Duke Lacross Players Cleared of Charges, but is it too Late
It’s been thirteen long months since it all began, 395 days of suspected guilt. More than a year of the public suspecting the three young men from the Duke Lacross team of committing the heinus acts of rape, kidnapping and sexual assault.
Now, thankfully, for David Evans, Collin Finnerty, and Reade Seligmann the charges have been dropped. My question is, will these three young men ever be able to get out from under the shadow that was cast over them from a years worth of character damaging exposure in the media.
Attorney General Roy Cooper, who took over the case this January, declared the young men innocent on all charges and described the incident as a “tragic rush to accuse and failure to verify allegations” by Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong. Nifong was charged with ethics violations in January that could result in him being disbarred.
The story was national news and sparked heated debates over race issues and the privilege associated with being an upper level athlete.
The unfortunate witch hunt not only marred the reputations of the three young men and Duke University but cost in excess of three million dollars in unnecessary legal fees.
Despite no DNA evidence connecting any of the young men to the accuser, and the fact that the woman in question had a prior, very similar accusation that resulted in no charges being filed. Nifong overlooked the facts present, reportedly withheld lab results and made despariging remarks about the accused to the media, calling them hooligans and proclaiming DNA evidence would have all three men found guilty.
I don’t believe that allegations of rape or sexual assault should ever be taken lightly. A crime of this nature needs the utmost attention of law enforcement officials, but it’s incredibly unfortunate when an overzealous prosecuter uses such a situation in an attempt to make a name for himself.
Duke Lacross, Collin Finnerty, David Evans, Reade Seligmann, Mike Nifong
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