April 11, 2007
Charges Against Duke Lacrosse Players To Be Dropped
UPDATE: FOX News has released the name and a photo of the accuser (h/t Larwyn). Apparently, her name has been said in public several times, including by lawyers during press conferences about the case.
UPDATE II: Hot Air has the video of the announcement. Check it out. "Failure to verify serious allegations." Right on.
I heard about this in the car this morning:
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.
...
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.
According to Ron Kuby on WABC this morning, there is little legal recourse for the defendants as far as suing the prosecution, although they may be able to sue Duke University for the defamatory statements made by the school. However, Kuby suggested that perhaps the young men should continue to comport themselves in the courageous and dignified manner in which they've behaved within the past year. I agree. They've been through a lot, and their families have spent so much money on legal fees already...why would they want to go through a lawsuit which they may not win? It must be a huge relief to have this behind them. Still, in our litigous society, a lawsuit of some kind would not surprise me.
Meanwhile the accuser, whose name will likely not be released by major news associations, is still in the Durham area. Call me cynical, but I wouldn't be surprised if she gets some kind of book or television movie offer...
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The family themselves have made the accuser's name public and it has been public for quite some time: Crystal Gail Magnum.
The family told FOX News that they're poor and black, whereas the players and their families are "rich and white," and that the attorney general's office has looked upon the players as "golden boys. So apparently, ONLY poor people are entitled to justice?
The families of these three INNOCENT young men spent roughly $2.8 million in the past year in order to protect their 3 sons from these FALSE charges. And because Nifong took the investigation away from the police, the City of Durham, the Police Department, the Prosecutor's office and Nifong personally are ALL legally vulnerable - big time. Malicious prosecution is NOT protected by sovereign immunity.
As far as Crystal, she should be prosecuted for perjury and making false statements and she should be jailed, thus making it illegal for her to profit from the fact that SHE raped the reputations of three young men and their teammates. Duke University should be held liable for their unconstitutional behavior as well and both President Brodhead and the Gang of 88 should lose their jobs for proclaiming those 3 young men guilty without evidence or cause.
Yes, I'm peeved.
Posted by: Gayle Miller at April 11, 2007 10:13 AM
