When the carpetbagger families of the Duke Lacrosse defendants declared jihad against former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong because he had the nerve to charge their boys with a crime, the media, judges, state officials all made full commitments to assist in their vindictive cause. As stated in her call to arms which aired on CBS – TV’s “60 Minutes,” defendant mom Rhea Evans made clear their mandate… to see that Mike Nifong and his family “pays” every day for the rest of his life.
The North Carolina State Bar went above and beyond the call of duty, and are deserving of special carpetbagging recognition. First, it trumped up a flimsy ethics complaint that was so weak, that even they had to amend it a second time and re-file. The State Bar’s action was necessary in order to get the dedicated D.A. Nifong off the Duke Lacrosse case, and into friendly hands. Unbeknownst to Mr. Nifong at the time, the Attorney General’s Office was in bed with the carpetbagger crew, following its every directive to the tee… such as later carrying out the dismissal of the Duke Lacrosse case and innocent promulgation of April 11, 2007.
The State Bar’s F. Lane Williamson, who headed up the grievance panel, at the risk of sounding ridiculous, went so far as to claim that Mike Nifong pursued the Duke Lacrosse case for the political purpose of being elected to the district attorney position to which he had been appointed. What makes this widely held motive so laughable is the fact that simple math would point out that the way to assure victory in the May 2006 primary was to dismiss the Duke Lacrosse case, not pursue it. Williamson and Duke Lacrosse defense attorney Kirk Osborn, among others seemed to believe that by wooing the black vote, Mr. Nifong would win the primary. Nothing could be further from the truth, and the voting results confirmed that. Of the African Americans who made up 38.2% of the total registered voters, they accounted for only 34% of those who voted in the primary. Fewer blacks turned out percentage-wise. Of the white voters who comprised 56.3% of the total registered voters, they accounted for a whopping 63% of the voters for the May 2, 2006 primary. A higher turnout of white voters percentage-wise. Yet, Mike Nifong won, proving wrong the WTVD ABC 11 Eyewitness News poll that proclaimed the primary race was a dead heat with Nifong requiring a huge black turnout in order to beat chief rival Freda Black. ABC 11 News deserves a lot of credit for this Jedi Mind-trick, for its poll and coverage convinced many that Nifong would benefit by pursuing the Duke Lacrosse case. The fact is, that pursuing the Duke Lacrosse case presented a tremendous impediment for him to overcome on his way to victory.
Besides disbarring Mr. Nifong, the North Carolina State Bar decided to turn the knife in his back while simultaneously pouring salt in his wounds. They decided to send Mr. Nifong an invoice to cover the costs of holding the five day hearing to disbar him. The bill amounted to eight thousand, eight hundred ninety-seven dollars and 91 cents ($8,897.91), with payment due within ninety days. According to the Bar’s counsel, Katherine E. Jean, the Bar is given this authority under regulation: 27 NCAC 1B .0109(8). She informed me that this regulation was used when it fined David Hoke and Deborah Graves for their disciplinary hearing held years earlier… however they were billed a total of $702.10… an amount which they shared, each paying half. Even though David Hoke’s actions against Alan Gell were far more egregious than anything Mr. Nifong was accused of doing in the Duke Lacrosse case, Hoke got off paying $350.05, whereas Mr. Nifong faced a tab that approached nine thousand dollars. The disparity in the amounts of the fines can be attributed to but one thing…the carpetbagger jihad against Mike Nifong. How many other attorneys have been sent an invoice by the State Bar to pay for the costs to discipline them? Not many, I bet. I was only given the one example other than Mike Nifong.
All I can say is, “How shameful.” Selective persecution against Mike Nifong has sadly been widespread among state agencies, especially the unregulated State Bar.
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"...defendant mom Rhea Evans made clear their mandate… to see that Mike Nifong and his family “pays” every day for the rest of his life."
And, why shouldn't he pay?
1. Nifong prosecuted a case which he admits there was no credible evidence to support.
2. Nifong, before the investigation was complete, went on television to describe how the attack, that never took place, happened.
