Durham DA heads to trial over Duke case

[Maddy McCall]

Source: AP

Durham DA heads to trial over Duke case

By AARON BEARD
Associated Press Writer

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Mike Nifong spent nearly three decades building a reputation as an honest prosecutor. Yet he is seen today as a bane to peers, many of whom feel tarnished by his mistakes in the now-infamous Duke lacrosse rape case.

snip/

"It's still kind of difficult for me to see how we got here," said Woody Vann, a lawyer in Durham. "It is kind of a tragedy. He reached a certain height and ... he got presented with a matter that was just more than he could handle."

On Tuesday - more than a year after he took the lead in investigating claims three men raped a stripper at a March 2006 party thrown by Duke's highly ranked lacrosse team - the Durham County district attorney will stand trial on ethics charges ranging from lying to the court to withholding potentially exculpatory evidence.

snip/

Depending on the outcome, criminal charges could follow. A request remains pending in the Durham County court to remove him from office, on which the judge said he'll start a hearing shortly after the ethics trial.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DUKE_LACROSSE?SITE=MSJAD&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[napi21]

1. Sorry, an honest prosec utory DOES NOT LIE to the court!

I don't know if he was once an honest prosecutor, but something happened to change that! Maybe it was the Shrub effect on him!

I could accept a prosecutor being wrong in his judgement, believing witnesses he shouldn't have, and all things like that, but LYING TO THE COURT is one thing EVERY lawyer knows better not to do!

[IndianaGreen]

6. Exactly! Lying to the court and withholding evidence are not traits of an ethical prosecutor

Nifong is an embarrassment to his profession and he should be disbarred.

[Warpy]

2. I'm wondering how much simple pride had to do with this

The problems started to surface very quickly: different and changing stories told by both women, a DNA test that showed multiple semen donors but none of them on the Duke lacrosse team, the accuser's history of making false accusations in the past. Did he not want to tell people he'd made a mistake and drop the case? Was he afraid of the negative publicity if he did so?

Was he facing a hard fight for reelection?

He should have backed off this case in the beginning and he probably realizes that by now, when it's too late. It should never have dragged on for a year, not when there were so many problems in the beginning.

He might have been able to salvage his career had he offered a plea bargain to misdemeanor assault, something that would cover having the guys paw the strippers but not damage the guys for life.

[LisaL]

3. Innocent people are not going to plead guilty to assault,

just so prosecutor can save his pride.

[Warpy]

4. First, the plea bargain would have been a "make it go away"

for all parties concerned.

Second, don't comment on my world unless you occupy it. You are not qualified to do so.

[LisaL]

5. Well, if you are ever accused of something, by all means,

accept a plea deal even if you didn't do it.
And fine, I edited a comment about your world, since I have no clue WTF it is.

[yardwork]

9. There is no evidence that the lacrosse players ever touched the dancers

Nifong never should have pressed charges in the first place. There is no evidence that any assault of any kind took place.

[ObamaNationYes]

8. First Election, Not actually re-election

He had been appointed to the position by the NC Governor. Nifong had promised the NC governor he would not run in the election - that was lie number 1.

[Rydz777]

7. "just more than he could handle." Well, that's one way of looking

at it. If he had put justice above ambition, and if he had put truth above expediency, he might have handled it better.

[bluestateguy]

10. He ought to be criminally charged

and when that's done, the so-called "victim" should be brought up on charges of obstruction of justice.

[NaturalHigh]

12. They've already said they won't charge Crystal Mangum.

Apparently, they think she's too loony to even be held responsible for her wild accusations.

[TankLV]

11. Good - it's WAY overdue - this scumbag should be imprisoned what he did to those poor boys

When is the lying skank who FALSLY ACCUSED THE INNOCENT BOYS going to have the book thrown at her?...

We're waiting for JUSTICE...