Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Durham DA Nifong in the Dock
The ethics hearing against Durham District attorney Mike Nifong had its second day and the testimony from Detective Himan, the lead investigator on the Duke Lacrosse (never was a) Rape charges, paints an ever worsening picture of Mr. Nifong. Money quotes:
Benjamin W. Himan, the Durham detective who was lead investigator on the case, said in testimony for the ethics prosecutors on Tuesday that Mr. Nifong had acknowledged to him that the case was weak and relied on the word of a woman hired to strip at a lacrosse team party.
Mr. Himan said he had responded with disbelief when he learned that after a month of inconclusive investigation, Mr. Nifong planned to indict two students. “With what?” Mr. Himan said he responded. At that point, he said, the police did not even know whether one suspect had been at the lacrosse team party. (It turned out he was there but left before any rape could have possibly happened.)
Mr. Himan also said he was “shocked” and “upset” that an investigator for the district attorney later interviewed the accuser by himself, not inviting him as the police investigator. When he read the results of that interview, Mr. Himan said, “It didn’t make any sense to what she had previously told us.”
Part of the ethics charges against Mr. Nifong is that he made false, inflammatory statements in pre-trial media coverage. Who knew he had so little faith in the case or the lying 'victim' as he made them.
The District Attorney has a lot of power and it is shocking when he or she abuses that power so blatantly as DA Nifong. I'm sticking with my disbarment prediction.
Benjamin W. Himan, the Durham detective who was lead investigator on the case, said in testimony for the ethics prosecutors on Tuesday that Mr. Nifong had acknowledged to him that the case was weak and relied on the word of a woman hired to strip at a lacrosse team party.
Mr. Himan said he had responded with disbelief when he learned that after a month of inconclusive investigation, Mr. Nifong planned to indict two students. “With what?” Mr. Himan said he responded. At that point, he said, the police did not even know whether one suspect had been at the lacrosse team party. (It turned out he was there but left before any rape could have possibly happened.)
Mr. Himan also said he was “shocked” and “upset” that an investigator for the district attorney later interviewed the accuser by himself, not inviting him as the police investigator. When he read the results of that interview, Mr. Himan said, “It didn’t make any sense to what she had previously told us.”
Part of the ethics charges against Mr. Nifong is that he made false, inflammatory statements in pre-trial media coverage. Who knew he had so little faith in the case or the lying 'victim' as he made them.
The District Attorney has a lot of power and it is shocking when he or she abuses that power so blatantly as DA Nifong. I'm sticking with my disbarment prediction.
Labels: Mike Nifong; Duke Lacrosse fiasco
# posted by Roger Fraley @ 6:08 AM 