3. Nifong went on television to plainly misrepresent the level of cooperation from the team captains. (He said they were not cooperating when they had given voluntary statements.)
4. Nifong attended the DNASI meeting where he was told that no DNA linked the defendants to the case. This was after Nifong received the SBI report that said the same thing.
5. Nifong concealed the DNASI report from the defense after it was requested in discovery and in violation of his own so called open file discovery policy.
6. Nifong lied to the court about the existence of the DNASI report after being directly asked about it in open court by both the defense and the court.
That looks despicable to me. If David Hoke had done half those things, Sydney would be demanding his head on a platter.
Walt-in-Durham
crazy etc. sidney harr de harr harr:
You attempt one more time to promulgate a lie. You claim the families of the innocent Lacrosse players went after nifong because he charged their sons with a crime.
The truth, which you have trouble recognizing, was that nifong charged 3 innocent men of committing a crime for which there was no evidence.
I dare you again. Answer a question. What was the credible evidence that proved a crime happened, which proved the innocent Lacrosse players had perpetrated it?
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
It is a matter of public record. Before the false accusations of rape made by cgm, nifong trailed Freda Black by double digits in the polls. After the rape case, nifong won a narrow victory over Ms. Black. Durham's electorate is 50% black. Most of the black vote went to nifong.
Why do you persist in telling such obvious lies?
more incivility for crazy etc. sidney:
What relevance does the Alan Gell case have to the Duke phony rape case? Again I say, had the Alan Gell case not happened, nifong would still be guilty of perpetrating the worst case of prosecutorial abuse in North Carolina history.
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
If you really care about nifong, why do you recoil from trying to refute the evidence against him and continue to spew out lies?
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
Specify the weaknesses of the State Bar case against nifong.
Let's go back to the NC state law covering non testimonial orders.
It is true, is it not, that a DA must have probable cause that an individual is a suspect in a crime to justify subjecting that individual to an NTO.
The purpose of the NTO is to obtain evidence which might identify the perpetrators of the crime, is it not.
The DA is obligated to release the reports of results of testing of material obtained via an NTO, is he not? He must release the reports to the individual(s) subjected to the NTO or their attorneys as soon as he gets the reports. The law does not authorize a DA who obtained evidence via an NTO to select what results he must release. The law states quite clearly the DA must release the results. Answer the question? How did nifong's actions regarding the evidence obtained via the NTO comply with the law?
Did the evidence via the NTO identify the Lacrosse players as perpetrators of the alleged rape?
If identifying the perpetrators via the DNA was not the reason for the NTO, then why did nifong get an NTO ordering the caucasian Lacrosse players to provide DNA samples?
Why did nifong immediately after obtaining the NTO make statements that violated his obligation to presume the suspects innocent, that undermined their right to representation by counsel, which undermined their right to remain silent.
Just examining the issue of the NTO reveals that nifong's misconduct as a prosecutor was glaring right from the moment he took over the case. So again I ask you, specify the weaknesses in the State Bar case.
more incivility for crazy etc. sidney:
Rae Evans(note it is Rae, not Rhea. How lacking in knowledge are you?) did not engage the State of North Carolina to get nifong. Ms. Evans said the families themselves, would make nifong pay, not the various and assorted state officials you have accused of corruption(it seems kind of odd you accuse of corruption everyone in NC except nifong whose corruption is so glaringly obvious. Talk about focusing on a splinter in someone else's eye and ignoring the piece of lumber in your own).
nifong had no evidence of a crime. He indicted and charged three innocent individuals when he had no credible evidence they were guilty of anything(please do not repeat the lie that cgm identified them). He lacked the evidence which he said would make or break the case, i.e. male DNA from the alleged victim's person which he expected to match the DNA of the some lacrosse players(and it is relevant that the only male DNA found on cgm matched males other than the Lacrosse players).
So why does it astound you that the families of these three innocent young men would call him to account.
"They decided to send Mr. Nifong an invoice to cover the costs of holding the five day hearing to disbar him. The bill amounted to eight thousand, eight hundred ninety-seven dollars and 91 cents ($8,897.91)"
I wasn't aware of that...Hilarious.
