Duke Lacrosse: DA Nifong and DNA Testing Agreed To Withhold Evidence

And yet, the case has still not been dismissed (from the Raleigh N&O)

The head of a private DNA laboratory said under oath today that he and District Attorney Mike Nifong agreed not to report DNA results favorable to Duke lacrosse players charged with rape.

Brian Meehan, director of DNA Security of Burlington, said his lab found DNA from unidentified men in the underwear, pubic hair and rectum of the woman who said she was gang-raped at a lacrosse party in March. Nurses at Duke Hospital collected the samples a few hours after the alleged assault. Meehan said the DNA did not come from Reade Seligmann, David Evans, or Collin Finnerty, who have been charged with rape and sexual assault in the case.

Where is the ACLU? Where are all the civil rights folks? Why is no one calling for this case to be dismissed, other then those on the Right? Oh, that is right, they are white, went to an exclusive, top end private college, and the defendent is Black.

Under questioning by Jim Cooney, a defense attorney for Seligmann, Meehan admitted that his report violated his laboratory’s standards by not reporting results of all tests.

Did Nifong and his investigators know the results of all the DNA tests? Cooney asked.

“I believe so,” Meehan said.

“Did they know the test results excluded Reade Seligmann?” Cooney asked.

“I believe so,” Meehan said.

Was the failure to report these results the intentional decision of you and the district attorney? Cooney asked.

“Yes,” Meehan replied.

The word that comes to my mind is "travesty."

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6 Comments

Comment by Carl Subscribed to comments via email
2006-12-15 19:38:21

Nifong deserves to be disbarred and removed from office. He also needs to be held accountable both criminally and civily in regards to all the unethical things he has done.

 
Comment by Scrapiron
2006-12-15 19:51:02

Sounds like the governor and state attorney general have their heads in the sand or up someone’s a**.

 
Comment by Russ
2006-12-15 22:04:01

The word that comes to my mind is “felony.”

 
Comment by William Teach
2006-12-16 18:11:09

Looks like AG Gonzales is looking into this issue. Hopefully, Russ’ word will be correct.

 
Comment by beth
2006-12-16 20:02:20

I was thinking about this case today. I can’t help but wonder where the civil rights people are. A coach lost his job, these students have been suspended. I hate to even think of how much their families have had to pay in legal fees. Their reputations ruined. They have been threatened.

Under other conditions the civil rights people would be in the streets demanding their rights be protected. No so here, I guess.

 
Comment by William Teach
2006-12-16 23:18:50

The defendents are upscale white, the accuser, who, BTW, got pregnent right after being supposedly raped, is Black. I hate to put it in a racial context, but, there ya go.

Oh, and let’s not forget there is sworn testimony that she was stripping within days of being supposedly raped and sodomized, and had sex with multiple men right before the night in question.

 

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