How do these guys get their lives back?

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Duke lacrosse rape case finally collapsed Wednesday, with North Carolina's top prosecutor saying the three athletes were railroaded by a district attorney who ignored increasingly flimsy evidence in a "tragic rush to accuse."

 

 

In a blistering assessment of the case, Attorney General Roy Cooper dropped all charges against the players, all but ensuring that only one person in the whole scandal will be held to account: Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong.

 

"This case shows the enormous consequences of overreaching by a prosecutor," Cooper said.

 

Cooper, who took over the case in January after Nifong was charged with ethics violations that could get him disbarred, said his own investigation into a stripper's claim that she was sexually assaulted at a team party found nothing to corroborate her story, and "led us to the conclusion that no attack occurred."

 

"There were many points in the case where caution would have served justice better than bravado," Cooper said. "In the rush to condemn, a community and a state lost the ability to see clearly."

 

Later, at an often-bitter, I-told-you-so news conference, the three young men and their lawyers accused the news media and the public of disregarding the presumption of innocence and portraying them as thugs.

 

"It's been 395 days since this nightmare began. And finally today it's coming to a closure," said one of the cleared defendants, David Evans, his voice breaking at one point. "We're just as innocent today as we were back then. Nothing has changed. The facts don't change."

 

Defense attorney Joe Cheshire said: "We're angry, very angry. But we're very relieved."

 

Nifong was out of town and could not immediately be reached for comment. But his lawyer, David Freedman, said: "If further investigation showed this boys were innocent, he would be in agreement with what the attorney general's office decided to do."

 

Evans, Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty were indicted last spring on charges of rape, kidnapping and sexual offense after the woman told police she was assaulted in the bathroom at an off-campus house during a team party where she had been hired to perform. The rape charges were dropped months ago; the other charges remained until Wednesday.

 

The case stirred furious debate over race, class and the privileged status of college athletes, and heightened long-standing tensions in Durham between its large working-class black population and the mostly white, mostly affluent students at the private, elite university.

 

The woman is black and attended nearby North Carolina Central University, a historically black school; all three Duke players are white.

 

The attorney general said the eyewitness identification procedures were unreliable, no DNA supported the stripper's story, no other witness corroborated it, and the woman contradicted herself.

 

"Based on the significant inconsistencies between the evidence and the various accounts given by the accusing witness, we believe these three individuals are innocent of these charges," Cooper said. He said the charges resulted from a "tragic rush to accuse and a failure to verify serious allegations."

 

"I think a lot of people owe a lot of apologies to a lot of people," Cooper said.

 

Cooper offered no explanation for why the stripper told such a story and would not discuss her mental health. However, he said no charges will be brought against her, saying she "may actually believe" the many different stories she told.

 

"We believe it is in the best interest of justice not to bring charges," he said.

 

The accuser's whereabouts were not immediately known. The Associated Press generally does not identify accusers in sex-crime cases.

 

Portraying Nifong as a "rogue prosecutor," Cooper called for the passage of a law that would allow the North Carolina Supreme Court to remove a district attorney where justice demands it.

 

Cooper declined to say whether he believes Nifong should be disbarred, saying it would not be fair to pass judgment before he goes on trial before the state bar in June.

 

At the news conference with his former teammates, Finnerty said: "Knowing I had the truth on my side was really the most comforting thing at all throughout this last year."

 

Seligmann thanked his lawyers for sparing him from 30 years in prison for a "hoax" and complained that society has lost sight of the presumption of innocence. "This entire experience has opened my eyes up to a tragic world of injustice," he said.

 

The case was troubled almost from the start. DNA failed to connect any of the athletes to the 28-year-old stripper. One of the athletes claimed to have ATM receipts and time-stamped photos that provided an alibi. It was also learned that the stripper had leveled similar gang-rape allegations a decade ago, and no charges resulted.

 

Then, in December, Nifong dropped the rape charges after the woman said she was no longer certain she was penetrated.

 

Nifong came under furious criticism from the community, the university and members of the bar for pressing ahead with a case that they said seemed pitifully weak.