Sydney - First, it trumped up a flimsy ethics complaint that was so weak, that even they had to amend it a second time and re-file. The State Bar’s action was necessary in order to get the dedicated D.A Nifong off the Duke Lacrosse case...
Sydney, you are indeed shameless in your willingness to be Nifong's water boy. The original NC State Bar charges dealt with Nifong's numerous inflammatory extra-judicial statements, and were anything but 'flimsy'. Those alone were enough for him to deservedly lose his license.
The amended complaint, filed almost 2 weeks after Nifong recused himself, included his withholding DNA evidence and making misleading statements to the court, those having become evident in the Dec 15 hearing.
In reality, Nifong was irreparably conflicted before the State Bar filed formal charges - that happened as soon as Meehan's testimony was taken at the Dec 15 hearing. Nifong should have recused immediately after that hearing, when it became obvious that he and Meehan were at cross-
purposes.
DeHall - I wasn't aware of that...Hilarious.
Yes, he even listed the bill as one of his debts in his bankruptcy filing. It won't be extinguishable in BK even if he continues that farce.
@ DE HAll and Wachoo....Syd:
He may have listed the disbarmewnt bill as one of his debts in bankruptcy, but he wilfully and with intent failed to disclose his "Million Dollars of Free Publicity" as an asset!!!!!!!
How's disbarment working out for you Mikey??
more incivility for crazy etc. sidney:
You seem indignant about Rae Evans' statement about nifong(that's Rae, not Rhea - how many other facts have you gotten wrong?). Do you have children? How would you feel if David Hoke charged one of your children with a crime? Find that out and you might get some insight into Rae Evans' feelings(Rae, not Rhea).
Mrs. Evans was justifiably angry with nifong, since he filed baseless charges against her innocent son.
Further, in the midst of your indignation over nifong's debt of about $8000 owed the state bar, consider the millions of dollars the Evans family, the Seligman family, and the Finnerty family had to spend to defend their innocent sons against nifong's baseless and malicious prosecution.
I remind you, nifong himself admitted he had no credible evidence against the innocent Lacrosse players.
You once but the meaning of "credible evidence". How can you blog on a subject about which, by your own admission, you are not knowledgeable?
more uncivility for crazy sidney:
There is a saying I learned in a Statistics class, "Figures don't lie but liars can figure".
You are using figures to promulgate a lie about nifong's political agenda.
nifong told the nccu forum the case was not going away. This happened after he had evidence obtained via the NTO which did not identify any Lacrosse player as a perp. What was he doing if not pandering to Black voters. How was he doing that other than by promising action against individuals not identified as perps.
What followed is historical fact. nifong was trailing badly in the polls. After the nccu forum, he won a narrow victory in the Democratic primary, with overwhelming support from the Black electorate.
Draw your own conclusions. How do you conclude nifong almost lost the election by pandering to the Black vote?
How strange for you to use the word "jihad", Dr. Harr. The Quran refers to "jihad" as a spiritual struggle toward self-improvement, moral cleansing and intellectual effort. A struggle, in essence, to improve both one's self and society.
In that sense, I would say that your blog headline is much more accurate than you truly intended... Or maybe it was one of those "Jedi mind-tricks" that forced you to use it.
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
You are alleging a conspiracy on the part of the defendants' families and high North Carolina officials directed against nifong. You allege as a result of that conspiracy nifong was subjected to fixed, unfair judicial proceedings. You actually allege a criminal conspiracy to violate nifong's civil rights.
Why have you not gone to the feds? A Federal investigation into possible violations of nifong's civil rights would at least force unsealing of the Lacrosse case file, would it not, if indeed it was sealed.
Maybe that is why you have not gone to the feds. You fear more public scrutiny of the case file. Do you fear that Federal investigators would review the file and come to the same conclusion as AG Roy Cooper, that the Lacrosse Players are innocent? Do you fear that a Federal investigation would confirm nifong's guilt of prosecutorial misconduct?
