Posted on 12/03/2010 5:15:44 AM PST by abb
Attorneys worked Thursday to keep the Duke lacrosse case out of accuser Crystal Mangum's current criminal troubles.
Prosecutor Mark McCullough and defense attorney Mani Dexter agreed that if Mangum takes the stand in her own defense, McCullough will not cross-examine her about false allegations of rape she made against three Duke University athletes four years ago.
Mangum faces trial on charges of arson, injury to personal property, contributing to the delinquency of her three children and resisting arrest. Police say she set the clothes of live-in boyfriend Milton Walker afire in a bathtub while the children and two officers were in her home responding to a domestic disturbance call.
Jury selection began Thursday with 17 jurors - more than one-third of the initial jury pool - excusing themselves, saying they couldn't impartially try the case.
Most of the others acknowledged they knew of Mangum through the lacrosse case but said they could still fairly determine her guilt or innocence on the current charges.
"I'm going to take it at face value that you can do that," Superior Court Judge Abe Jones told them. "I can only trust your solemn oath on that."
McCullough and Dexter then spent most of Thursday questioning remaining jurors. They were questioning the eighth juror when Jones sent everyone home for the day just after 5 p.m.
The judge had already dismissed three potential jurors: one for her belief that the courts favor women over men in domestic violence cases, one who admitted searching the Internet for information about Mangum on Wednesday night against the judge's order and one who said what he knew about the Duke case might affect whether he believed Mangum'.
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(Excerpt) Read more at newsobserver.com ...
I didn’t realize there were still lawsuits pending. By who against whom, at this point? Duke has settled with both the boys and the coach, and Nifong is in jail, right? That’s the main event, though I’m sure there is plenty of room for other fun.
More special rights for criminals.
Nifong only spent one night in jail.
Another Tawana Brawley???
Was recently watching a show on the History Channel... something to do with Rome, and there was Mary T. Boatwright pontificating on the subject. You’d think that the History Channel could find a less offensive person.
Still has her Bull Durham Lucky Charm I see...
Arson: the willful or malicious burning of property
Res ipsa loquitur
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