 

The district attorney withdrew from the case in January after the North Carolina bar charged him with making misleading and inflammatory comments to the media about the athletes under suspicion. The bar later added more serious charges of withholding evidence from defense attorneys and lying to the court.

 

Among other things, Nifong called the athletes "a bunch of hooligans" and declared DNA evidence would identify the guilty. He was also accused of withholding the results of lab tests that found DNA from several men

[Analogman]

When you choose to play with strippers and/or prostitutes - you get what you get.

[bobbob1313]

When you choose to play with strippers and/or prostitutes - you get what you get.

 

Come one, man. You are smarter than that. That's complete bullshit, dude. They're lives are ruined now because of this and you say they deserve it?

 

This whole thing was a bullshit witch hunt from the beginning.

[Analogman]

I disagree -

 

the mostly white, mostly affluent students at the private, elite university

 

The above is why we are hearing about this -

 

Don't worry - they will get book and/or movie deals -

[bobbob1313]

I disagree -

 

Well when you put it that way.

 

You can't just make statements like the one you did and then not defend it. What's your reasoning behind it? They hired a stripper for a party; not an illegal action. The stripper then decided to accuse them of rape. There's a serious misstep in logic between wanting to see naked boobies and having your life ruined in a very public rape trial where you were completely and totally guilty.

[MrRain422]

I feel bad for these guys, but I don't think their lives are really ruined. They've certainly been dragged through the mud in the press, but they've also been redeemed. How many people will remember their names in a year? This was a bad thing to happen to them certainly, but I don't think they will lose any opportunities because of it.

[bobbob1313]

I feel bad for these guys, but I don't think their lives are really ruined. They've certainly been dragged through the mud in the press, but they've also been redeemed. How many people will remember their names in a year? This was a bad thing to happen to them certainly, but I don't think they will lose any opportunities because of it.

 

Well, 2 of them dropped out of school (or were they suspended?) and I'm sure they can't live in that town anymore, because in our society a rape accusation is as good as a conviction in many people's minds.

[Analogman]

I have not really followed the deal - but I am guessing at some point some sex took place? And they did not pay enough money or something - so she did that - or am I totally wrong.

 

Ok - I am wrong on this - still lie down with dogs - you might get fleas -

 

A friend of mine back in the Navy days got slit all the way up his stomach - courtesy of a prostitute with a butterfly knife.

 

I know all about such things - or rather I use to.

 

 

Plus I am jaded - and see things as white rich people vs. everyone else.

[bjorn_skurj]

I don't get the impression that these kids will have ruined lives. I'm a news junkie, and I can't even recall any of their names. I think this will not even be a footnote to history.

[bobbob1313]

I have not really followed the deal - but I am guessing at some point some sex took place? And they did not pay enough money or something - so she did that - or am I totally wrong.

 

A friend of mine back in the Navy days got slit all the way up his stomach - courtesy of a prostitute with a butterfly knife.

 

I know all about such things - or rather I use to.

Plus I am jaded - and see things as white rich people vs. everyone else.

 

What does their race have to do with it? Honestly, the only thing their race had to do with it is that Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton used it as yet another reason for them to run their mouths about an issue they have no reason to talk about.

 

This whole thing was just an example of the prosecutor wanting to "make an example" of a couple of kids who didn't do anything wrong, other than being stupid enough to be in that situation at all. The prosecutor had it out for them for the same reason you seem to; they are rich white people (OMG THE WORST THING EVER).

 

Here's a little thing about the way the world works. Not all rich white people are trying to fuck everyone over, and not all poor black people are victims of the man trying to bring them down.

 

 

I can garauntee the people who live around their towns know their names, and I also would venture to assume that their reputations are shot now.

[Analogman]

Well, that is how poor black man hoes like me look at the world.

I am shitting the bull here - sorry.

 

I guess what I am trying to say is - when you mess around with strippers or say, you are drinking underage, or throwing a bus shelter in a crick - you may end up in trouble some how.

 

Does not matter about the color - back in the day, I got in trouble with all sorts of people of different colors and races.

 

I am not happy about what happened to those dudes -

[Lammycat]

When did being white an having money become such a bad thing?

