The Duke Case

Lesley Stahl Talks To Parents Of Accused, Prosecution Forensics Expert

(CBS)  While Mrs. Evans and the others are enraged at Mike Nifong, they are almost as angry at Duke Universiy.

When the case first broke, Duke cancelled the lacrosse season, fired the coach and suspended the three boys. But now that the case has begun to crumble, Duke President Richard Brodhead recently invited the two boys who haven’t graduated yet, Collin and Reade, to come back to school.

"Are you now saying that Duke University thinks they're innocent?" Stahl asks Brodhead.

"What we are now saying is that given all the facts, and the way the facts have evolved, we think it is just and fair that the students be welcomed back at this time," Brodhead says.

"When you stopped the lacrosse season from continuing many people saw that as an abandonment of the players," Stahl remarks.

"That's right," Brodhead replies.

"And, in fact, others saw it as a prejudgment of the student's guilt," Stahl continues.

"It was not because we were making any judgment of the guilt of the students. The D.A. had said for a certainty a rape had taken place. He had 46 students under investigation at that time," says Brodhead. "In this circumstance, the notion that you would continue with business as usual in the playing of a sport was just completely implausible."

While the parents are grateful to Duke for asking their sons back, they say it’s "too little, too late."

"We'd be hard-pressed to send Collin back to an environment where Mike Nifong is the newly-elected D.A., where the Durham police department is at his beck and call, where the leadership, the administration of Duke, when given the chance to stand up for our boys does not. It would be very hard as parents to send our sons back into that environment," says one of Collin Finnerty's parents.

It was in that college environment that the lacrosse team held that day-long party where there was heavy underage drinking and some players – though not the indicted ones – shouted racial insults at the two strippers who were hired to perform.

"When you talk to your kids about what happened, what went on, do you say to them, 'You should never have been drinking? What were you doing?'" Stahl asks.

"It was a mistake, that was poor judgment. But then what you need to do is separate that from felony charges, talking about moral questions. These are felony charges. And if they did make a mistake, even though they did what many other students have done, they have paid for it dearly," says David Evans, Sr.

"What do you tell people, with everything we've discussed, with the lack of evidence, the dropping of the rape charge, who'll say, 'Yeah, but something must've happened?'" Stahl asks.

"Something happened — an incredible hoax was concocted that night," says Kathy Seligmann.

"But don't you think there were people who aren't going to think it's a hoax, no matter what?" Stahl asks.

"You know what? I believe you'll never change those people's minds. And what's so sad to me is, I almost get the feeling they're disappointed that something didn't happen," Seligmann replies. "You don't have to feel sorry for our families, you don't have to pity these boys. We'll be okay. What we're asking, for justice's sake, look at the facts."

Even if the charges were dropped tomorrow and the boys completely exonerated, the families fear their sons' reputations may never be repaired.

"I think that in this day of Googling people…if you Google any of these three boys, you'll get…reams and reams, and pages about this case," explains Kevin Finnerty.

"It will never go away for us or the boys. I mean, it might end. But it will have a lasting effect on all of us," Mary Ellen Collins adds.

"Last question. If Mr. Nifong walked in the room, right now, what would you like to say to him?" Stahl asks.

"I guess I'd say, with a smile on my face, 'Mister Nifong, you've picked on the wrong families. You've picked on the wrong families that you've indicted; you've picked on the wrong family of the Duke lacrosse team. You've picked on the wrong family of Duke University, and you will pay every day for the rest of your life,'" says Rae Evans.

[mickey443]

how in the hell that you can say that about that girl if you dont now her how do you now that it was for drug money what you thing black women take there clothes off for money it dids not matter what i girl wear or how they dance it dont mean that men can go and put there hands on them and try to have *** with them and whats wrong with her image so you think all black girls should stay home and wacth there kids and it dont matter how many baby dad she have so go f ---- off and how you now that she have 3 baby dads

[donamaree-2009]

To the new elected prosecutor Mr. Ray Cooper:

Do America a favor and give us some light at the end of the tunnel and bring justice back to the courts. Dismiss this atrocity of a trial which was doomed by unethical behavior on Mr. Nifong's part, prosecute for the lies and revenge on both the strippers part. Unlike Mr. Nifong perhaps you can feed the press the truth, give these young men their reputations back from the condemnation of the groups who call them "rich brats" their obscene jealousies of their privileged lives is sickening. Let America turn the key in the door of justice for all, even if you are rich and white. The tables have turned in this country in a way that can cause an internal revolution in the future, make an example of this travesty and do whats right, not only for these young men and their families, but for all Americans. Unethical behavior, lies and deceit do not add up to without reasonable doubt.

