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Topic: Attorneys: No DNA matches in Duke lacrosse scandal (Read 23083 times)

Rhune
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Re: Attorneys: No DNA matches in Duke lacrosse sca
« Reply #15 on: Apr 20^th, 2006, 12:11pm »

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Ouch...

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Rhune
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Re: Attorneys: No DNA matches in Duke lacrosse sca
« Reply #16 on: Apr 20^th, 2006, 12:59pm »

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I have to wonder though, they are getting a lot of negative attention about it now, about how the facts don't match. It may just bite him in the ass afterall.

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Re: Attorneys: No DNA matches in Duke lacrosse sca
« Reply #17 on: Apr 20^th, 2006, 1:52pm »

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on Apr 20^th, 2006, 12:59pm, Rhune wrote:

It may just bite him in the ass afterall.

There will be plenty of time to put a good spin on it. By the time this thing gets to trial, the Prosecutor will have been re-elected. I would imagine that by then he will be able to rightly point out that the reported 'victim' and any creditability problem and/or successful prosecution with the case rests with her.

Whatever way it turns out, I have always subscribed to the theory of . . . . .

. . . . You can't make chicken salad out of chicken shit. :chin:

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Re: Attorneys: No DNA matches in Duke lacrosse sca
« Reply #18 on: Apr 20^th, 2006, 7:27pm »

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Defense attorneys: Timeline clears Duke rape suspects
From Jason Carroll and Alina Cho
CNN

Thursday, April 20, 2006; Posted: 8:08 p.m. EDT (00:08 GMT)

DURHAM, North Carolina (CNN) -- Defense attorneys for two Duke University lacrosse players charged with raping a woman hired to dance at a team party say they have proof of their innocence.

Reade Seligmann, 20, and Collin Finnerty, 19, have been charged with first-degree sexual offense, first-degree forcible rape and first-degree kidnapping stemming from the alleged March 14 incident.

But their attorneys say they have evidence showing their clients had left the party by the time the attack is alleged to have happened.

The accuser, a 27-year-old student at nearby North Carolina Central University, told police she and another woman arrived at 610 North Buchanan Blvd. to dance at the party shortly before midnight on March 13.

"After a few minutes, the males watching them started to get excited and aggressive. The victim and her fellow dancer decided to leave because they were concerned for their safety," said a document attached to an application for a search warrant in the case.

The report said the women were outside when "one of the suspects" came out and apologized and asked them to go back inside the house to continue to dance.

A neighbor who reportedly witnessed what was going on next door said the woman returned inside around 12:30 a.m., according to a written statement to police and provided to CNN by a source with knowledge of the case.

The district attorney has said that the woman was raped afterward.

Police were called to the parking lot of a Kroger store not far from the party at 1:22 a.m., search warrant documents said, and found a woman in a car who told them she had been raped.

The woman said she was "sexually assaulted for an approximate 30-minute time period by the three males," according to a police report cited in the search warrant documents.

Defense attorneys said they have records showing that Seligmann called the On Time Taxi company at 12:14 a.m. from his cell phone that night. (A cabbie may be key to the defense)

On Time Taxi owner Moez Mostafa showed CNN his computer phone log, showing a call coming in at that time.

Mostafa said he picked up Seligmann and a friend at 610 North Buchanan Blvd. at 12:19 a.m. He said he could tell that Seligmann had been drinking, but that he didn't appear drunk.

"They seemed calm, like normal," Mostafa told CNN. "I didn't recognize anything different."

The cab driver said he then drove Seligmann to a Wachovia Bank to get money, and defense attorneys say an ATM receipt shows he withdrew cash at 12:24 a.m.

Mostafa said he next drove the lacrosse player to a restaurant, then back to his dorm.

Defense sources said a card reader at the door of the dorm shows Seligmann's student ID card was swiped to get inside at 12:41 a.m.

The defense says a timeline and witnesses will show Finnerty also was at a restaurant when the alleged attack took place.

Taxi returns to the alleged crime scene
Less than an hour after he says he picked up Seligmann and a friend, Mostafa says he got another call -- at around 1:07 a.m. March 14 -- to pick up people at the same North Buchanan address.

He said he saw about 20 people on the lawn of the home, "yelling, talking back" to each other, including one African-American woman who he said didn't appear to be injured.