 

And will Sharpton be making a public apology?

[tugmoose]

They're rich white guys. Fuck 'em.

[bobbob1313]

As an upper middle class half white dude, I can feel for the plight of the rich white dudes, even if they don't consider me one of their own.

[aricandover]

As an upper middle class half white dude, I can feel for the plight of the rich white dudes, even if they don't consider me one of their own.

 

 

braggart

[MrRain422]

Well, 2 of them dropped out of school (or were they suspended?)

 

Okay, I'll give you that they had the last year of their lives ruined.

 

and I'm sure they can't live in that town anymore, because in our society a rape accusation is as good as a conviction in many people's minds.

 

Right, but the blunders of the DA in this case got as much attention as the original accusations. If they have to move somewhere else, well, that sucks, but I just don't see how it will affect them once they're done with college.

 

Again, I'm not saying that this doesn't suck really horribly for them. I just think that saying that their lives were ruined is an overstatement.

[cryptique]

These guys will be fine. Yes, it sucks that this happened to them, and I acknowledge that they are the victims of a horrible injustice, but believe me, they'll recover. They come from a culture where this sort of thing won't even be a speed bump.

 

If these were poor kids who were working two jobs just to afford school, I'd be more worried about them.

[bobbob1313]

braggart

 

 

I've got this on right now.

[anodyne]

it's a sad commentary that such behavior from three college athletes was so incredibly believable. these guys were innocent apparently and the DA will likely be disbarred. however, people are raped all the time all over the world and it never gets reported. this case was an absolute miscarriage, but i seriously hope it does not cloud DAs and prosecutors from believing a victim with even a shred of evidence. that would be the real tragedy.

[aricandover]

 

I've got this on right now.

 

 

that reminds of the Futurama episode, when Frye finds out he's rich.

[bobbob1313]

it's a sad commentary that such behavior from three college athletes was so incredibly believable. these guys were innocent apparently and the DA will likely be disbarred. however, people are raped all the time all over the world and it never gets reported. this case was an absolute miscarriage, but i seriously hope it does not cloud DAs and prosecutors from believing a victim with even a shred of evidence. that would be the real tragedy.

 

There was no evidence though. All of the DNA evidence said that the three accused weren't involved and the prosecutor still went after it.

 

(*I'm going off memory, I may be wrong, but I'm almost positive there was very little if not no evidence for the case)

[Atticus]

I'd love to know how much the families had to spend on attorney's fees defending false accusations.

 

Fucking lawyers...

 

[anodyne]

There was no evidence though. All of the DNA evidence said that the three accused weren't involved and the prosecutor still went after it.

 

(*I'm going off memory, I may be wrong, but I'm almost positive there was very little if not no evidence for the case)

which would be why this case was bad. essentially, the DA put the jock frat boy stereotype on trial - possibly because he felt the odds were good in convicting them for who they are rather than what they did (or didn't do).

[Spawn's dad]

These guys were actually kicked off the team, and out of school. While that need not have lifelong impact on where they end up, it's extremely callous to say that because they're white and went to an expensive school they'll end up ok. Shoe on a different colored foot and the outrage would be off the charts. I know that if I were 20, wrongly accused in a case with huge national exposure that it would have lasting psychological impact. Yeah, in the end it did not end up with them in jail, but their lives have been under intense scrutiny. while it's true that their names will be forgotten and their lives will go on, I find I can't simply accept that there isn't/won't be some sort of punitive/civil damage claims explored. This woman, who not only harmed these guys, (and is apparently a bit off the mark) should be subject to criminal charges. she can't really just walk away from this can she?

[cryptique]

While that need not have lifelong impact on where they end up, it's extremely callous to say that because they're white and went to an expensive school they'll end up ok. Shoe on a different colored foot and the outrage would be off the charts.

I don't think it's callous. It's true.

 

If, as you say, the shoe were on a different-colored foot, I'd think differently. I'm just saying that while these guys were undoubtedly subject to a unspeakable injustice, they'll have no problem landing on their feet because of who they are, how much money their parents have, and where they come from. That's not callous -- it's a fact.