DAs Call for Prosecutor in Duke Lacrosse Case to Step Down

ABC News ^ | December 30, 2006 | LARA SETRAKIAN

[MortMan]

I would propose that any prosecutor who conspires to conceal evidence (a la Nifong) should be subject to the same penalties as are applicable to the crime being charged. Similarly, other types of malfeasance should be punished in accordance with the severity of the alleged crime - perhaps at a lesser scale, though.

Just my $.02.

[hubbubhubbub]

"Nifong stays to the end. A trial is his chance to save himself."

He's busy lining up an O.J. jury now.

[The KG9 Kid]

"... So, what have you done to cause the political hogs a desire to crush you? I really don't understand your post. Seems very paranoid, weak and fearful."

I was involved in a criminal matter where a crusading deputy district attorney operating under misconstrued information was finally reined in by the system and the charge was dropped to the DA's great dismay. I spoke about the case in an ancient thread here once and only once, and I'm not interested in resurrecting the issue. I can tell you that I've never looked at a police officer, judge, or prosecutor the same way after that incident.

Until you've actually been in the position of being an innocent citizen being targeted by an over-zealous prosecutor and seen your name on a legal document that reads 'The State of [...] vs. [Your Name]' with the great seal of your state on top, you will never know what I'm talking about. In fact, I believe that the only thing that saved me was the sheer amount of other prosecutors and judges who looked at the case and finally determined there was no crime committed. If this had happened to me in a less populated area rather than a big Southern California metro area, I'd probably have been rifled through the system without much fanfare. In fact, the large bureacracy worked in my favor even though it was partially responsible for putting me in that position in the first place.

Conversely, look at Nifong's Durham NC: There appears to be no-one able to stop the mad king but himself. There's no oversight whatsoever, and only now is the state bar even talking about the idea he should recuse himself from the case. If this case hadn't had such a great degree of public attention on it, those boy's case would be over and done with, now wouldn't it?

Paranoid, weak, and fearful doesn't begin to describe the feeling an innocent person has when the full weight of the public prosecutor aims to come crushing down on them.

Swamp Fox can call Durham a metro area, but it wouldn't even qualify as a suburb where I grew up. I did not mean in my original post to suggest that every locality outside of an urban area is run by stereotypical 'Boss Hogg' types and their crooked public servants. I'm just saying that in cases that involve district attorneys where the accused is innocent, it can never hurt to have as many eyes as possible looking at the case. I don't think that a lot of people have that advantage outside of a major metro area. I have lived in NC for a short spell, by the way.

Also, in my case, it was nice to be able to return to the general anonymity of a metro area's large population base. I can only sympathize with the wrongly accused who have had to return to their close-knit communities after being found 'Not Guilty' or had their charges dropped. I do believe that when I finally flee the concrete jungle I live in, I'll head for a sleepy area without any fancy convoluted laws or fancy lawyers.

[Jezebelle]

LOL, yes, or "It's done. Stick a fork in him."

[Texas_shutterbug]

Haha The jerk is going to get what he deserves.

There is no lower life form than someone who will ruin another's life for political gain.

[Ohioan from Florida]

It frustrates me to graduate in four months and tell future employers that my undergraduate years were spent at Duke University. I can imagine it now: The employer will shrug and mention something about how disappointed he was to hear that Duke has such a deplorable campus, while I ineffectively insist that Duke really, truly is great.

What a little puke-head!

Hey, Shadee! If you want to know what's really deplorable, it's your freakin' stinkin' attitude! If I were you, I would be afraid that some prospective employer might rightly judge my (your) character! Maybe you should wear your "I'm a victim of the Duke LAX (non)rape scandal!" T-shirt to your interviews. I bet that would impress future bosses!

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

No kidding, they need to pic up their game for sure.

[gopheraj]

Thanks. I do hope to high heaven that he is sued and is found guilty of a felony.

[melissa64]

"Maybe send a message to other like minded media whores."

which is exactly what josh marquis is. marquis' quotes regarding nifong are like the pot calling the kettle black. come visit Dried Salmon Matters blog & forum, to find what the citizens of this da's own community thinks of their tiny da.