All of Duke's Lacrosse Team Passes DNA Test

[EagleKeeper]

Originally posted by: DonVito
2 Duke Lacrosse Players Arrested:

DURHAM, N.C. - Two 20-year-old Duke University lacrosse players were arrested early Tuesday on charges of raping and kidnapping a stripper hired to dance at an off-campus party.

Reade Seligmann posted a $400,000 bond and Collin Finnerty was in the process of doing so for the same amount, said Col. George Naylor of the Durham County jail. By posting bond, the players avoided making an initial court appearance later in the day.

Earlier, Seligmann, a 6-foot-1 sophomore from Essex Fells, N.J., and Finnerty, a 6-foot-3 sophomore from Garden City, N.Y., were led out of separate police cruisers in handcuffs. One was wearing a suit jacket, the other was in dress shirt and jeans.

Seligmann is "absolutely innocent," said his attorney, Kirk Osborn. "He's doing great. That's all I have to say."

Yow! That is a lot of bail. Their families must have either posted it or paid a bail bondsman $40K, non-refundable, to post it for them. Their lawyers will cost tens of thousands more. This is going to be one expensive dorm party whether they're convicted or not.

Must be some damming evidence that showed up for of the grandjury and the judge to warrant a bail that high.

 

[Pepsei]

i guess the lack of dna can be explaned by the use of condoms.
i mean who'd want to swap juices with your teamates?

 

[Triumph]

I'd like to know why the team coach resigned from the university. Was he at the party? Is he responsible for what his team members are doing, 100% of the time?

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: EagleKeeper

Must be some damming evidence that showed up for of the grandjury and the judge to warrant a bail that high.

The judge alone would have decided on bail. Normally the judge looks at the nature of the offense, and the offender's criminal history (if any) and ability to pay. In general the idea is to make the bail high enough, on a case of this severity, that the person won't bail out, but it appears these guys' families have fairly deep pockets. Generally Joe Sixpack isn't bailing out if he's charged with rape and kidnapping.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: Triumph
I'd like to know why the team coach resigned from the university. Was he at the party? Is he responsible for what his team members are doing, 100% of the time?

Who knows? I haven't heard anything to indicate he knew about the party or was involved - I think it's more that the school let him fall on his sword, since the team brought such embarrassment on the school as a whole.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: DonVito

Originally posted by: Triumph
I'd like to know why the team coach resigned from the university. Was he at the party? Is he responsible for what his team members are doing, 100% of the time?

Who knows? I haven't heard anything to indicate he knew about the party or was involved - I think it's more that the school let him fall on his sword, since the team brought such embarrassment on the school as a whole.

I heard this on a sports radio station so take it for what it is worth...but, I heard that this isn't the first time that there have been problems with Duke Lacrosse players.

 

[Queasy]

This is the one thing that I hate about high profile rape cases like this. The two accused men are going to have their identities known and every little aspect of their lives dragged through the public domain before a jury is even selected...meaning they are going to get tried in the court of public opinion before they even reach the real trial.

If the alleged victim gets to keep her identity a secret, they should at least allow the accused's identity remain a secret until AFTER a jury is seated.

 

[DaShen]

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf
Nope, won't ever happen. There are zero consequences for women who falsly claim rape. Sure, some states *can* jail them for a couple weeks if they wait more than 72 hours to retract their claims (after the damage is done), but that is about it.

The reasoning behind that is because to make it easy to claim rape would make more real rape victims hesitant to claim anything. They do need to change the system though for cases proven to be false. The girls who falsely claim and it can be proven that it is a totally false claim should be charged and jailed.

 

[chuckywang]

Originally posted by: Queasy
This is the one thing that I hate about high profile rape cases like this. The two accused men are going to have their identities known and every little aspect of their lives dragged through the public domain before a jury is even selected...meaning they are going to get tried in the court of public opinion before they even reach the real trial.

If the alleged victim gets to keep her identity a secret, they should at least allow the accused's identity remain a secret until AFTER a jury is seated.

Yeah, I sorta agree with you. The worst part of having your entire life in the spotlight is that there are things people say in groups of friends that you would not like to be revealed publicly. That's part of what friends are for!

 

[gigapet]

are there any chances that she can drop the charges and settle out of court?

 

[TGregg]

So is Nifong going to say to the black majority "reelect me in May or this case goes away"?

If all the evidence is already out in the public and the DA has no secret "smoking gun", I wonder if the players have a case for false arrest?

I sure hope he has some solid evidence, otherwise this is going to be a serious fuster cluck.

 

[TGregg]

Originally posted by: Queasy
I heard this on a sports radio station so take it for what it is worth...but, I heard that this isn't the first time that there have been problems with Duke Lacrosse players.

I read in the paper that an amazing 30% of the team had tickets or convictions for all sorts of things from public urination, minor in possession, drunk and disorderly, etc.

 

[TGregg]

Originally posted by: TGregg
I sure hope he has some solid evidence, otherwise this is going to be a serious fuster cluck.

Remember how she said there were three perps? Now they arrested two? I wonder if the DA got the third guy to confess.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: TGregg

Originally posted by: TGregg
I sure hope he has some solid evidence, otherwise this is going to be a serious fuster cluck.

