This story is getting uglier every day.

The one accused fella appears to have an airtight alibi--he can prove he was not at the party when the alleged assault took place. An ATM receipt verifies this--yet he's been charged with a very serious felony which could net him a good long sentence if convicted.

What are your thoughts on this case as it unfolds?

This is all about politics as usual. You have a poor, black woman and rich, white young men. You also have an interim District Attorney running for election. The kids don't have a chance. Despite the lack of evidence the lacrosse schedule for the entire university team has been canceled, the boys have lost a full semester of work, they are tarred by an accusation that even if proven false will follow them for the rest of their lives.

One of the women tangentally involved has even contacted a publicity agent to try to maximize the benefit to her from the case.

The accuser has a prior criminal record--she stole a police car and tried to run someone over with it.

According to the boys' defense attorneys, no DNA evidence was found on the accuser which links them to this alleged assault.

Photographs taken of the woman before she entered the party show cuts and bruises on her person.

I believe something happened at the party. There was a lot of drinking, a lot of high-jinks. Typical college stuff.

But a rape?
At this point, from what I've read, it appears to not be so.

The prosecution must have a LOT more than what they are letting on, I'd say.

Hey Rendova,,,,,Frogger,,,,,whats the outline of this story ???

Well, in a nutshell, Red, an exotic dancer hired to perform at a party for the Duke University Lacrosse team has accused several young men of rape.

It's a sordid story that just does not ring true--the newspapers are all over it...Duke is one of the US' premier colleges--the accused are well-off white males, the accuser, a black woman.

And it's going to get even uglier, I'll wager.

Thanks Rendova.......

:D

The prosecution must have a LOT more than what they are letting on, I'd say.

They'd better. Unfortunately one thing that seems to be universal about prosecutors, regardless of party, is that they sometimes pursue questionable cases due to political pressure.

They'd better. Unfortunately one thing that seems to be universal about prosecutors, regardless of party, is that they sometimes pursue questionable cases due to political pressure.

Sad but true.

FOX news has already declared the Lacrosse players not guilty. WTF is new? Gotta protect those good ol' rich, white bread guys.

FOX shouldn't be saying that.

They're going WAY out on a limb and speculating without all the evidence forthcoming (I'm doing the same thing, I know, but I'm not on the news...)

Unless this whole thing is going to be the 2006 version of the Scottsboro Boys case?

FOX news has already declared the Lacrosse players not guilty. WTF is new? Gotta protect those good ol' rich, white bread guys.

Well, it's too early to declare them innocent, but it's stupid to assume that they are guilty already with no evidence.

In any case, no one really takes FOX news as reliable information these days.

"Oh those poor, poor, rich white males...why does everyone descriminate against them..."

It's a sordid story that just does not ring true--the newspapers are all over it...Duke is one of the US' premier colleges--the accused are well-off white males, the accuser, a black woman. yeah I mean its not like one of the players wrote an email to another saying he wanted to rape and kill a stripper or anything....Oh wait he did...

Pages 3-5 give a description of what occured.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0405061duke3.html

If he has an ATM recipt there should be video. Why hasn't it been retrieved yet?

And why the hell is this in world topics?

Because the US is part of the world.

Now that's evidence - pretty sick shit too, I read through the whole thing. The guy who wrote that email is just messed up

There are hundreds of men serving time in various prisons across the US who were convicted of assault without DNA evidence linking them to the assault.

What I find most especially devastating for the prosecution are the photographs showing the woman with injuries on herself before she entered the party. The defense will hammer on this.

All speculation at this point---nothing much is adding up, for or against--YET......if the DA has more evidence then this must be presented to the defense before the trial to give them a chance to research and possibly rebutt. Trial procedure.

The trial most likely will take place spring 2007.

The lack of DNA could be caused by wearing a condom, or by no sexual contact taking place. The bruises and evidence of the woman having been beaten before the party may mean that the story is false, or may mean that a woman who had been beaten earlier was then raped at the party. It could even mean that some clever fellow digitally altered the photos in his cell phone. It is too early to reach a decision in this case, that is what trials are for.

Of course there's no dna on the players ... they used a broomstick. Test that.

And it looks like the cabbie's testimony is falling apart ... and it now looks like the date-time stamp on the photos may have been photo-shopped.

FOX and MSNBC may have to do a little back-peddling.

ROTF

And why the hell is this in world topics?

Oh, should it have gone in allForums often-used "United States Court Cases Section"?

Just ran across this--the woman claimed she was raped by 3 men 10 years ago.

She also keeps upping the ante. Now she claims she was sodomized with a broom stick. Shades of Abner Luima. I believe her story less and less each day.

Here's an interesting new development--from CBS News:

CBS/AP) Defense attorneys say Reade Seligmann, one of the Duke University lacrosse players accused of an alleged rape at a team party, had several affidavits filed on his behalf in court, including a series of 12 photographs captured on an ATM camera as he withdrew money at 12:24 a.m. on the night of the alleged rape, CBS News corrrespondent Trish Regan reports.

Here's more, and a defense lawyer for one of the accused has asked that the DA step down, citing conflict of interest:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/02/national/main1569147.shtml

Just ran across this--the woman claimed she was raped by 3 men 10 years ago.

So would that mean she couldn't have possibly been raped this time?

While someone claimed FOX news was saying she was "innocent", which i would like to see proof of, pretty much EVERY OTHER paper was labeling these guys as guilty before there was ANY evidence at all. I want to know WHY these kids were arrested in the first place.. with hardly ANY evidence, no DNA...

What i find interesting is that while the girls testimony gets more and more holes in it every day... Jesse Jackson already gave her a full ride through college, already assuming she was right and the white kids were wrong... he must feel stupid. If there was any proof you needed that Jesse Jackson is a racist, there it is. The black lady is right, the white kids are wrong... no evidence to prove either way he just KNOWS.

On a side note, and a rather comical one... "Duke Lacrosse" T-shirt sales are WAY up LOL

So would that mean she couldn't have possibly been raped this time?

No. But if she claimed that she was raped, and it wasn't true, then her testimony is less valid. The evidence is still just as valid, but her story on what happened could easily just be a repeat of her false claim earlier.

(I'm assuming from the previous posts that she did not win the earlier rape case)

(I'm assuming from the previous posts that she did not win the earlier rape case)

The three men weren't charged.
I agree, it will make her testimony in the upcoming trial quite a bit less valid assuming--there is a trial, and this previous report is allowed in.

Decka Asks -
I want to know WHY these kids were arrested in the first place.. with hardly ANY evidence, no DNA...

Well the e-mail coupled with the claim seems pretty damn incriminating. For more to an answer lets turn to Decka...
What i find interesting is that while the girls testimony gets more and more holes in it every day Oh well imagine that. Arrest them when they have means, motive and opportunity as well as victims account. It not until later that stuff doesn't start to add up. They acted properly when it occured.