Posted on 04/09/2006 5:16:52 PM PDT by wagglebee
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Time-stamped photographs will show an exotic dancer was already injured and "very impaired" when she arrived at a party where she claims she was raped by members of Duke University's men's lacrosse team, an attorney for one of the players said Sunday.
Durham attorney Bill Thomas said some of the photographs, taken when she arrived at the house, indicate the woman was injured before getting to the party March 13. They show extensive bruises and scrapes on her legs, especially around the knees, he said.
"This young lady was substantially impaired. She had fallen several times during the course of the evening," Thomas said.
He declined to identify the player he represents and said he would not release the photos, taken by at least two cameras, until pending DNA tests are completed.
He also wouldn't say whether the photos were taken by a lacrosse team member or someone else; court documents have indicated that only team members were present at the party.
No one has been charged in the case, but the allegations that members of the nearly all-white team raped the woman, a black student at a nearby university, have rocked both Duke and Durham.
The allegations have led to the resignation of coach Mike Pressler, the cancellation of the lacrosse season and the suspension of one player from school.
Several dozen people gathered Sunday outside the house where the party took place, and pledged to return each Sunday until the case is resolved.
"Whether I want to believe it, or whether you want to believe it, something took place in there," said Johnny Williamson, 36, of Durham. "Something indecent took place."
District Attorney Mike Nifong, who was expected to return this week from an out-of-town conference and has not commented on the case in the past several days, has said previously he is confident a rape occurred. Court documents said a medical exam of the alleged victim found injuries consistent with sexual assault.
The victim has not returned repeated messages seeking comment, but her father said Sunday she hasn't changed her story.
"I expect them to say that," he said of the lawyers' contentions his daughter is lying.
The woman and the other dancer arrived separately, Thomas said, and performed briefly before leaving. The victim told police she and the other dancer left because they feared for their safety, but were later convinced to come back inside.
Thomas said the photos contradict the alleged victim's assertion she was scared, as they show her standing at the door of the off-campus house with "a major grin on her face" as she tried to get back inside.
"People inside the house have stated she was banging on the door, attempting to regain entry," Thomas said.
The woman told police she was pulled into a bathroom and assaulted after coming back into the house. But Thomas said the woman locked herself in the bathroom, where police later found her purse, cell phone, and several artificial fingernails she claimed to have lost during a struggle with her attackers.
Thomas said one of the attorneys representing team members had interviewed the other dancer extensively, and she said the alleged victim never told her about a rape.
"All of these statements you've heard ... about this brutal assault, rape, kidnapping and robbery which occurred, I believe that the public will soon be able to learn the truth, and that these allegations are totally false and without merit," Thomas said.
Both the team's captains and attorneys for team members have said the DNA tests, which may be completed this week, will prove the allegation are false. The players' attorneys also have raised other questions about the allegations, saying e-mails written in the hours after the alleged attack will help prove the players' claims that nothing happened that night.
Attorneys also have raised suspicions about a 911 call, made shortly after the alleged attack would have occurred, from a black woman who claimed someone at the party shouted racial slurs at her and a friend. The caller alternatively told police the pair were driving and walking past the house. Thomas said Sunday he and other attorneys believe the second dancer at the party made the call.
"These young men have been absolutely vilified in the press," Thomas said. "I think this week we will go a long ways toward clearing these young men's names. I can assure you that this has been a nightmare for each and every one of them."
Yes...............LOL. They are really desperate, aren't they? And they have now put me in the unenviable position of agreeing with Mark Geragos!
What the heck are these INTERNAL injuries to her vagina and rectum they are talking about?
All the (Man) Haters were referring to the DNA on the towels like it was nefarious and the evidence that will hang the boys.
Every one of them neglected to say that that DNA could be 10-12 months old. I don't care what material that is... it's a bathroom in a College De-facto frat house. Just as it could be 10 months old, it could've been put their 8 hours BEFORE the incident both are just as likely and it makes that evidence easily explained and next to worthless. No matter what Nancy, Wendy, and Dr. Baden want to say.
