Duke Lacrosse Case Charges to Be Dropped

[Amianthus]

Three Players Were Facing Charges of First Degree Kidnapping, First Degree Forcible Sexual Offense

By LARA SETRAKIAN
ABC News Law & Justice Unit
April 10, 2007 — - The office of North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper will announce that he is dismissing all charges against three Duke Lacrosse players, ABC News has learned from sources close to the case.

The three players, Reade Seligmann, David Evans and Collin Finnerty, were facing charges of first degree kidnapping and first degree forcible sexual offense. The charges stem from an off-campus party on the night of March 13, 2006.

In the hours after the party, one of two dancers hired to perform for the players claimed she had been violently raped in a bathroom by members of the lacrosse team. The players had also been indicted for first degree rape, but that charge was dismissed on Dec. 22, 2006.

Special prosecutors from the Attorney General's office took over the case after Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong recused himself in January, citing charges of unethical conduct filed against him by the North Carolina Bar. Since then, Jim Coman and Mary Winstead have examined the case from scratch, interviewing key witnesses and working through reams of evidence.

The reasons that will be cited for the dismissal are not yet known, though the case has been riddled with criticism and colored by controversy since its early months. Defense attorneys released documents showing the accuser changed key details of her story in the weeks and months after the alleged assault.

Legal analysts and forensic experts have criticized what they call a critically flawed photo identification lineup -- a lineup that led to the identification and indictment of Evans, Finnerty, Seligmann. No DNA evidence was found matching any lacrosse players with samples from the rape kit, while DNA from unidentified men was found on the accuser's body and clothing.

On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the Attorney General confirmed to ABC News that his office had completed its investigation into the Duke lacrosse case. A press conference on the outcome of their inquiry is widely expected sometime this week, though members of that office have not yet revealed a date and time.
Duke Lacrosse Case Charges to Be Dropped

[Amianthus]

Highlighting a few points...

Special prosecutors from the Attorney General's office took over the case after Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong recused himself in January, citing charges of unethical conduct filed against him by the North Carolina Bar.

No DNA evidence was found matching any lacrosse players with samples from the rape kit, while DNA from unidentified men was found on the accuser's body and clothing.

[sirs]

I wonder how many here, who were absolutely convinced that the Duke players were guilty, still actually believe it, and are just content to rationalize that "the system" was able to protect the "rich white athletes" & get them off?  IIRC, Xo kept insisting how they were all rich, since they went to Duke     

[Amianthus]

IIRC, Xo kept insisting how they were all rich, since they went to Duke

Actually, he was insisting that they were rich because they belonged to a fraternity and pooled their money to hire a stripper. Mikey was insisting they were rich, white, southern boys because they were attending Duke.

In actuality, none of the three accused was rich or southern. They were all from the northeast, children of middle class working parents at Duke on scholarships.

[sirs]

I suppose that just goes to reinforce how "accurate" their accusastions tend to be (be it the Duke students, Bush, or Republicans)       

[kimba1]

this might prove scholarships bring the wrong element to colleges.
tain`t scholarships kids frowned upon in college?
acedemic wellfare cases