities for prosecutors are unending. They are even immunized from criminal liability for proved, malicious prosecutions.