Notice, how they all avoided the woman's record? No report on the first 911 call information on ANY of the shows either (or the ones I saw anyway).
.
I don't know but this is not the first time that I heard that. I believe that it is noted in the search warrant.
Also: Attorneys: No DNA Match in Duke Scandal
"The truth is if you speak to crime lab directors, they will tell you that in only a relatively small number of cases is there any DNA evidence," said Peter Neufeld, co-founder of the Innocence Project.
District Attorney Mike Nifong has said he would have other evidence to make his case should the DNA analysis prove inconclusive or fail to match a member of the team.
While Nifong's assistant told the AP on Monday the prosecutor would not comment on the findings, Nifong told The News & Observer of Raleigh he believes a sexual assault took place.
"I'm not saying it's over," he told the newspaper. "If that's what they expect, they will be sadly disappointed."
North Carolina Central University, where the alleged victim is a student, said after the results were released that the prosecutor would appear at a campus forum on Tuesday to discuss the case.
"The truth is if you speak to crime lab directors, they will tell you that in only a relatively small number of cases is there any DNA evidence," said Peter Neufeld, co-founder of the Innocence Project.
Cheshire said even if the alleged attackers used a condom, it's likely there would have been some DNA evidence found suggesting an assault took place. He said in this case, the report states there was no DNA on her to indicate that she had sex of any type recently.
"The experts will tell you that if there was a condom used they would still be able to pick up DNA, latex, lubricant and all other types of things to show that _ and that's not here," Cheshire said.
Stan Goldman, who teaches criminal law, evidence and criminal procedure at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said the DNA results don't mean that Nifong can't go forward with the case _ but the test results make a successful prosecution much harder.
"Isn't the absence of DNA evidence, given the way the victim has described the crime, in and of itself almost enough to raise a reasonable doubt?" he said. "That's all the defense has to do."
You might want to try re-writing that sentence since it appears to say that Rita Cosby was the stripper. I don't want to think about that.
You're absolutely right. It's funny.
I saw an article about her and it said "The Well-fed Rita Cosby."
I don't like her voice.
I type hurriedly and I stand corrected. Rita's producers hung out with the Dancer's Father for a couple days and asked him lots of questions. Maybe Rita danced for him !
Thanks Texan!
Jesse Jackasson has taught black young people quite well how to 'shake down' whites. If Black people ever awaken from their somnambulent haze to see their leaders and the democrap party for what they truly are, the backlash won't be a pretty sight, what with the millions of alive black children black women have been instructed to abort over the years and the resultant limitations on the voice of their race in national political matters. But until then we will live with the hypocrites and racist bigots like McKinney and the pandering race pimps that feed from the swill.
I didn't think Rita had the body for it........*sigh*
artificial fingernails? I've been wearing sculpted nails for over ten years. Sometimes they pop off. Somes times they are really easy to pull off. I could probably find two or three of mine in the sofa cushions. They don't prove sexual or any other kind of assault.
"To say that she's just doing it for some prospective payoff is silly. Do you REALLY think a woman would make up this story and plant the evidence just to sue some college kids? That's nuts."
Boy, are you naive. Some silly payoff? This woman saw her opportunity and took it. She's already on the shady side of life, isn't she? Exotic dancer with criminal record; tried to run down a cop with stolen car. Came to party already pre-bruised and scraped up (the defense has photos taken at party to prove it). She was already impaired when she got there, either on booze and/or drugs. There are photo's of her appearing already out of it too. She knows many of these kids are from affluent families. She probably resents these "rich white kids" right off the bat. They squabble about the money she is to be paid as the "performance" was short. Her female co-dancer has been laying low, and probably made the set-up phone call to 911. Supposedly the other female dancer said the accuser (alleged victim) never mentioned to her about any rape taking place against her at the party). The whole thing stinks to high heaven.
The LaCrosse sports program (they were 2nd in the nation) has been ruined. The coach was forced to resign. These 46 kids have had their reputations trashed and one was suspended for an e-mail that was, although vulgar, probably just joking around, Plus the reputation of Duke University itself been trashed. And all because some black "ho" with an axe to grind makes up lies and causes all kinds of racial strife in the hood, both hers and the University's. This whole issue makes me sick.