When NC officials requested a Federal investigation of the Lacrosse case, was nifong at all eager to appear before it so he could exonerate himself? Were you eager or able to present any evidence of a conspiracy against nifong? I think not.
There are ways you could make your case for nifong. You have not availed yourself of those opportunities. All you do is post your blog and draw your cartoons. Why?
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
I ask again, what justification did nifong have for indicting David Evans, Reade Seligman and Colin Finnerty? You have frequently claimed cgm identified them with 90% to 100% certainty. You never mention that before that id procedure a) cgm could not describe Colin Finnerty as an attacker, b) cgm could not id either Reade Seligman or David Evans on two previous occasions and, c) she claimed, wrongly, that David Evans had a mustache when he allegedly assaulted her.
Actually, no Lacrosse player had a mustache at the time of the assault. If nifong had viewed pictures of the Lacrosse team before the id procedure, he would have known that. He should have asked himself, is cgm confusing David Evans with someone else. Did nifong do that? Obviously he did not. If he had not viewed photos of the team, then he was negligent.
nifong got the NTO to obtain evidence which would identify the perps. His premise would have been this, that if a player's DNA matched DNA recovered from cgm, then that player was a perpetrator. If a player's DNA did not match, he was not. If that was not the justification for the NTO, then what was?
The result was, the recovered from cgm's person did not match the DNA of any Lacrosse player. By nifong's own logic, the DNA testing ruled out all the Lacrosse players as perps.
By what logic then, did nifong think it was appropriate to present the Lacrosse players to cgm as suspects, and to present only Lacrosse players as suspects. The only people cgm could identify as her attackers were men whose guilt had been ruled out already by the DNA testing, which was done at nifong's behest.
By arranging that lineup, how was nifong acting within acceptable standareds of behavior for a prosecutor?
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
Going back to the NTO, nifong's justification was it would yield evidence which would either incriminate or exonerate those nifong named as suspects, caucasian members of the Duke Lacrosse team. Incrimination or exoneration depended upon whether or not a suspect's DNA matched DNA recovered from cgm's person. How could it be otherwise?
I say again, DNA from cgm's person did not match the DNA of any suspected Lacrosse player.
How would they or their attorneys know that? The only possible way would be if nifong turned over to them the report showing that non matching DNA was found. Was that information of exculpatory value to the suspects? By nifong's criteria it was.
Crazy etc sidney, why do you maintain that evidence, which was exculpatory by nifong's criteria, was of no exculpatory value to the suspects? Why do you say that nifong did not withhold exculpatory evidence? He did not turn over to them any report which showed that evidence to meet nifong's criteria of exculpatory?
NC law regarding NTOs explicitly states that nifong was obligated to turn over the report(the REPORT, not the raw data) as soon as he got the report. He did not do so. The law did not give nifong any authority to withhold any part of the report.
From Captain Blood, the Errol Flynn film, and I am not sure this is an exact quote:
Now, fellow, we will be done with witnesses and out of your own rascally mouth I will convict you.
nifong has a rascally mouth.
more incivility for crazy etc. sidney:
This is what I meant to say in my 3:57 Am post:
You once BLOGGED ABOUT the meaning of "credible evidence". How can you blog on a subject about which, by your own admission, you are not knowledgeable?
I apologize for the confusing typo. They really were unavoidable.
For Brod Dickhead:
EXCELLENT!!!
I may be wrong, but I believe CS Lewis include this in The Screwtape Letters:
The devil is a proud spirit and can not bear being mocked.
Mock on!
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
I was just perusing Until Proven Innocent.
The state crime lab report on the rape kit of cgm did more than fail to detect any Lacrosse Player DNA.It failed to detect any evidence of blood, semen, saliva, any material which should have been there. cgm described a scenario in which she had been penetrated and ejaculated upon. Tara Levicy, in her cross examination in the ethics trial, pointed out three places in the medical record which said, no condoms had been used.
Why did nifong then order the DNASI testing. One plausible reason is, he wanted to find Lacrosse player DNA. I ask, did he really want to find DNA?