Four men got into the taxi, Mostafa said, and they appeared to be drunk.

One of them said, "She's just a stripper," Mostafa quoted.

District Attorney Michael Nifong would not comment on the defense attorneys' claims. He has said he has solid evidence in the case, including a medical examination conducted by a nurse saying the young woman was a victim of sexual assault.

But DNA samples from the players failed to match material collected by investigators, defense lawyers for some players announced last week.

Nifong said on Tuesday that authorities are trying to determine the identity of a third suspect in the alleged rape.

The allegations have resulted in the cancellation of the lacrosse season, the resignation of the team's coach and public scrutiny of what Duke President Richard Brodhead called the "history of boorish behavior and underage drinking" among players.

In addition, the case has inflamed racial and economic divisions in Durham, North Carolina, which is home to both the accuser's historically black public university and the elite Duke.

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Rhune
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Re: Attorneys: No DNA matches in Duke lacrosse sca
« Reply #19 on: May 14^th, 2006, 10:11am »

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Attorneys: DNA bolsters lacrosse players' defense
Fingernail in home contained nothing 'conclusive,' one says

Saturday, May 13, 2006; Posted: 8:37 a.m. EDT (12:37 GMT)

(CNN) -- An attorney for a Duke University lacrosse player said the results of new DNA tests released Friday implicated none of the team members in an alleged rape.

"There is no conclusive match of DNA," attorney Joe Cheshire said.

However, the attorney said, semen obtained from vaginal swabs of the accuser indicated that she had sex with a man who is not a Duke student. Cheshire would not identify that man, saying it would not be fair to him.

A 27-year-old exotic dancer told police she was raped by three lacrosse players at a team party March 14.

The first round of DNA tests did not implicate any of the lacrosse players, but a grand jury indicted two members of the team on charges of rape, kidnapping and sexual assault.

Defense attorneys said Friday that the grand jury was scheduled to meet Monday to indict another player.

Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree sexual offense, first-degree rape and first-degree kidnapping, and their attorneys say they have evidence showing their clients weren't at the party when the attack is alleged to have occurred.

Finnerty's attorney, Wade Smith, said Friday that the latest DNA tests only bolster his client's assertion that he did not rape the dancer.

"Once again, a DNA report indicated not a smattering, not a spider web of indication that there was any DNA from those boys," Smith said.

Cheshire said DNA was found on a plastic press-on fingernail, but the genetic material did not belong to either of the players who have been indicted. He emphasized that the fingernail was taken from the trash can by two Duke players who rented the house where the rape is alleged to have occurred.

The players volunteered the fingernail to the Durham, North Carolina, police department after the players learned of the rape allegations, which Cheshire said was not behavior consistent with that of rapists.

Also, he said, the trash can from which the fingernail was taken contained toilet paper and cotton swabs that were full of DNA, so it would be more surprising not to find DNA on the fingernail.

"It would be a real story if there was no DNA that could show some genetic strain of some of the Duke lacrosse players who used that bathroom," Cheshire said. "What a stunner that would be."

District Attorney Mike Nifong said he was not going to comment on the results.

Also Friday, Cheshire accused Nifong of trying to manipulate news of the DNA, saying the prosecutor leaked the report to the media before he gave it to defense attorneys.

He also said Nifong waited until after 5 p.m. to deliver it to defense attorneys to make it more difficult for them to hold a news conference addressing the report.

CNN's John Murgatroyd contributed to this report.

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Rhune
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Re: Attorneys: No DNA matches in Duke lacrosse sca
« Reply #20 on: May 14^th, 2006, 10:12am »

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This accusation just gets thinner and thinner...the only thing thickening is the sensationalism.

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Re: Attorneys: No DNA matches in Duke lacrosse sca
« Reply #21 on: Dec 14^th, 2006, 3:13pm »

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Duke Lacrosse Players' DNA Not On Accuser, Defense Says

POSTED: 3:33 pm EST December 13, 2006
UPDATED: 6:59 am EST December 14, 2006

DURHAM, N.C. -- A defense motion filed Wednesday in the Duke lacrosse rape case says a second round of DNA testing found genetic material from several males in the accuser's body and her underwear -- but none from any team member.

That includes the three charged with rape.

