To recap: Last March, a black stripper accused several members of the all-white (except for one) Duke lacrosse team of gang-raping her. She claimed that they perpetrated this crime during a party at which her strip tease was supposed to be the feature entertainment.
And, despite glaring inconsistencies in her complaint and the absence of any forensic evidence linking anyone at the party to this alleged crime, Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong misled a grand jury to indict three of them based on her spurious eye witness selection.
However, months before Bradley reported facts which indicted Nifong for professional misconduct beyond all reasonable doubt, here’s what I wrote as a public appeal for justice in this case:
…I hereby reiterate my plea for DA Nifong to drop these charges, post-haste! Because proceeding would only exacerbate the irreparable harm these men have already suffered (financially and by the infliction of emotional distress); especially since a trial would surely result in a “not guilty” verdict given all of the well-documented flaws in the case for the prosecution.
But, never mind my plea, Nifong seemed impervious even to Bradley’s damning report and persisted in his wanton persecution of these players.
However, the Associated Press reported this week that, in the early days of his investigation last Spring, Nifong retained a private lab to run DNA tests on the forensic evidence collected in this case. And, according to this truly shocking and scandalous AP report:
…the lab found genetic material from several males in the accuser’s body and her underwear, but none from any team member.
This, notwithstanding the fact that the accuser swore she did not have sex with anyone within days before she claims she was raped. Now lawyers for the accused players have filed an official complaint alleging that Nifong neglected to disclose this clearly exculpatory evidence immediately – in violation of his professional ethics and generally recognized criminal law.
Moreover, it seems this report also provoked U.S. Congressman Walter Jones – who hails from North Carolina where Duke is located – to ask U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and the Justice Department to conduct federal investigations to determine whether Nifong’s actions in this case constitute a violation of the players’s civil rights.
Therefore, expect this to become a federal case now whether or not Nifong comes to his senses and drops the charges – post haste….
NOTE: Today’s release of the official inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Princess Diana is bound to dominate news broadcasts all over the world. But, after reading advance excerpts, I felt obliged to write a public apology (which was published over at CNN). Click here to see why.
Related Articles:
CBS Reporter Ed Bradley is dead
The Duke rape case…closed! If you didn’t believe me, perhaps you’ll believe 60 Minutes
Duke rape case, DA Mike Nifong
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