If he found no DNA, he could to claim that the Lacrosse players cleared cgm of the evidence left behind. Others, including victoria peterson, claimed evidence tampering. nifong certainly made no attempt to inform the defendants or their attorneys of the non Lacrosse player DNA, which he was obligated to do by NC law regarding non testimonial orders.
The presence of non Lacrosse player DNA would shoot down any attempt by nifong to accuse the Lacrosse players of evidence tampering. How could that be anything but favorable to the Defense? If it was favorable to the Defense, it was exculpatory. Nifong's failure, crazy sidney, WAS a violation of the Law, Legal ethics, and the Constitution.
Beyond that, not only was cgm's id an id of individuals already exonerated of any involvement in the alleged crime. The allegation of the crime itself had already been established to be without merit.
So why did nifong insist on that lineup if it was not to prosecute three innocent men of a crime which he either did know or ought to have known never happened?
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
You have said you read cgm's book. You have said that in her book cgm never claimed to have been penetrated. Did you believe that cgm was never penetrated. The context in which you referred to that book says you did believe it. You made that reference in an attempt to dodge JSwift's questions about the DNA not found on her.
Vaginal penetration is necessary for a rape to have had happened.
If you believe cgm was never penetrated, how could you maintain she has always said she was raped?
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
You lie when you say the original complaint filed against nifong was so weak it had to be amanded.
The first complaint dealt with nifong's pre indictment statements which violated suspects' rights. Is it true or untrue that nifong was convicted of making inappropriate statements?
The amended complaint dealt with nifong's concealment of exculpatory evidence, and nifong's misrepresentations to the court.
Please specify how those complaints were a weak case.
He seems to be gone, but the irrelephant in the room said nifong's prosecution of the innocent Lacrosse players was his attempt to stand up for the poor and helpless, even though the case was weak.
So what was proper about nifong prosecuting a case in which the inculpatory evidence was weak.
Are you saying a prosecutor can prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt with weak evidence.
I believe somewhere in your blog you said nifong could have proven guilt beyond reasonable doubt in te face of no credible evidence thereof.
more for crazy etc. sidney:
You say the state bar's case against nifong was flimsy. Why?
Are you denying nifong made those inflammatory pre indictment statements. nifong's statements undermined fundamental rights of suspects. In your judgment nifong's statements were mild. Unlike me you have never posted any quotes from nifong. Why?
You claim nifong did not withhold exculpatory evidence. I ask you again, is it of value to the defense in a rape case that DNA recovered from the victim did not match the DNA of the accused. The answer obviously is yes. Therefore, the evidence was exculpatory. Did nifong give the report of non Lacrosse player DNA to the Defense? the obvious answer is NO. He failed to deliver the report in a timely manner. He failed to deliver it at all.
Did he lie to the court and the defense attorneys? What else is it when nifong has the report but tells the court and the Defense attorneys he has given them everything he has.
Giving the defense thousands of pages of raw data months after having gotten the report, how did that fulfill nifong's legal, ethical and Constiutional obligations?
Once more you lie when you say the state bar case against nifong was flimsy.
Nifong had nothing but a flimsy case against the innocent Duke defendants. Yet he prosecuted anyway. Why do you ignore that?
more uncivility for crazy etc sidney:
nifong won very narrow victories in both the primary and the general election. Do you deny that shows the election was close?
Please explain how nifong went from 17 points down in the polls to narrow victories, if it was not due to the Lacrosse case. nifong himself said he got a million dollars worth of free publicity from the case.
Let's put it another way. After nifong took on the Lacrosse case and publicized his role in it, his numbers went up. Freda Black's did not. How did that happen?
Do you know the percentage of Black people who voted for nifong.
Where do you get numbers showing the electorate in Durham was overwhelmingly white. Other commentators have said that the electorate was split 50 50 between Black and White voters.
To repeat my opinion, figures don't lie but liars can figure.
Hey Sydney,
Have you heard that you pal Mikey's partner in the Duke FRAME
Crystal Gail Mangum has just benn arrested for Arson, Attempted Murder and several other serious crimes.