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Video: Duke Lacrosse Players' DNA Not On Accuser, Defense Says
Related: Dec. 13 DNA Defense Motion (Excerpt)
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The motion was signed by attorneys for defendants Reade Seligmann, 20, of Essex Fells, N.J., Collin Finnerty, 20, of Garden City, N.Y., and David Evans, 23, of Bethesda, Md. It complains that the information was not disclosed in a report on the testing prosecutors provided earlier this year to the defense.

"This is strong evidence of innocence in a case in which the accuser denied engaging in any sexual activity in the days before the alleged assault, told police she last had consensual sexual intercourse a week before the assault, and claimed that her attackers did not use condoms and ejaculated," the motion read.

Defense attorney Joseph Cheshire said in an interview that the report's findings suggest the accuser had sex shortly before the March team party where she was hired to perform as a stripper. The woman has said three lacrosse team members gang-raped her in a bathroom at the party.

"None of (the DNA material) happens to be from lacrosse players who are supposed to have had sex with her, which is pretty significant," said Cheshire, who represents Evans.

Defense attorneys said the only DNA found related to their clients was a partial match to Evans on a fake fingernail that was found in a trash can at the house. That was the DNA result printed in the final report.

Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong -- who sent the DNA to private lab DNA Security in Burlington after initial testing at the State Bureau of Investigation crime lab found no matches -- had no comment Wednesday.

The defense motion also contends that at least one sample sent to DNA Security, a private lab in Burlington, might have been contaminated because it included DNA from Dr. Brian Meehan, the lab's director.

Meehan did not have any comment for WRAL about the findings in the report.

The motion also claims there were other errors regarding numbering of tests, and defense attorneys call the testing and the report legally and scientifically deficient.

Attorneys for the accused are scheduled to be in court again on Friday when Nifong is expected to hand over more evidence in the case. He has already given the defense thousands of pages of documents.

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I understand that efforts are underway to push for a Federal investigation of this Persercutor, . . . sorry, Prosecutor. Tongue

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Re: Attorneys: No DNA matches in Duke lacrosse sca
« Reply #22 on: Dec 14^th, 2006, 3:25pm »

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Congressman Calls For DA Probe In Duke Rape Case

POSTED: 12:42 pm EST December 12, 2006
UPDATED: 8:26 pm EST December 12, 2006

RALEIGH, N.C. -- A congressman wants a federal investigation into Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong and the way he has handled a rape investigation involving three Duke University lacrosse players.

Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to review the case, having accused Nifong of making prejudicial statements to the media and telling police to violate identification procedures.

In a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Jones also highlighted the fact that Nifong has never spoken directly with the accuser, a 27-year-old exotic dancer, about the case.

Nifong had no comment on the matter Tuesday.

The woman, who is also a student at North Carolina Central University in Durham, said three men sexually assaulted her at an off-campus lacrosse party in March.

In April, two lacrosse players, Reade Seligmann, 20, of Essex Fells, N.J., and Collin Finnerty, 20, of Garden City, N.Y., were indicted on charges of first-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping and first-degree sexual offense. A third lacrosse player, David Evans, 23, of Bethesda, Md., was indicted on the same charges a month later.

All three have maintained their innocence and have called the allegations lies.

Attorneys for the accused are scheduled to be in court again on Friday. That is when Nifong is expected to hand over more evidence in the case. He has already given the defense thousands of pages of documents.

A trial could begin as early as spring. When it does, it could be one of the longest in Durham County history because of the complexity of the case, in which there are three defendants and three sets of attorneys.

Attorneys for the defendants have admitted that because of the media attention the case has received, they are looking at the possibility of a change of venue, which has not happened in Durham for nearly 20 years.

"It's very difficult to get granted," said local defense attorney Joe Wilson, who is not connected to the case. "I think defense attorneys have to present overwhelming evidence."

Wilson said that community groups, not just the media, are also a factor because of how they might have an impact on the case, because they are vocal and have potential to influence jurors.

Nifong has said in recent months that he feels a Durham County jury should decide the case.

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Re: Attorneys: No DNA matches in Duke lacrosse sca
« Reply #23 on: Dec 14^th, 2006, 9:44pm »

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Defense: Lineup in lacrosse case flawed By DAVID SCOTT, Associated Press Writer
Thu Dec 14, 4:32 PM ET

The woman who said she was raped at a party thrown by Duke's lacrosse team misidentified her alleged attackers in a photo lineup that was "an incoherent mass of contradiction and error," defense lawyers argued in court papers filed Thursday.

