ABC News: All charges will be dropped in Duke lax case
posted at 11:24 pm on April 10, 2007 by Allahpundit
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Update: “I am very comfortable [with] what will happen when the attorney general makes the announcement.”
Update: “An inevitable result–but a nonetheless welcome and long overdue one.” Be sure to click and read the section on the “Nifong Faithful.”
Update: ABC’s updated its article to emphasize that the reasons for the dismissal aren’t known yet but that it might have something to do with the fact that there’s no evidence whatsoever. That’s a slightly different tune than they were singing the last time they broached this topic.
Update: Some video to tide you over until tomorrow’s press conference: the 60 Minutes interview with the defendants’ parents, among whom David Evans’ mother is a righteous standout, and Mary K’s return to the scene of the non-crime in Durham over Christmas break:
Update: Not that there’s much doubt at this point, but the AP is also hearing independently of ABC that the charges will be dropped. The press conference is at 2:30 p.m. We’ll have video.
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Never hire a whore where prostitution is unlawful.
This still cost everyone involved thousands…..
Kristopher on April 10, 2007 at 11:26 PM
And the lacrosse players will never get that year of their lives back. If there ever was a case of prosecutorial misconduct, this is it. But since the victims are high-achieving white males from successful families, there will be no outrage, there will be no justice.
JustTruth101 on April 10, 2007 at 11:32 PM
Not only will those players not “get that year of their life back”…they have had their entire futures put at risk.
What’s going to happen to “you know who” now…trial? disbarment? Anything?
JetBoy on April 10, 2007 at 11:34 PM
Something, you can bet on it. Couldn’t happen to a bigger POS either.
thedecider on April 10, 2007 at 11:41 PM
I’m sure Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton will be on the talk shows tomorrow demanding Nifong apologize for ruining these guys lives.
forged rite on April 10, 2007 at 11:42 PM
Wasn’t the “victim” black? If anything they’ll demand justice for this poor, tragic victim of a white justice system. Then Imus will step out to apologize.
thedecider on April 10, 2007 at 11:44 PM
From the first paragraph of the linked article:
Not known? How about because there is no freakin’ evidence that they are guilty, and virtually incontrivertable evidence that they are innocent?
Geez Louise …
thirteen28 on April 10, 2007 at 11:48 PM
You mean it really is just that easy to make claims that can ruin somebody’s life without any proof whatsoever?
You bet!
Yet another example of why it is so important to elect qualified and ethical local candidates in judicial and law enforcement races.
lawman2 on April 10, 2007 at 11:49 PM
Exactly. I was just being sarcastic.
forged rite on April 10, 2007 at 11:54 PM
I know. I was tagging along for the ride.
thedecider on April 11, 2007 at 12:04 AM
its counter-suit time!
Defector01 on April 11, 2007 at 12:11 AM
I think someone is owed a little bit of money, and you know it is going to be the tax payers that will have to fit the bill.
If putting Border Patrol Officers in jail is chic, how about a corrupt DA?
PinkyBigglesworth on April 11, 2007 at 12:32 AM
How about two corrupt DAs?
Instead of Ramos and Campeon, Nifong and Sutton should be doing time.
infidel4life on April 11, 2007 at 12:41 AM
Eh, he’s a Democrat. He’ll probably get elected to congress and get an immediate seat on the ethics committee.
mojojojo on April 11, 2007 at 12:44 AM
Spot On!!!
PinkyBigglesworth on April 11, 2007 at 12:51 AM
Fake but accurate. That’s what they said about Tawana Brawley.
smellthecoffee on April 11, 2007 at 12:55 AM
Can you imagine being a DA in jail? Baby, there ain’t no river wide enough, ain’t no cellblock strong enough, to keep them from gettin’ to you.
smellthecoffee on April 11, 2007 at 12:59 AM
Can you imagine being a DA in jail? Baby, there ain’t no river wide enough, ain’t no cellblock strong enough, to keep them from gettin’ to you.
smellthecoffee on April 11, 2007 at 12:59 AM
What happens to the “Group of 88″?
d1carter on April 11, 2007 at 1:08 AM
And the drive-by media says… *sound of crickets chirping*
We won’t hear a thing about this.