Just shows the calibre of the now bankrupted and disbarred former Durham DA Michael Byron Nifong; when he associated himself with this person.
Serves you right Mikey. If you are going to frame people for rape, at least make sure your co-conspiritors are credible, and not some street scum!
Hows unemployment, bankruptcy and disbarment working out for you Mikey?
PS Does your son still despise you?
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
Here are some details:
"Durham woman (Crystal Mangum - DukeLax false accuser) charged with arson
Raleigh News and Observer ^ | February 18, 2010 | Staff
Posted on Thu Feb 18 06:44:40 2010 by abb
Police filed several charges against a Durham woman in connection with a fire at 2220 Lincoln St. on Wednesday afternoon.
Crystal Gale Mangum, 31, and her boyfriend, Milton Walker, had an altercation, according to a police news release.
Mangum set clothing on fire in the bathroom tub, police reported. Three children and the two adults were evacuated from the apartment.
Police charged Mangum with five counts of arson, simple assault; identity theft; communicating threats; damage to property; resisting, delay and obstruction; and three counts of child endangerment.
Anyone with information should contact Officer H. Thompson at 560-4415 Ext. 29297 or Crime Stoppers at 683-1200. The incident is still under investigation,"
Tell us, crazy etc. sidney. Is this part of the Carpet Bagger jihad against nifong. How are you going to blame this on the Lacrosse team.
biased prejudiced racist bigot fanatic know nothing megalomaniac injustice58:
If you're out there, cyclamate, do you have any comments?
more uncivility for crazy etc. cgm:
"
Durham, N.C. — Durham police arrested Duke lacrosse accuser Crystal Gale Mangum, 33, late Wednesday after she allegedly assaulted her boyfriend and set his clothes on fire in the bathtub.
Authorities charged her with five counts of arson, simple assault, identity theft, communicating threats, damage to property, resisting, delaying and obstructing an officer and three counts of child endangerment.
Shortly after 11:30 p.m., police received a 911 call about a domestic dispute at 2220 Lincoln St. Authorities said they believe the call came from one of the three children inside the house.
When officers arrived, they found Mangum and her boyfriend, Milton Walker, 33, in the middle of a fight. Mangum then went into a bathroom and set his clothes on fire in the bathtub, police said.
Officers immediately called the fire department to put out the flames. No one was injured.
Milton was not charged in the incident, police said. The three children inside the house, ages 3, 9 and 10, were not injured.
Mangum is the author of the memoir "Last Dance for Grace." She was a student at North Carolina Central University in 2006 and also worked as an exotic dancer when she performed at the now infamous Duke lacrosse party.
It was there, she claimed, that three white members of the team trapped her inside a bathroom and raped and sexually assaulted her.
David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann were indicted on rape and other charges on the basis of her allegations and were eventually exonerated after North Carolina's attorney general dismissed the case, citing a lack of evidence."
This comes from Liestoppers.
Does this sound like a helpless individual who would just submit to a rape and not fight back?
some uncivility for vincent clark, member of the justice4nifong gang of 4:
Any comments?
some uncivility for silly chicken killy:
If you're out there, care to comment? Are you going to blame this on the Lacrosse team?
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
This comment was posted by Joan Foster on Liestoppers:
"The N&O doesn't seem to recognize the name. Imagine if Reade, Collin, or Dave had been arrested for arson....now how do you think that would be covered?"
Care to answer?
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
Will you claim that this incident was orchestrated by the "Carpetbagger Jihad" in order to silence cgm?
cgm has not spoken publicly spoken up for you at all. Why would she choose to do so now?
This incident confirms something I have resd about cgm, that she was a tough girl who would not have submitted to a beating and rape without resisting. Is there any evidence that she resisted? Did she say in any of her accounts that she resisted? If so, please enlighten us.
If she resisted, wouldn't any assailants show physical signs of violence, signs of damage she inflicted upon them? There is no evidence nifong thought she resisted.
If nifong thought there was evidence she resisted in the form of physical injury to her assailants, could he have ordered the Lacrosse players to submit to physical exam via the NTO? Did he do so? No he did not.