In a motion filed the day before a scheduled hearing in the case, attorneys for the three indicted players asked a judge to bar prosecutors from using the photo lineup at their clients' trial and prevent the accuser from identifying the players from the witness stand.

Duke University law professor James E. Coleman Jr. said the case would be "effectively dismissed" if the court finds the lineup inadmissible "and rules that it is so suggestive that there can't be an in-court identification."

An earlier defense motion argued the lineup was "unnecessarily suggestive" because the accuser was shown only photos of lacrosse players.

Thursday's motion adds details about efforts by police investigators and District Attorney Mike Nifong to assist the accuser in identifying the three men she said gang-raped her in a bathroom at a March 13 team party where she had been hired to perform as a stripper.

Based in part on those identifications, Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and David Evans were indicted on charges of rape, kidnapping and sexual offense. All three players have insisted they are innocent.

"There is quite simply no evidence that any of the accuser's identifications or descriptions of her alleged attackers are in any way reliable," the defense motion says. "Rather the state is left with an incoherent mass of contradiction and error, one which not only raises the issue of a 'substantial likelihood of misidentification,' but which establishes that the accuser has in fact misidentified the defendants."

Nifong, who has generally refused to comment about the facts of the case, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

In court papers Wednesday, defense attorneys said DNA testing found genetic material from several males in the accuser's body and her underwear but none from any member of the lacrosse team.

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Re: Attorneys: No DNA matches in Duke lacrosse sca
« Reply #24 on: Dec 14^th, 2006, 9:45pm »

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This is ridiculous, DNA doesn't match, the other dancer admited she lied about the "victims" story, and she also cannot positively identify the accused...

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Re: Attorneys: No DNA matches in Duke lacrosse sca
« Reply #25 on: Dec 15^th, 2006, 8:39am »

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well.. isn't this a bit interesting....

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- The woman at the center of the Duke lacrosse rape case is pregnant and due to give birth any day, roughly nine months after the team party where she says she was raped by three men in a bathroom.

The pregnancy was confirmed late Thursday by a person familiar with the case, speaking to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. Both Fox News and WRAL-TV in Raleigh reported she gave birth Thursday night.

There had been no prior indication the woman, a 28-year-old college student who already has children, was even pregnant. She has not spoken in public since granting a single interview to the News & Observer of Raleigh shortly after the party.

The person who confirmed the pregnancy to the AP had no information about the father. Defense attorneys have stressed for months that no sex occurred at the party and they have cited DNA testing that found genetic material from several males in the accuser's body and her underwear -- but none from any member of the lacrosse team.

Calls to attorneys representing the three indicted players were not returned Thursday night, as were calls and messages left with District Attorney Mike Nifong.

Medical records included in a defense motion filed Thursday were not made public. It wasn't clear whether a pregnancy test was taken immediately after the party.

The development came just hours after defense attorneys file a motion saying the woman misidentified her alleged attackers in a photo lineup that was "an incoherent mass of contradiction and error." The attorneys asked a judge to bar prosecutors from using the photo lineup at their clients' trial and prevent the accuser from identifying the players from the witness stand.

Duke University law professor James E. Coleman Jr. said the case would be "effectively dismissed" if the court finds the lineup inadmissible "and rules that it is so suggestive that there can't be an in-court identification."

Within Thursday's motion, the defense highlighted what it considers numerous holes in the accuser's story.

Among the details cited are examples of how the accuser's story changed in the hours and days after the party; that she has a history of bipolar disorder; that she identified two people as having attended the party who were not there; and that she identified four attackers during the April photo lineup.

An earlier defense motion argued the lineup was "unnecessarily suggestive" because the accuser was shown only photos of lacrosse players.

Thursday's motion adds details about efforts by police investigators and Nifong to assist the accuser in identifying the three men she said gang-raped her in a bathroom at a March 13 team party where she had been hired to perform as a stripper.

Based in part on those identifications, Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and David Evans were indicted on charges of rape, kidnapping and sexual offense. All three players have insisted they are innocent.

Investigators conducted three photo lineups, according to the defense motion. In the first two, the accuser failed to identify Evans and did not identify Seligmann as an attacker, despite being shown photos of both men.

