Posted on 07/26/2007 8:54:27 AM PDT by beaureguard
DURHAM, N.C. — Disgraced former prosecutor Mike Nifong acknowledged Thursday there is "no credible evidence" that three Duke lacrosse players committed any of the crimes he accused them of more than a year ago, offering for the first time a complete and unqualified apology.
"We all need to heal," Nifong said. "It is my hope we can start this process today."
Nifong's apology came as a judge began considering whether to hold the former Durham County district attorney in criminal contempt of court for his handling of the case.
Superior Court Judge W. Osmond Smith III has already concluded there is probable cause to believe Nifong "willfully and intentionally made false statements of material fact" to the court during a hearing in the case last fall. If he finds Nifong in contempt, the now-disbarred former prosecutor could face up to 30 days in jail.
The case started with a woman's allegations that she was raped at a March 2006 lacrosse team party where she was hired as a stripper. Nifong won indictments against three team members, but the charges were later dropped, and state Attorney General Roy Cooper went a step farther by declaring the three men innocent victims of Nifong's "tragic rush to accuse."
On Thursday, Nifong apologized.
"I agree with state Attorney General there is no credible evidence that (the players) ... committed any of the crimes of which they were indicted," he said.
Attorneys for the three falsely accused players, who had previously rejected Nifong's attempts to make amends, accepted his apology.
"For many months, we have sought a real and meaningful apology from Mr. Nifong, for the pain he has caused these families and these young men, the entire Duke lacrosse team, the state of North Carolina and others," said attorney Joseph Cheshire.
"We are very appreciative that Mr. Nifong decided to do that today," he said. "We don't deny it was a difficult thing."
The men's attorneys had asked Smith to hold Nifong in contempt for telling the court he had provided the defense complete results from DNA testing when he had not.
Nifong learned in April 2006 the laboratory found genetic material from multiple males on and about the accuser, but none from the lacrosse players. He didn't provide that information to the defense until October, and only then in the form of nearly 2,000 pages of raw DNA test data.
A disciplinary hearing committee of the state bar stripped Nifong of his law license last month after finding he had committed more than two dozen violations of the state's rules of professional conduct during the case.
I amend my comment ... there are two crimes still on the table: those of Nifong and the accuser. There may well be a third one or more if the investigation into the police conduct is a serious one.
Nifong is only apologizing because he got caught. How bout he heal in jail after he turns over all his possessions and perhaps a few years of wages to the boys and coach that were the object of his bogus prosecution. Nifong is on par with Johnnie Cockroach, IMHO.
Looks like (his) money was a motivator in all this. Nifong wanted to railroad those three players to help ensure his election to a full term in order to pad his retirement.
Now, he is apologizing trying to save whatever few pennies he has left.
He should be in jail, and sued till he doesn’t have a dime.
“We all need to heal,” Nifong said. “It is my hope we can start this process today.”
No problem. As you go to jail, as you lose your house, as your marriage begins to crack under the incredible strain, those of us that lost faith in the judicial system due to your vicious misuse of it....begin to heal.
I figure right after you’ve been hit by a truck, and tasted your own blood, my personal ‘healing process’ will be complete.
You scum bag.
Too quick of a process for me. I'd like to see him behind bars with some brothas who feel he railroaded them, as well.
Why isn’t Crystal Gail Mangum in jail.
Don’t tell me it’s because she’s crazy. Crazy people get put away. Ask the guy who shot Reagan.
If she is really insane, why does she have custody of her children? Why is she not committed?
Again, why isn’t Crystal in jail?
I’ve had it with all of this apology crap.
Oh! yes there were crimes.. many of them..
As with Johnny Sutton and the border guards..
Is Sandy Berger in Levenworth YET?..
The legal system (federal, state and local) is coming apart at the seams..
I usually don’t advocate for this sort of thing, but he needs to be made an example of. A big, fat, bankrupted example.
APf
If he had uttered those words two years ago he would not be where he is today.
The minute he said that lack of DNA doesn’t mean nothing in a case...you could tell this case was lost for him. The sad thing is that he was willing to do just about anything to win the election...including an out-and-out lie. You can’t have a shred of confidence in a guy like this.
Nifong is what he is, and that is individual who was an opportunist without scruples. It ain’t so much about Nifong as it those who allowed Nifong to be Nifong. Duke University and much of the Durham community are much bigger disgraces than a single individual like Nifong. Common sense and decency are checks to a boy like Nifong going off the reservation. But there was little common sense or decency to keep this case from being the firestorm it was. All that Duke and Durham had to offer was liberal zealotry which was only fuel to the fire of injustice that came down on some innocent young men.
It's true what they say: the rogue DA is always the last one to know.
Nifong is up for criminal contempt.
He is basically trying to stay out of jail by throwing himself on the mercy of the court AFTER he has been exposed.
The bottom line people need to realize is that PROSECUTORS NIFONG PEOPLE EVERY DAY in the US courts. These Duke Players just had the money for lawyers to provide limitless defenses.
Nah! He deserves much, much more than is actually going to happen to him. Prison time and hefty fines need to be imposed on him and the lying little ....person.
Exactly! And how about this one:
“I agree with state Attorney General there is no credible evidence that (the players) ... committed any of the crimes of which they were indicted,” he said.
“I agree with state Attorney General there is no credible evidence that (the players) ... committed any of the crimes FOR WHICH *I* INDICTED THEM,” he said.
Do you think the wife will initiate divorce proceedings against him to save some of the family income? If they’re divorced, she’ll get half, which will then make it not worth the effort of suing him into ruin.
"We all need to heal," Nifong said. "It is my hope we can start this process today."
This sounds like he's claiming victim status.
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