Again, via the NTO, nifong got no evidence that any Lacrosse player had ever assaulted cgm. Yet he prosecuted them anyway.
That's your decent honorable minister of justice.
February 18, 2010 7:24 AM
http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/duke-lacrosse-rape-accuser-charged-attempted-murder/story?id=9873093&page=2
The woman who was at the center of the phony Duke lacrosse rape case was arrested today and charged with attempted murder.
Crystal Mangum, the North Carolina woman who was at the center of the Duke lacrosse rape case, has been arrested and charged with attempted murder.
(Mug Shot Photo - Courtesy Durham County Jail)
The Durham Police Department told ABC News that Crystal Gale Mangum got into an argument with her boyfriend, Milton Walker, shortly after midnight on Thursday.
The arrest warrant claims that Mangum, 33, scratched, punched and threw objects at Walker before taking all of his clothes and setting them on fire in a bath tub. Firefighters were sent to the home to extinguish the blaze.
Police said they had to evacuate three children, ages 10, 9 and 3, from the apartment because of the fire. It was not immediately known whose children they were.
Mangum is charged with first-degree attempted murder for communicating a threat because she allegedly told Walker in front of officers, "I'm going to stab you [expletive]!"
She was also charged with five counts of arson, simple assault, identity theft, damage to property and resist, delay and obstruction of justice. In addition, she faces three counts of child endangerment.
Mangum is being held without bond and her first court appearance is scheduled for today.
Mangum triggered a furor in 2006 when she accused three Duke Lacrosse players of raping her while working at an off campus party. Prosecutor Mike Nifong heightened the seriousness of the charges by declaring the alleged assault a hate crime.
The charges against the three, Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and David Evans, were eventually dropped, but not before it roiled race relations in the university town and the players were suspended from school.
Nifong pursued the prosecution vigorously despite the growing evidence that Mangum had lied about being sexually assaulted and despite the fact that Magnum changed key facts in her version of what happened.
As pressure mounted and the accuser's account of the alleged attack began to fall apart in late 2006, Nifong asked the state attorney general to appoint a special prosecutor, as Nifong was by then the target of an ethics investigation by the state bar association for his handling of the prosecution. In April, 2007 North Carolina State Attorney General Roy Cooper dropped all charges against the students.
Three months later, Nifong resigned as district attorney, just days before he was found guilty of a battery of ethics violations and disbarred at a dramatic state bar association disciplinary hearing. A tearful Nifong publicly apologized to the three players.
Reached by ABC News today, Nifong initially said he doubted press reports about Mangum's arrest, saying he found news reports "to be of questionable value."
When told that police had confirmed the charges against Magnum, Nifong said, "I'm not involved in the district attorney's office in any way. I'm not involved in law enforcement in any way, so I don't really know that I have anything to say."
Asked whether Mangum's arrest gave him any new regrets about prosecuting the Duke students, Nifong sighed audibly and said, "I don't really have any comment for you at all on this" and hung up.
Bail set at $1 million.
Hey Syd - how you handling this little bombshell? Choking on you fried chicken at breakfast?
Mikie - are you going to cash in your "million dollars of free publicity" so Crystal can make bail?
After all: co-conspirators must stick together.
To DeHall:
Thank you so much for your educational contribution, which is always much appreciated. However, the meaning with which I attach to the term is the one which is commonly accepted by the American public... something like a "Holy War."
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
Are you saying it was an unholy cause to defend three innocent men who were being prosecuted by a DA who had no evidence any crime had been committed?
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
When are you going to start blogging about justice4crystal?
Sidney,
I remind you again of your unfulfilled promises. Despite numerous reminders, you have failed to provide the answer you promised on December 3 (77 days ago) or the response to Ms. Mangum's written statement you promised at your “earliest convenience” on January 13 (36 days ago).
Many of your readers remain interested in your forthcoming explanation of why DNA results were not exculpatory in a case in which the accusing witness alleged that one or more of her attackers had ejaculated and did not use condoms. As you know, in her April 6 written statement, Ms. Mangum alleged that:
“ADAM EJACULATED IN MY MOUTH AND I SPIT IT OUT ONTO THE FLOOR, PART OF IT FELL ONTO THE FLOOR AFTER HE PULLED HIS PENIS OUT.”