Defense lawyers argue that the third lineup, conducted April 4 at the Durham Police Department, violated departmental policies and the defendants' constitutional due process rights because it included only pictures of those at the party.

A hearing is scheduled Friday, but it is unclear whether the defense might argue their motions filed Wednesday and Thursday. The hearing had been expected mostly to deal with scheduling.

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

« Last Edit: Dec 15^th, 2006, 8:39am by AmberJ »

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Re: Attorneys: No DNA matches in Duke lacrosse sca
« Reply #26 on: Dec 15^th, 2006, 12:03pm »

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Paternity test ordered in Duke rape case By ALLEN G. BREED, AP National Writer
2 minutes ago

DURHAM, N.C. - A judge ordered testing Friday to determine whether three Duke lacrosse players fathered the child of a woman who accuses them of rape a prospect defense attorneys dismissed as an "absolute impossibility."

News of the accuser's pregnancy comes roughly nine months after the team party where she says she was raped by three men, but District Attorney District Attorney Mike Nifong said he believed the accuser became pregnant at least two weeks after the party.

Defense attorney Joseph Cheshire said Friday the defense, which requested the testing, has known for some time about the pregnancy.

A person familiar with the case, speaking to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the pregnancy late Thursday but had no information about the father.

Testimony at a procedural hearing Friday focused on a defense request for more information about DNA testing conducted for the prosecution. Cheshire and the other defense attorneys also asked that the trial, which isn't likely to begin until spring, be moved outside of Durham County because publicity may have biased potential jurors.

Defense attorneys have stressed for months that no sex occurred at the party and they have cited DNA testing that found genetic material from several males in the accuser's body and her underwear but none from any member of the lacrosse team.

The woman has said the three men raped her in a bathroom at a March 13 team party where she had been hired to perform as a stripper.

Medical records included in a defense motion filed Thursday were not made public, but Cheshire said the woman was given a pregnancy test immediately after reporting she was raped and it was negative and she took an emergency contraceptive.

"The possibility of her having gotten pregnant (from) these alleged incidents is an impossibility ... an absolute impossibility," Cheshire said.

Cheshire spoke shortly before a previously scheduled hearing in the case.

The defense motion claims the woman misidentified her alleged attackers in a photo lineup that was "an incoherent mass of contradiction and error."

Defense lawyers argue that the key lineup, conducted April 4 at the Durham Police Department, violated departmental policies and the defendants' due process rights because it included only pictures of lacrosse players.

Based in part on those identifications, Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and David Evans were indicted on charges of rape, kidnapping and sexual offense. All three players have insisted they are innocent and were in court for the hearing Friday, as was Mike Pressler, the head lacrosse coach who resigned after the accusation became public.

"Our loyalty to each other remains and my wife and I are here to support the boys," he said.

Defense attorneys asked a judge to bar prosecutors from using the photo lineup at their clients' trial and prevent the accuser from identifying the players from the witness stand.

There had been no prior indication the woman, a 28-year-old college student who has other children, was pregnant. She has not spoken in public since granting a single interview to the News & Observer of Raleigh shortly after the party.

The accuser's father said Friday he had not spoken with his daughter since March and knew little about her pregnancy.

"I'm happy to have another grandchild," he said. "But I don't know the situation behind it."

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Re: Attorneys: No DNA matches in Duke lacrosse sca
« Reply #27 on: Dec 19^th, 2006, 3:56pm »

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the whole thing is disgusting...

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Re: Attorneys: No DNA matches in Duke lacrosse sca
« Reply #28 on: Dec 22^nd, 2006, 4:47pm »

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Rape Charges Dropped in Duke Lacrosse Case

Posted: Today at 12:25 p.m.
Updated: 18 minutes ago

Durham Defense attorneys called Friday for all charges to be dismissed against three Duke University lacrosse players after prosecutors dropped rape charges against them.

Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong said he didn't have enough evidence to proceed with a rape case but said he plans to take the players to trial on kidnapping and sexual offense charges.

Reade Seligmann, 20, Collin Finnerty, 20, and David Evans, 23, were indicted last spring after a North Carolina Central University student told police she was beaten and raped by three lacrosse players while performing as a stripper at a March 13 team party.