[fflintstone4]

Rae Evan's final comments provide strong insight into the families and the accused individuals. Those words, "I'd say, with a smile on my face, 'Mister Nifong, you've picked on the wrong families...you will pay every day for the rest of your life." So she's saying white families with lots of money (if they can affort to send their kids to Duke) can and will do what they want and apparently enjoy it too. These three individuals may not have raped this young woman, but I know they aren't innocent angels either.

[thinkforself]

Sorry ....I had 3 things to say. Pardon my typos. Thank you! :-)

[thinkforself]

I just have to say two things: 1. The rap community is not what influences the male perception of the female...this is far older than that...Remember stripping, which is closely associated to prostitution is one of the OLDEST professions in the world. I don't think Rap, as music can claim that. Also, there a far less black strippers that white...disrespect is disprect [of self and others]. AGAIN, RACE is irrelevant. 2. Plainly put the girl was looking for a pay-day. Most people are of the impression, that every student attending Duke is wealthy. There are so many stories of young women (white, black, yellow, purple), trying to set up and/or trap a guy - celebrity or not. She probably figured this would provide her enough drug money...while she continues to receive assistance. Now, as a woman, I found that particular choice of profession,disgraceful, but it was not my choice. As a black woman - from an affluent background with a successful family and life [not just monetarily, I am so tired of people jumping onthis cause to contribute to the saving of the balck community, by globally lumping us into the same categories.

[hermit22]

I would not have to think twice about not going to apply for school at DUKE, and that would not be because of the stripper, it would be because they apparently condone nasty behavior in a frat house. "tut tut" welcome back boys."

[jfmr-2009]

Horray for Rae Evans!

[olemiss85]

can SEE why a woman could just loose her cool and let them have it, hit them up for rape, let the chips fall where they may. That is not right, but she may have felt that was her only weapon. I'm thinking worse of that frat house now that i did at the beginning of this story.
Posted by Hermit22 at 05:11 AM : Jan 21, 2007

You finally concede she lied but somehow still want to justify this blatantly wrong action because "she may have lost her cool" so we'll let her "hit them up for rape" and "let the chips fall where they may"? Did this really come from a sound mind. So acceptoing that you now agree she lied about the rape, if the "chips fell...that the boys were found guilty of a rape you now agree didn't occur, that's okay? You ......I can't even type it. Some one please tell this guy what nonsense this is.

[olemiss85]

Gee Hermie, you say you were innocent? How do we know you were innocent? Oh, that's right, because you say you were. Hmmm, seems that these 'frat boys" say they are innocent of rape and their words are backed by the DNA testing from DNA samples they voluntarily gave to the police before lawyers were involved. ( from the discovery provided by the State not the defendants). So why do we have to believe you and are not supposed to believe the lacrosse players. Because they threw a party some, some not all, consider to be in poor taste, their veracity is not as cedible as yours? How do we know you weren't robbed of money you stole from somebody else? Because you say so? Being a fair minded person, your supposition of me to the opposite, I will give you the benefit of the doubt. You were robbed of funds you had obtained legally. The boys threw a party that was legal. Just as innocent as you were, claim to have been. Why is it so hard to give them the benefit of the doubt?