Mojave Mark on April 11, 2007 at 1:22 AM
Maybe this is the reason why Al Sharpton reneged on him promise to show up on Imus’ radio after Imus showed up on Al’s show because Imus would probably ask ole Sharpie whether he should also apologize for making remarks against the persecuted Lacrosse team?
As a note, Al Sharpton, who have libeled and slandered about the accused, should be charged with defamation of character and serve time/probation as well.
Kokonut on April 11, 2007 at 1:31 AM
What’s a white boy to do?
Kini on April 11, 2007 at 1:37 AM
I suspect they will come out with a vilification of the Attorney General for dropping the charges, demand an investigation into the cover-up by all the racist parties involved, and help initiate a multi-million dollar civil suit against the players.
eeyore on April 11, 2007 at 2:04 AM
Some interesting questions here.
Here is how I think it will go done after the charges are dropped.
I believe that Nifong will be disbarred and prosecuted for malicious prosecution and deprivation of civil rights under color of law. If convicted, and if he goes to prison, he will be shived dead within 6 months, unless they keep him in solitary for his entire sentence or parole him. No doubt, there are boatloads of cons who can’t wait for a chance to get the man who put them in prison.
If he survives incarceration, he can kiss good-bye his fat government pension. Maybe, he’ll end up flipping burgers or selling used cars.
I believe the county board will feel the wrath of the voters when they realized HOW BIG the award the 3 defendants will be receiving because there is NO WAY IN HELL that the county is going to win the malfeasance and malicious prosecution lawsuit. The only question will be HOW MANY MILLIONS do the young men get.
I believe the alumni, especially the lacrosse alums (the ones with the big bucks) will be making their voices known come “contribution time.” As a regular contributor to my alma mater, I know how much they want my dollars every year. Given the shabby treatment these 3 men were given by the University, if I were an alumni who was solicited for a donation, I’d tell them to buzz off.
In other words, I suspect that Duke will come up short in pledges and collections of their goal for 2007/2008. I suspect that this backlash will damage the tenure of Duke’s president, but I honestly don’t know if he’ll be ousted. An important metric for rating the success of a President’s tenure is how many dollars he brings in.
As for “The 88,” the leftist academia will try to protect their own. That is because they are hypocrites. But if it were my son who was indicted and then shat upon by these 88 leftist PIGS, then I’d purchase space on as many billboards in town that were available for rent for a year, and every month, I’d place the names, office phone numbers, email addresses of “The 88″ with a legend that would read something like: “These leftist, racist, so-called “instructors” slandered my son because they are politically correct clowns. Call the Duke University and demand that they be fired” Followed by a partial list of names.
Buy enough billboards for a year, and you can place all of their names before the people of the county. Do it long enough, and the notoriety will follow them no matter where they might go.
These young men come from wealthy families. They have considerable financial resources. If it were my son, I would make it my mission to destroy Nifong, Duke’s President, and “The 88,” personally and professionally. And I would back up this effort with enough money and enough legal talent to insure that “The 88″ are bled dry in legal fees as well as personally humiliated. Oh, and no, a formal apology from Duke’s President and “The 88″ will NOT suffice.
These 3 young men endured a year as innocent men under a false indictment brought by a stupid, lying, DEMOCRATIC district attorney, who violated his oath as a prosecutor as well as an attorney, who DELIBERATELY withheld exculpatory evidence, WHO LIED TO THE GRAND JURY, and who forced the defendents and their families to expend a lot of money in legal fees.
There needs to be payback, here.
georgej on April 11, 2007 at 2:16 AM
I still think they did it.
