Owen Meany
09-02-2016, 10:17 AM
I realize this not directly related to Duke Basketball. But it does relate to such an important part of Duke Athletics history I thought it warranted a thread here.
Mike Nifong is in the news again. Many people may be unaware of these developments, since they have received only a fraction of the coverage the Lacrosse hoax did.
Here is the Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/news/true-crime/wp/2016/08/30/disbarred-duke-lacrosse-prosecutor-mike-nifong-is-back-along-with-more-misconduct-allegations/?outputType=accessibility&nid=menu_nav_accessibilityforscreenreader).
The LA Times (http://www.latimes.com/sns-bc-us--double-murder-investigative-misconduct-20160901-story.html)
Locally, The Times News (http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/20160902/nc-innocence-center-investigating-cases-led-by-nifong-durham-das)
Cliffs Notes: A murder conviction from 1995 was overturned because of Nifong's "horrendous prosecution" in which he withheld potentially exculpatory evidence. Incredibly. This includes the withholding of exculpatory rape kit evidence and extends past Nifong's tenure to his successor. Now there is an ongoing review of some of Nifong, and Durham's, past cases.
A judge ruled that DNA evidence showed Howard didn't participate in the rape and murder of a woman and her 13-year-old daughter in 1991. Judge Orlando Hudson freed him from prison. Hudson two years ago also threw out Howard's sentence, saying former District Attorney Mike Nifong failed to share with defense attorneys a police memo and other evidence that pointed to suspects other than Howard.
...
Four of the roughly 20 cases the center is investigating directly involved work by Nifong, said Mumma. More than half were handled by other staffers during his nearly three decades prosecuting crimes in Durham.
I would love to hear the reaction of the many Nifong enablers who so vocally supported him at the time of the Lacrosse Hoax. But since they were silent when Mrs. Mangum started a fire in her apartment with her children inside and again when she killed her boyfriend, I am pretty sure they will have nothing to say now.
Perhaps the greatest tragedy in this entire case was that so many people were willing to leave Mangum's children with a mother who was clearly mentally ill and a very real danger to their well-being - because placing the children in a safe environment would require them to admit Mangum's mental illness and would complicate their efforts to railroad the clearly innocent lacrosse players.
Mike Nifong is in the news again. Many people may be unaware of these developments, since they have received only a fraction of the coverage the Lacrosse hoax did.
Here is the Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/news/true-crime/wp/2016/08/30/disbarred-duke-lacrosse-prosecutor-mike-nifong-is-back-along-with-more-misconduct-allegations/?outputType=accessibility&nid=menu_nav_accessibilityforscreenreader).
The LA Times (http://www.latimes.com/sns-bc-us--double-murder-investigative-misconduct-20160901-story.html)
Locally, The Times News (http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/20160902/nc-innocence-center-investigating-cases-led-by-nifong-durham-das)
Cliffs Notes: A murder conviction from 1995 was overturned because of Nifong's "horrendous prosecution" in which he withheld potentially exculpatory evidence. Incredibly. This includes the withholding of exculpatory rape kit evidence and extends past Nifong's tenure to his successor. Now there is an ongoing review of some of Nifong, and Durham's, past cases.
A judge ruled that DNA evidence showed Howard didn't participate in the rape and murder of a woman and her 13-year-old daughter in 1991. Judge Orlando Hudson freed him from prison. Hudson two years ago also threw out Howard's sentence, saying former District Attorney Mike Nifong failed to share with defense attorneys a police memo and other evidence that pointed to suspects other than Howard.
...
Four of the roughly 20 cases the center is investigating directly involved work by Nifong, said Mumma. More than half were handled by other staffers during his nearly three decades prosecuting crimes in Durham.
I would love to hear the reaction of the many Nifong enablers who so vocally supported him at the time of the Lacrosse Hoax. But since they were silent when Mrs. Mangum started a fire in her apartment with her children inside and again when she killed her boyfriend, I am pretty sure they will have nothing to say now.
Perhaps the greatest tragedy in this entire case was that so many people were willing to leave Mangum's children with a mother who was clearly mentally ill and a very real danger to their well-being - because placing the children in a safe environment would require them to admit Mangum's mental illness and would complicate their efforts to railroad the clearly innocent lacrosse players.