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."
That's not true, at all. Those types of cases are fairly easy to win if you can find an attorney to sue. If you are not in a large city, you usually have to find one from out of town.
LAXers looking more innocent by the day. If this is a shakedown, that "college student/exotic dancer" should do some hard time. Ruined their lives...their college experience...their LAX season. (But if she is telling the truth, they obviously deserved the heat).
Don't think the prosecutor has crossed the line yet. If he were to name a specific player to the media; he would have major problems. It's also a reason the media has likely not mentioned the names of any of the players. If they did and tha player was never indicted, the paper would be screwed.
Greta has been getting stuck on the same old, same old.
FOX News has become repetitive and boring. I hate to admit, because I'm still not sold on CNN, but Lou Dobbs has been upstaging FOX. He's been right on target on subject matter, and his ratings have been climbing.
Kimberly Gilfoyle is unwatchable.
Bonfire of the Vanities Durham style
never knew the local government resented Duke so much...
Indeed, this is the very first time I have been called "illiterate" by some fool who believes "no one" is hyphenated and does not proof his posts (e.g. was "into into" used for emphasis?). You are obviously a white self-loathing, black jock-sniffing geek. Your use of the "trailer park" pejorative gives you away. Kobe was guilty, these Duke players are innocent...the difference is the fact that the media can play fools like you. P.S.-- My "trailer park" is a nice home in the suburbs of Atlanta, followed by a beautiful lake home, and complimented by an intown condo. Sorry I don't fit your self-loathing formula. And my marriage of ten years with two wonderful children would seem to belie your statement that I "have no idea how a lady behaves"...selah
"Why did the coach resign...are these guys not all adults?"
Maybe he likes coaching, not sitting out seasons.
>>
. . . they obviously deserved the heat . . .
<<
No, WHEN proven guilty, whoever is at fault deserves heat, and lots of it. All of what has happened in the media so far is disgraceful -- on both sides. Cable news is the real criminal; they have lots of air time to fill and are perfectly willing to pass judgement on incidents they can't possibly know enough about.
He should have opened up the Lacrosse team to walk-ons and finished the season...no matter what IMHO.
<< My trailer park is a "nice" [House] in the suburbs of Atlanta, followed [In convoy and on its own set of wheels?] by a beautiful lake [House] -- and complimented by an intown condo. >>
Wow.
And the Cli'tons once besquatted and bemanured America's once most hallowed house and were complimented by every American too stupid to know he was being lied to!
A further similarity being that they also contributed to the certainty we surely cannot make strawberry jam from pigpoop.
That said, a woman is no lady, who, whether known to, related to and/or intimate with you or an absolute stranger, has, will have or ever has had a similarly "active sex life" as had the disgusting skank who salaciously served and sued Mr Bryant.
[And before you get your literalist's anal knickers in another knot and engage in further prissy proof-reader pontificating and in the projecting of trailer-parker's trite triviality, my use of "complimented" was a play on words. My seven homes, by the way, are in two states, three continents and five countries. And this silly game is over.]
Cordially - Brian
Last Sunday when Duke students were warned that there had been threats of violence, the News and Observer printed in the front section of the paper the lacrosse team roster poster with the pictures and names of all 47 players.
If Nifong can't be sued, I hope someone sues the N&O for that reckless and potentially deadly decision.
(begin e-mail)
Duke Lacrosse - Scooped Again
This e-mail is not for publication.
Ms. Sill,
If this weren't such a serious matter your coverage would be laughable. Today's Sunday edition ignores two important developments reported in other local media.
-----------------
1) http://www.wral.com/news/8542111/detail.html
The supposed "independent" 911 caller was in fact the second stripper
2) http://www.herald-sun.com/durham/4-722409.html
The defense has photos showing the purported rape victim's poor condition upon arrival at the party
-----------------
In your own paper (text follows) is only a part of the record of the purported rape victim. Her name is now widely known as is her complete criminal record. By your "wall of silence" you're not protecting anyone. You won't publish her record, but instead devote dozens of column inches to a content-free article on the crime of "swagger". Then, just to make you look really bad personally, you write a column bemoaning the fact that the story stays on the front page even when there are no new developments. When, in fact, there are new development that you fail to report! I don't know who you think you are kidding, but the N&O no longer controls the public dialog. The N&O is embarrassing itself - get it fixed.
[signed]
p.s. I will be checking to see if you sanitize he archives by removing the article quoted below.
-------------------------------
included copyright N&O 2002 article about Mangum's prior run in with the law - not reproduced here
(end e-mail)
Her reply to me
(begin e-mail0
Mr. [my real name deleted],
Thanks for writing. We have reported some things our competition has not, and vice versa. I can vouch for our sourcing and care, I cannot for these other reports.Beyond that I don't see a point in taking your bait.
Best regards,
Melanie Sill
(end e-mail)
And now they're reporting it. How's that bait taste Melanie?
Great email!
Sounds like OakOak is also doing good work to push the media to report the full story.
Maybe he likes coaching, not sitting out seasons.
Absolutely. Even if innocent, the team is destroyed and I doubt it'll play next year. There was never any indication he had anything to do with the party. Duke's spring break was 10-18 March. The team had a game Saturday 11 March, the party was Monday/Tuesday 13/14 March and the next game was scheduled for Sunday 19 March. It's known players were out of town. He was also getting threatening phone calls from, to borrow a phrase, "the good people of Durham".
my policy now is to always DISBELIEVE the stinking MSM....because they choose sides early on and the opposing party doesn't have a chance....
they choose sides in the Bryant case....what?....the girl had sex with her boyfriend?,..stop the world I want to get off!
they're choosing sides now in this case.....
don't know what happened in that house...I tend to think athletes DO get away with a lot of stuff.....but there is little evidence in this case that we know of that any such thing happened...yet, the college men are thrown in the gutter reguardless....
wrong......
the media will let the story "hang" out there without any further comment and then just let it fade away, never correcting their assumptions, their biases, or their outright lies...
this is the new Media.......the story never has to be right, just sellable...
Bonfire of the Varsities.
I don't know what happened that night, and neither do you. But I think automatically assuming the alleged victim could gain from this accusation is pretty silly.
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