Kevin M on April 11, 2007 at 2:53 AM
j/k :)
Kevin M on April 11, 2007 at 2:53 AM
I am shocked to see you all ignoring the single most important element of this post:
The awesome feminine perfection and hotness of Mary Katharine Ham.
Let us review:
1) She is a culture warrior against all that is foolish or dangerous in the commie left.
2) She does so with a wickedly funny sense of humor.
3) She is a football and Nascar enthusiast.
4) She knows how to cook (ref: her New Year’s video about greens and black-eyed peas).
5) She looks hot (did I mention that already)?
And now we know, courtesy of this video, that …..
6) She knows how to play lacrosse.
Use your superpowers for good, Mary Katharine, and never for evil!
Anton on April 11, 2007 at 7:44 AM
These kids are likely never going to have to work again once they set into Duke, Nifong and the local gendarme.
But what a terrible price to pay.
drjohn on April 11, 2007 at 8:10 AM
Those who elected Nifong will have to pay the price for framing these kids, and they should. Nifong lied to get elected, and if you buy into the lies of the left, you should have to suffer for it.
lynnv on April 11, 2007 at 8:17 AM
Now, the families of these persecuted young men must make the rest of Nifong’s life a living hell. Revenge!
rplat on April 11, 2007 at 8:36 AM
So true, georgej. And remember, it’s not just the parents of the three accused who have cause to be incensed. Not when you’ve got people like Claire Potter, history prof at Wesleyan, saying things like “do we think that women have not been raped at Duke lacrosse team parties? that women under the influence of drugs and alcohol have not been coerced to have sex without their explicit consent? Think about it.”
Apparently all lacrosse players are rapists. And the university has its fingers in its collective ears singing “na, na, na.” Just look at this week’s Newsday column that quotes university senior vice president John Burness:
In the same article, Burness says that Duke has been “humbled, knocked down a peg.” What he doesn’t realize is that the administration and faculty did that, not the LAX team.
Quisp on April 11, 2007 at 8:41 AM
This is an “It’s about time!” moment.
Now, when can we expect Ronnie Earl to drop the charges against Tom Delay?
Woody
woodcdi on April 11, 2007 at 8:51 AM
My first two questions to the three lacrosse players would be these:
1) Would you give up suing Nifong if you were given about 20 minutes with him, along in a room with a locked door?
2) How does it feel to own Duke University?
Physics Geek on April 11, 2007 at 9:01 AM
Three members of the U of Minn football team have been accused of rape.
They have not been thrown out of school, the team has not been dismembered, and the football schedule has not been dropped.
Why?
drjohn on April 11, 2007 at 9:11 AM
If there are any Duke alumni reading this site, a good place to start would be to put pressure on those who participate in the university’s high-profile events.
G. Richard Wagoner Jr., chairman of the General Motors corporation, is giving this year’s commencement address. He’s also on their Board of Trustees.
A few letters from disgruntled alumni might serve to make him see the folly of Duke’s present “who, us apologize?” course.
Slublog on April 11, 2007 at 9:19 AM
Football players can do what they want, they bring the dollars in.
benrand on April 11, 2007 at 9:25 AM
This news should really disappoint the professors at Duke who wanted the lacrosse players to be convicted solely because they were white and needed to pay for past historical crimes.
Frederick Hess, an education scholar at the think tank American Enterprise Institute, has written a good article about that attitude by the Duke faculty:
http://www.aei.org/publications/filter.all,pubID.25759/pub_detail.asp
januarius on April 11, 2007 at 9:30 AM
Doc, going way out on a limb, here: are they…persons of color?
Jaibones on April 11, 2007 at 9:55 AM
AP, thanks for the links. That Durham-in-Wonderland blog by K C Johnson is really slick. Great writing, astonishing grip on the facts and the players. It sounds like KC is following up with a book on this debacle, and I’ll buy it the day it comes out.