Remember how she said there were three perps? Now they arrested two? I wonder if the DA got the third guy to confess.

The front page of Drudge has a headline saying that the DA is still trying to identify the third assailant.

 

[Cal166]

Originally posted by: ShockwaveVT
the case is still under investigation, and no charges have been filed yet. I suggest being patient and not jumping to conclusions.

Two Duke Lacrosse Players Are Arrested and Charged

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/18/sport...936ac46&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

 

[TGregg]

Originally posted by: Cal166

Originally posted by: ShockwaveVT
the case is still under investigation, and no charges have been filed yet. I suggest being patient and not jumping to conclusions.

Two Duke Lacrosse Players Are Arrested and Charged

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/18/sport...936ac46&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Look back about a dozen posts.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: TGregg

Originally posted by: Queasy
I heard this on a sports radio station so take it for what it is worth...but, I heard that this isn't the first time that there have been problems with Duke Lacrosse players.

I read in the paper that an amazing 30% of the team had tickets or convictions for all sorts of things from public urination, minor in possession, drunk and disorderly, etc.

Yep...I think this was just the final straw for the coach. Duke Lacrosse is one of the top programs in the nation and it sounds like they've kept alot of things swept under the rug. This whole case is going to bring it all out and so the coach was likely forced to resign as a kind of pre-emptive strike.

 

[TGregg]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: TGregg

Originally posted by: TGregg
I sure hope he has some solid evidence, otherwise this is going to be a serious fuster cluck.

Remember how she said there were three perps? Now they arrested two? I wonder if the DA got the third guy to confess.

The front page of Drudge has a headline saying that the DA is still trying to identify the third assailant.

Thanks for the update. Maybe the DA is hoping the kidnapping plus rape charge will break somebody. All he needs is one of the three to turn state's evidence.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: Queasy
This is the one thing that I hate about high profile rape cases like this. The two accused men are going to have their identities known and every little aspect of their lives dragged through the public domain before a jury is even selected...meaning they are going to get tried in the court of public opinion before they even reach the real trial.

If the alleged victim gets to keep her identity a secret, they should at least allow the accused's identity remain a secret until AFTER a jury is seated.

Yeah, that only seems fair.

 

[Queasy]

Indictments Unsealed

No real surprises. Just shows that the two Lacrosse players were charged with kidnapping and sexual assault.

 

[gigapet]

well I personally hope they all get off on these charges and their good names are cleared.

 

[TGregg]

Bill Thomas, a lawyer for a player who has not been charged, said that one of the two men under indictment did not even attend the party. He would not specify which one, saying only that "multiple witnesses and a commercial transaction" would provide an alibi.

According to a filing made by the district attorney's office, the residents of the house where the party took place told police that Seligmann was one of six players who did not attend the party.

Another attorney, Robert Ekstrand, who represents dozens of players, said neither Seligmann nor Finnerty was at the party "at the relevant time."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060419/ap_on_sp_co_ne/duke_lacrosse_48

 

[Babbles]

Originally posted by: TGregg

Bill Thomas, a lawyer for a player who has not been charged, said that one of the two men under indictment did not even attend the party. He would not specify which one, saying only that "multiple witnesses and a commercial transaction" would provide an alibi.

According to a filing made by the district attorney's office, the residents of the house where the party took place told police that Seligmann was one of six players who did not attend the party.

Another attorney, Robert Ekstrand, who represents dozens of players, said neither Seligmann nor Finnerty was at the party "at the relevant time."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060419/ap_on_sp_co_ne/duke_lacrosse_48

It seems, in my non-professional arm-chair wannabe-expert opinion, that the DA is just desperately trying to slap something together so he can play in front of the media. Even if nothing actually pans out and the accuser was lying (maybe, maybe not) at least the DA will look like he is tough on crime . . .right?!

 

[TGregg]

Originally posted by: Babbles
It seems, in my non-professional arm-chair wannabe-expert opinion, that the DA is just desperately trying to slap something together so he can play in front of the media. Even if nothing actually pans out and the accuser was lying (maybe, maybe not) at least the DA will look like he is tough on crime . . .right?!

Tough to say for sure since the lawyers can make sh!t up for the press, and not face any penalties for lying like a rug. But it certainly sounds bad for the DA.

Sources close to the investigation said Tuesday that the defense will present evidence -- including ATM receipts -- that neither Seligmann, 20, nor Finnerty, 19, were at the team party at the time the alleged rape took place.

A cab driver allegedly carried one of the young men to an ATM, where a security camera captured his picture, the sources said, and the other man was reportedly at a restaurant.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/04/18/duke.rape/index.html?section=cnn_latest

 

[TGregg]

Originally posted by: DonVito
Yow! That is a lot of bail. Their families must have either posted it or paid a bail bondsman $40K, non-refundable, to post it for them. Their lawyers will cost tens of thousands more. This is going to be one expensive dorm party whether they're convicted or not.

And it sounds like at least one of the accused may not even have been there. That'd really suck to have to post bail and spring for a lawyer for something that happened at a party that you didn't even freaken attend.