White Boys Misbehaving

I am one of the few people who felt the OJ Simpson "not guilty" verdict was correct. Not because I thought he was innocent, the guy was as guilty as sin, but rather because I truly believe prosecutors should do their job. They have to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. The planted evidence on the socks in the bedroom, missing blood from a vial taken home instead of to the evidence room, and perjury by the chief investigating officer, all spell reasonable doubt. You see, the chances of OJ coming after me with a knife are non-existent. But an over zealous prosecutor or crooked cops trumping up charges…that is something that should give us all pause and concern.

Don’t think it could happen to you? Consider the lacrosse team at Duke University. These chumps hired two minority strippers for a party. One of the strippers claimed she was locked in a bathroom and raped for 30 minutes by several of the team members. As a result, three of the lacrosse team players were arrested and charged with rape, among other things. The lacrosse team coach was fired. Enrollment at Duke University has fallen. And the families of these young men are out tens of thousands of dollars in defense costs.

There is one small problem. They didn’t do it. It turns out that one of the stripper babes knew how to work the rape shield laws, which are constitutionally offensive to all males because of just this thing (you should see accusations made in domestic relations custody cases). Something happened in that house, but it wasn’t rape. Perhaps she tried to shake these guys down for more money and they refused. Or perhaps she propositioned them and they refused. After all, she had slept with several different guys within the immediate preceding 48 hours, which clearly establishes this girl for what she is. She claimed one of her partners was her boyfriend, and that turned out to be false. She is now about to give birth, and nobody knows who the father of this poor baby is. Given her promiscuous behavior, someone could be making book.

So Michael Nifong, the erstwhile Durham, N.C. prosecutor, rather than interview her, grandstands in front of the television cameras playing the race card for all it is worth. Those rich boys aren’t going to get away with it, he said. Up for re-election in a heavily black district, it has been reported that he instructed his underling to conduct a lineup by showing the alleged victim only lacrosse team players, and telling her to pick three. Surprise, surprise….she did, batting a thousand in identifying three lacrosse team players, except they didn’t match the description this stripper babe gave to the police. And at least one of the accused has a fairly credible alibi with a time and date stamped ATM video tape and a taxi driver.

Over the past week, Mr. Nifong finally decided to drop the physical rape charges after being caught withholding exculpatory evidence of the supposed victim's DNA fluid samples from not only the defense team, but also the grand jury. Had Mr. Nifong presented this evidence to the grand jury, as he should have, there would most likely be no indictments. I am sure the judge chatted with Mr. Nifong in chambers. Now the stripper babe has changed her story again, claiming she is not really sure whether there was penetration or not. It turns out she was on tranquilizer medication (you know, the stuff you shouldn’t mix with alcohol) prescribed by her physician…so much for the date rape drug theory.

But sexual assault charges and kidnapping charges are still pending. Prosecutor Nifong knows the court will throw out the lineup identification sometime in February. That will give him the excuse to drop the rest of the charges, and get him off of the hook from possible criminal and civil liability against himself…or so he thinks.

In the meantime, the lives of these young men have been ruined, a coach has lost his job, the reputation of the lacrosse team is been severely tarnished, and some families are substantially poorer today than a year ago. Another blog, showing the train of thought at the time charges were being considered, summed up Mr. Nifong's attitude: The Duke University Rape Case: What To Do When White Boys Misbehave / Reported by Marie Therese - April 19, 2006

Would you like this to happen to you? Now you know why I am glad OJ was found not guilty.