[olemiss85]

Olemiss85, i thought of that. but i was innocent. the frat house might be innocent of rape, but they did put themselves in a questionable situation. They DID. I already thought of the difference. The frat house WAS into something nasty.they were acting like jackasses. walking down the street IS innocent. drinking and setting up a strip party is not. it may be legal, but it is not innocent.
Posted by Hermit22 at 03:19 AM : Jan 21, 2007
Since when is it a crime to act like a jackass? Y Doing something nasty is not illegal per se. Porn movies, smut magazines, STRIPPERS... can all involve doing something nasty but it's a matter of taste not jurisprudence. I didn't say the frat boys acted like the examples I gave. I said even if they did everything I wrote... it still doesn't justify the making of a false accusation. You still don't get it. You never will. If,If, If... the "frat boys" (you can't even get this fact right,it was a lacrosse team party) acted out every example I suggested, do you mean to tell me that woman was still justified in crying rape? It was her only weapon? Her weapon against what? She was already away from the party before she cried rape. She didn't cry rape to get away from the party, she had to be carried out because she was too intoxicated to leave on her own. There are pictures and the testimony of the other dancer to this effect which are unchallenged by even that idiot Nifong.

[jfmr-2009]

First of all theses men are INNOCENT! There was no rape, one of the boys has stamped times saying he left the house, the other boy did not have a mustasche. You are right about the image these black girls have. She should not be stripping for drug money, she should be in her home taking care of the three children she had with three differnt men.

[no_angel-2009]

First of all, these men are not innocent, what they are is not guilty of rape. The women should be prosecuted for filing a false police report, because that is what they did. Not to mention, they have made even harder for women who really have been raped to come forward. More importantly, young women, especially young black women need to be taught that just because the media has continued to portray them as oversexed, poll dancing idiots, which are on earth solely to be verbally, physically and sexually abused, does not mean that is their function. These women should be taught that you attend a university to learn, not to get on a pole. Maybe if the black community addressed how black males, more specifically the rap community, presents black women in the media, these women would not be taking off their clothes in front of a group of white misogynists in the first place.

[jfmr-2009]

Dr. Brian Meehan should also go to jail with Nifong for hiding the fact that the boy's DNA did not match any of the DNA found in the underwear or on the body of the stripper! Withholding this evidence caused many, many, months of horror for these families!
There was no case on April 10th yet the boys were indited on April 17th! How horrible, how can those men have a clear conscious, what they put those families through.

[jfmr-2009]

I think the President of Duke Uiversity should step down or be fired! Nifong should pack his bags and retire or go to jail for his holding evidence in this case.

[jfmr-2009]

Many men go to strip clubs. What the boys did was have her come to the house, poor judgement I agree, but it is nothing out of the ordinary that men do. The facts are on the table, no rape, she's a liar, she has costs the courts and families now nearly millions of dollars to clear their sons names who are INNOCENT. The stripper and her friend should spend the rest of their lives in jail for this ridiculous outrage on INNOCENT boys.

[jfmr-2009]

Tt costs over $43,000 to send your child to Duke University. I would think many, many, times before I sent my sons to that college or any other near there. The Duke boys are INNOCENT and they were used by the stripper and her friend, and the stripper and her stripper friend were USED by Nifong to get re-elected. Duram should wake up and realize that! Look at the facts. There was no rape, the boys left, the stripper is a drug addict, a liar, and should go to jail and have her children taken away from her by the courts.

[hermit22]

olemiss85, i just reread your 1:38am Jan 21 post.
i have never thought it was anywhere near ok to charge someone with rape if it didn't happen, but after rereading your description of what may be par for the coarse at a strip ain't-no-party,
i can SEE why a woman could just loose her cool and let them have it, hit them up for rape, let the chips fall where they may. That is not right, but she may have felt that was her only weapon. I'm thinking worse of that frat house now that i did at the beginning of this story.

[hermit22]

olemiss85, what is illogical, is for you to bring up "in poor taste", then when i agree with that, for you to insist you don't agree with that because i agree. it seems like that is the basic core of predjudice. "if hermit agrees with it, than of course i won't agree with it." what is really mind boggeling is that you said it in the first place.

i might be loosing the 3 brain cells i've been opperating on.

[hermit22]

i don't mind admitting to being ignorant of alot of this stuff, like that "party" according to your description was alot more insidious than i would have ever thought, but it is NOT "hate" to question the frathouse behavior.

i think anyone on a jury should be allowed to ask questions, NOT have to come up with a verdict based on what lawyers squirrel around with.

[hermit22]

olemiss85, is it slanderous for you to say "the functionally illiterates....blogging away idiotically...."