More Duke lacrosse inconsistencies

Today's Duke Chronicle features an article on the lacrosse rape investigation that raises further questions.

First, the (alleged) victim's claim that the dancers returned to the house and were separated before the assault does not match the account of the second dancer, who says she remained outside. In addition, the second dancer turns out to have been the person who drove the victim to a grocery store after the alleged assault:

Police initiated the investigation after a March 13 party at which three members of the lacrosse team allegedly raped, sodomized and strangled the victim, one of two exotic dancers hired to perform at the party.

The victim claimed the men were getting "excited and aggressive" when she and her companion were dancing. The frightened women left the house but were approached by one member of the team, who urged them to return.

The victim's account, according to the warrant, stated that the two dancers were separated once inside the house.

Nifong, however, said Wednesday that the second woman never re-entered the dwelling, adding that she stayed at her car because partygoers were talking to her while the alleged victim entered the house alone.

Michael said DPD investigators have located and interviewed the other woman but would not release details of her account. Michael said the second dancer was the person who drove the alleged victim to the Kroger grocery store on Hillsborough Road, where a store security guard called 911.

Why do their accounts not match? In addition, why did the second dancer allegedly tell the grocery store security guard that she was driving by the party?

Altmon [the guard] also said the driver of the car told her she didn't go to the party with the alleged victim. The driver said she was driving near the party scene when she saw the alleged victim walking outside. "She said she saw a whole lot of Duke guys hollering at her" and using racial slurs, Altmon said. She said the driver said she stopped to pick up the woman and brought her to the Kroger to call police.

Second, we now know that three lacrosse players voluntarily gave DNA samples before the order compelling 46 people to give samples was issued:

Nifong also said the police contacted lacrosse head coach Mike Pressler and asked if the players would voluntarily submit to DNA testing. A meeting was set, but an attorney subsequently contacted the police to cancel the appointment, Nifong explained.

DPD then obtained an order to mandate the DNA testing of 46 of the 47 members of the team.

Both Nifong and Michael said three members of the lacrosse team-the residents of 610 N. Buchanan Blvd.-voluntarily submitted to police questioning and suspect testing after the first warrant was issued.

Two of the three men questioned and tested were not named by the alleged victim in the warrant.

What happened with the voluntary DNA tests that were initially submitted? Were they negative, and did that prompt the order to test more players?

Comments

Of course the results of the DNA tests will be of particular interest, since eyewitnesses are unreliable in general. However, I'm still strongly inclined toward my initial reaction to the case; these women were escorts. This would mean that 1) they'd be used to a lot of shit, and 2) they wouldn't be inclined to regard the police as friends. Thus, if they went to the police, my inclination is to suspect that some really bad things must have happened. Of course, the DNA testing could convince me otherwise, but confusions in the testimony seem insufficient to me to make the claims of the alleged victims seriously dubious.

[Raleighite]

Yep, good point. On the first discrepency, seems that in all the crowd confusion (and recall, it's just possible that some drug-induced confusion might have been at work also)it's possible that the first woman assumed her friend was going back in with her, only to get inside and have her friend still be at her car. In fact, they may have deliberately detained her friend outside. Thing is, once everyone is sloppy-drunk (or drugged), getting details nailed down in impossible. Hard enough when all are sober.
On the second, possible that the woman who drove the other to Kroger didn't feel led to tell a grocery store security guard that she was a stripper performing at a party. I can see why someone would demure on sharing that type of detail to someone who was peripheral to the case.
I'm sure other discrepencies will arise...challenge will be to keep those that matter separate from those that don't.

[Mark]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I didn't read the article the same way as you did. I read it as saying that DNA tests were requested and the team agreed. However, before they were administered their lawyers intervened - probably advising them not to do so voluntarily. Then, when a court order was issued, the 46 guys provided the samples.

[Raymond Kane]

Rape shields were created in the 1970s to protect the alleged “victim” from having her reputation ruined by baseless assumptions, unfair judgments, public humiliation, and character assassinations, but any of this could describe what’s happening to every member of the lacrosse team.

Irresponsible “special interest groups” have held protests everyday holding the name and pictures of anyone on the lacrosse team, to having their pictures and hate slogans pasted all over school. The actions of these groups against these men are nothing short of harassment and unfair character assassination.

Media hungry District Attorney Mike Nifong stated he is positive a rape has occurred, but he isn’t sure if it’s by the members of the lacrosse team, yet he obtained an order to get DNA samples from only the members of the team, then he stated on a national news program that the lacrosse team has a “rowdy” reputation on campus – obviously playing up to sexist stereotyping of jocks to further prove his case. As he continues to play out his case for public consumption, he claims that the team is “stonewalling the investigation” because they claim not to have any knowledge of what transpired, but is Nifong now believing the men to be telling the truth as he recently changed his tune stating that even if the DNA evidence clears these boys that he’ll have other evidence.

Opportunistic political groups have descended on Duke’s campus using unscrupulous methods to get media attention at the expense of innocent young men who happen to be on the lacrosse team. Young men who were too recently, only boys not yet ready to handle this ugly side of the world. In today’s climate, we need the rape shield laws extended to protect all the innocent, including those who just happen to get in the way of media hungry district attorneys and opportunistic political groups.

[eldica]

It's very obvious what's going on in this current case, between the players not telling their side of the story. Point blank whether she was a "call-girl" or not is irrelevant to the fact that she was sexually abused. And what about the email that was sent from one of the players anonymously stating how he wanted to invite some more dancers over so he can kill and 'skin' them ? It's a matter of putting two and two together. The victim was also tested at the nurse's station on campus , with positive signs and results of a rape. The fact of the matter is not the descrepancies in her account of what happened.Why aren't we hearing the accounts from the players? Thats when you can compare "inconsistencies" existing within the stories from other side.