I'm not sure if 'I had other fish to fry' is a valid defense in North Carolina for a prosecutor's withholding of exculpatory evidence. 'It clean slipped my mind' and 'I plum forgot' might not work either:
More broadly, Mr. Nifong said, trying to explain his failure to disclose the DNA tests sooner, he had other work to attend to.“You know, it’s not the only case I have right now,” he said. “I have two. The other one’s a quadruple homicide. If you ask me, to everybody but a reporter for an out-of-town newspaper, the quadruple homicide is probably the more significant case.
“But because we have some of these other sexy issues here,” he added, “you all are flipping out over this particular case, which is not the most significant case in our office. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t get attention. What I’m saying is in the overall pecking order of things, it’s not the most important thing that we’re doing.”
UPDATE:
Nifong's trail of lies to the court over the DNA evidence.
*** (Via FR.)
Previous postings:
Rape Charges Dropped In Duke Lacrosse Case
Phony Rape Victims Need Our Support Too
Prosecutorial Misconduct In Duke Lacrosse Case
Duke Case
Accused Duke Lacrosse Player Guilty
The Duke Case
What's On The Menu
Twists And Turns
Hey, have you ever been a prosecutor? Then how can you know what it's like? How dare you judge him, you chickenprosecutor.
Posted by: marc at December 24, 2006 02:23 AMAre you saying I'm just another lawhawk flapping my wings, and that I should go pound corn?
Posted by: Donnah at December 24, 2006 02:34 AMHe got what he wanted-- to be re-elected. Now he needs to be disbarred. And sued. The worst part played has been by the Duke professoriat and administration, played to the tune of the greek-chorus MSM.
Let the Culture War continue. ...
Posted by: Carl in Atlanta at December 24, 2006 06:06 AMThat he got re-elected in the middle of this is mind-blowing enough, but after Marion Berry did it, the shock value's been lessened.
He's actively railroaded these guys to pander to white guilt and PC politics, and the image of justice has suffered as a result. This isn't some dumbass juror hanging a hury over racial solidarity, this is a prosecutor deliberately ruining the lives of innocent people in order to cater to a mob.
Yes, that's exactly it...
"this is a prosecutor deliberately ruining the lives of innocent people in order to cater to a mob"
Now his lawyers need to show the same courtesy and run him off to the oblivion that he so richly deserves.
Posted by: Gmac at December 24, 2006 11:18 AM