As for Nifong, it doesn’t even matter if he’s disbarred. These kids are going to sue him for money he hasn’t even made yet, and they’ll win.
Jaibones on April 11, 2007 at 9:58 AM
He’ll be filing bankruptcy within a week. The only retribution they will get is suing the state (and they should) and throwing Nifong in jail.
right2bright on April 11, 2007 at 10:20 AM
Good points georgej.
I would add that since the voters were the ones who put him into office, in a way it’s proper for them to eventually pay for what promises to be a hefty settlement.
Slublog on April 11, 2007 at 10:32 AM
As an academic I have followed this case with special interest. Sadly, the same reaction of the campus administration and faculty to any similar case would have occurred at almost any “quality” state four year university or private college of “stature.” The case shows the insidious rot imposed by “political correctness” and “deconstruction” as a guiding principle in academia and its practical consequences “when the rubber hits the road.”
I would like to see Nifong in jail because of his malfeasance. This may well happen. Equally, I would like to see Duke administrators and faculty punished proportionately for their misdeeds resulting in the ruination of innocent lives. For all indications, this is not going to happen.
ptolemy on April 11, 2007 at 10:34 AM
Can’t fool anyone any more….
A couple of points. I think U of Minn is handling it properly. The kids are indeed innocent until proven guilty and they ought not be punished unless strong evidence points in another direction.
It’s just awful that no one would stand up for the Duke kids in the same manner.
drjohn on April 11, 2007 at 11:23 AM
Unfortunately, there are those that view this as just another example of a justice system run by whites. The false accuser’s family say they fully expected the charges to be dropped BECAUSE the boys are white. Not that their daughter is a crack head prostitute that had semen from FIVE different men on AND in her AND lied about EVERYTHING…….noo…….it’s because the FALSELY ACCUSED are rich white boize.
Nifong should be destroyed just as he tried to destroy three young men for his personal gain.
The parents of these boys HAVE to start filing law suits and they have MANY targets including media outlets, college professors, officers in the DPD to name but a few. This has cost the families MILLIONS of dollars.
I have already heard the spin starting. Lawyer for the second “dancer” says that “something happened in that house” and that a trial would have revealed what that “something” was. A lawyer babe on Fox sya that the boys are still “suspects” in a rape case even though the rape charges were dropped weeks ago.
As a previous poster has stated, if these were my kids…..there would be hell to pay and I would go after EVRY SINGLE SOB that said ANYTHING about my kid.
Crystal Magnum needs to be locked up. She won’t be, but she should be.
Talon on April 11, 2007 at 11:33 AM
I almost want to check out Pandagon’s reaction. Almost.
Jim Treacher on April 11, 2007 at 12:12 PM
I was just over there. Nothing yet.
Slublog on April 11, 2007 at 12:24 PM
If I were to call the accuser a nappy headed H…., would that be wrong of me?
JayHaw Phrenzie on April 11, 2007 at 12:42 PM
Can we now know who she is now?
Gwillie on April 11, 2007 at 2:40 PM
The name is further up thread; Crystal
baldilocks on April 11, 2007 at 2:56 PM
I have to say that georgej (and most of you for that matter) is much more optomistic than I am (is it optomism to hope for the destruction of a man’s life? Screw it, he deserves it so it is). I expect that he’ll probably get disbarred, but that will probably be it. Hell, he might even get an invitation to teach law at, wait for it, Duke.
Wolfman on April 11, 2007 at 4:13 PM
R2B, BK will require that assets be dissolved. I’m not sure, but I don’t believe that North Carolina is an unlimited homestead state, like Florida or Texas (bastions of scumbags fleeing bankruptcy).
I suspect that he has some assets, at least until he spends it all on attorney fees, so just declaring bankruptcy to avoid liability won’t do any good; he’ll have to actually be bankrupt. And that will come soon enough.
Jaibones on April 12, 2007 at 9:41 AM