The players have denied any wrongdoing in the case, which has split the Durham community in recent months.

"Mr. Nifong, do the honorable thing -- end this case," defense attorney Wade Smith said.

"It is the ethical duty of a district attorney not to win a case, not to prosecute all cases, but to see that justice is done," defense attorney Joe Cheshire said.

Nifong declined to comment on the dismissal, and his office closed Friday afternoon for a Christmas party.

Duke President Richard Brodhead expressed relief at the dismissal and called on Nifong to turn the case over to an independent investigator.

Given the certainty with which the district attorney made his many public statements regarding the rape allegation, his decision today to drop that charge must call into question the validity of the remaining charges," Brodhead said in a statement. "The district attorney should now put this case in the hands of an independent party who can restore confidence in the fairness of the process. Further, Mr. Nifong has an obligation to explain to all of us his conduct in this matter."

Finnerty's parents also said they were relieved that the rape charges were dropped.

"Dropping this charge is long overdue. Dropping the other charges is long overdue, but we'll take it one step at a time," Kevin Finnerty said.

Mary Ellen Finnerty said the move was "just more proof of what we've known all along, that this entire case has been built on lies."

Nifong's investigator interviewed the woman Thursday, and she told the investigator that she couldn't testify "with certainty" that she was raped, according to the dismissal motions.

"Since there is no scientific or other evidence independent of the victim's testimony that would corroborate specifically (a rape charge), the state is unable to meet its burden of proof with respect to this offense," the motions said.

A week ago, defense attorneys disclosed that a report issued in the case initially didn't disclose that the woman had DNA on her from several men, none of which was a member of the soccer team.

Cheshire called the fact that the dismissal came days after that disclosure a "transparent coincidence."

"After all these months and all that these young men have been through ... why are they investigating the case now?" Cheshire asked.

"His entire case rises and falls on the statement of the accuser. He has no other evidence," Cheshire said. "Going forward with a case when he knows he has multiple, different, contradictory statements from that person, is that seeing that justice is done, or is that simply trying to fit facts into a prosecution to prosecute it at all costs?"

Nifong has never talked to the woman about the details of the incident, although investigators from his office and the Durham Police Department have interviewed her repeatedly over the past nine months.

In addition to questioning the woman's varying statements, defense attorneys have repeatedly hammered other elements of the prosecution's case, including the DNA report and the photo line-up the woman used to identify the three players.

"There is not a spider web of evidence," Smith said. "We have a bare assertion by a woman that a criminal act occurred. ... We have an assertion and nothing else."

Cheshire expressed frustration that the sexual offense and kidnapping charges still stand against against the players. Those charges carry significant prison time, he said, so the defense will continue preparing to fight those charges in court.

"This case is quite clearly not over," Cheshire said.
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I've always said, You can't make Chicken Salad out of Chicken Shit, and that has more than been proven in this case! Mr. Nifong is WAY out of bounds with this fiasco! He wanted attention (to get re-elected) and he got it, but I don't think he will be wanting the kind of attention that this is going to get now.

The remaining charges don't have a snowball's chance in hell of making it past a Motion to Dismiss by the Denfense when it gets to trial . . . . if they even make it to trial!

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Re: Attorneys: No DNA matches in Duke lacrosse sca
« Reply #29 on: Dec 28^th, 2006, 3:40pm »

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Attorney General Receives 400 Complaints Against Nifong

Posted: Dec. 27 7:41 p.m.
Updated: Today at 12:05 p.m.

Raleigh The North Carolina Attorney General's Office has received more than 400 complaints about Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong, according to an attorney general's representative.

Nifong, who critics say improperly withheld DNA evidence from defense attorneys in the Duke lacrosse investigation, has come under scrutiny recently from local and national state lawmakers, most recently state Rep. Stephen LaRoque, R-Wayne.

LaRoque on Tuesday called for the state to give the attorney general power to investigate how DAs handle cases.

A spokeswoman for Attorney General Roy Cooper said Wednesday that he would "be glad to add this to his list of duties if the General Assembly sees fit to do so."

Third District Congressman Walter Jones has written twice to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to ask for a federal investigation of whether the civil rights of the three defendants in the caseDavid Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmannwere violated

Last Friday, Nifong dropped rape charges against them. Charges of first-degree sexual assault and first-degree kidnapping still stand.

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