And the naive, myopic, the woman is always right and never lies mentality of some boggles my brain. On TV, on every "legal issues" show, like Nancy Grace on CNN, that idiot bimbo Kimberly Guilfoyle, on the Fox News weekend program The Lineup, Rita Cosby on MSNBC, and every other female lawyer who has appeared on all of the Cable News talk shows, have all hung these 46 male students out to dry, and condemned them to guilty as charged, of course before any of them have even been charged with a crime. All of the liberal feminazi's at work. And, of course, it is now known that there is absolutely no DNA evience at all, and it is rumoured that the woman could not make a positive identity of her three alleged attackers.
And these kids won't be charged, because there is no there there. With the caveat that the DA is up for election in two weeks and he may charge just to keep his re-election chances alive, rather than have to admit he was wrong. The female accuser is the one that needs to be charged and thrown in the klink for all of the damage she has done personally to her victims, and community-wise for stirring up racial strife which always lurks just right below the surface. I hope she ends up in prison and that all of these kids' accusers on TV and in the Duke community are forced to eat crow on camera with their mea culpa's.
I smelled Tawana Brawley from the very beginning, especially with that phone call to 911 to complain about racial epithets being shouted at the two women. First they were driving past, then they were walking past the house, then they were parked in front of the house (you'd park in front of a house where some people inside were coming out and hurling insults at you)? And then the police come about 3 minutes later, and the house was empty, and the women caller to 911 and her female "friend" are nowhere in sight. The whole thing is phoney, a set up, and an attempt to extort money from these kids' families via civil lawsuits. And I'm sure they would have sued the University too, the LaCrosse sports program. What a total con job, and vile.
ok... enough people have found my position ridiculous, that I should explain it further.
I said earlier that I don't know if she'd been raped or not - that still stands, and given the new announcement today, I'd tentatively say it indicates she wasn't. But that's not my point.
If she's lying, I think there are reasons that are far more likely than an attempt for a financial payoff. First is mental illness. Second is covering up some OTHER sexual activity (either wanted or unwanted).
I just don't see a lot of women getting rich off false rape accusations. How many women have ever been enriched this way? Let's see... there's Kobe Bryant's accuser and....
Furthermore, if a woman DID want to get rich off such an accusation, wouldn't it make more sense to seduce a rich guy and then make the charge (where physical evidence would exist of intercourse, a la Kobe Bryant?)
Why pretend to be raped by college kids when you KNOW you can't even demonstrate there was sexual contact? And why college kids? Yeah, I know people say they're likely from rich families, but there's no guarantee. A dorm party is NOT the place to look for easy money. I just don't find it reasonable.
And that's why I would give the girl the benefit of the doubt and place mental illness above financial gain as a motive. Or... she really was raped.
"Or... she really was raped."
You wanna make a bet? You're going to lose, and this will all come out in the wash in the very near future.
nope... don't wanna make a bet. I've said twice here that I don't know if she was or wasn't.
I've never claimed that she was.
Clicked the link; just kept bringing up a blank screen. Thank you, tho.
DURHAM, N.C. Students and community leaders are reacting cautiously to reports that D-N-A samples have failed to incriminate members of Duke's lacrosse team.
Lawyers for the athletes say the test results prove the men didn't rape a stripper at a team party. But students and other observers in the community say there's still more evidence to go through before anyone's story can be proved or dismissed.
Duke spokesman John Burness says that he and university president Richard Brodhead are confident that the investigation will ultimately reveal who's telling the truth.
The woman claims three players raped and beat her at the team party last month. The athletes deny it.
It's about the money; and the lifeblood of the Liberal Agenda. And it reminds me of another case, pending, which hasn't yet been decided. Seems the Feminists and Nifong are going to take a pattern from this other case.
Man cleared of paternity, but not support (Appeals Court makes wrong father pay child support)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.