Ms. Mangum was examined within hours of the alleged attack. Ms. Mangum was taken to Duke University Medical Center within hours of leaving the party. She did not bathe. At DUMC, she underwent a sexual assault examination later that morning.
There was no male DNA that matched any of the players in her mouth or on any of the evidence collected from the SANE exam. There was no semen with DNA that matched any of the defendants or Ms. Mangum on the bathroom floor.
You have claimed this failure to find a DNA match is not exculpatory.
Sidney, I ask you again:
1. Why was “Adam’s” DNA not found in Ms. Mangum’s mouth?
2. What does the failure to find “Adam’s” DNA in Ms. Mangum’s mouth suggest about the accuracy of Ms. Mangum’s allegation that “Adam” had “ejaculated in [her] mouth and [she] spit it out?”
3. What does that failure say about Ms. Mangum’s credibility with respect to her ability to remember what happened?
4. If Ms. Mangum is shown not to be a credible witness with respect to her ability to remember what happened, why are her identifications in a tainted procedure credible?
5. If Ms. Mangum’s identifications are not credible, what evidence remains to support the prosecution?
6. Why is the failure to find “Adam’s” DNA in Ms. Mangum’s mouth not exculpatory?
In your response, please address Ms. Mangum’s specific allegation:
“ADAM EJACULATED IN MY MOUTH AND I SPIT IT OUT ONTO THE FLOOR, PART OF IT FELL ONTO THE FLOOR AFTER HE PULLED HIS PENIS OUT.”
With no DNA.
You must explain the lack of DNA remaining after Ms. Mangum “spit it out onto the floor” without damaging Ms. Mangum’s credibility.
Keep your promises. No more delays.
biased prejudiced racist etc injustice58:
silly chicken killy:
the anonymous irrelephant in the room:
Where are you all, now that your heroine needs some real defending?
All of you who are pointing out Crystal Mangum's arrest for "attempted" murder are just a bunch of haterz, yo.
"Attempted" murder? Do they give Nobel Prizes for "attempted" chemistry?
Crystal Mangum and Mike Nifong are Civil Rights heroes who have advanced the cause of racial healing and reconciliation. I salute them!
some uncivility for nifong for president:
You would probably salute adolf hitler for his religious tolerance.
How did nifong and cgm advance the cause of civil rights by having three innocent men charged with a crime that never happened? I will ask you, can you show that a crime did happen?
some incivility for gangof4ster vincent clark.
clark has called for the authorities to adjudicate cgm's situation fairly. Can we say hypocrite, boys and girls.
Like nifong, clark called for the conviction of three innocent men for a non existent crime.
gangof4ster clark: if you can prove a crime happened to cgm, then do it.
Maybe I am being unfair. I am asking gangof4ster clark to do something of which he is not capable.
more uncivility for nifong4pres:
You are saying the people who called for the wrongful conviction of three innocent men simply because they were white were not "haterz"?
More hypocrisy.
more uncivility for nifong4prez:
If nifong and cgm are such civil rights heroes, why do none of the major civil rights leaders not support them? Neither Jesse Jackson nor Al Sharpton support them.
There are a number of videos on youtube of Jesse Jackson backpedaling on cgm.
uncivility for gangsterof4 clark:
Are you actually saying the justice system in Durham can be unfair!!!
That was obvious to any fair minded person who followed the prosecution of three innocent Duke Lacrosse players.
What is fair about prosecuting innocent men on the word of a false accuser?
Was it fair because the innocent men were white and the false accuser was black?
uncivility for hypocrite nifong for pres:
People who attempt murder do commit a crime.
If someone only attempted to rape cgm(and no one did) would you say that was only "attempted" rape?
Maybe you would say it wasn't rape rape(acknowledgment to Whoopi Goldberg.
this uncivility for biased prejudiced racist etc. injustice58:
I remind you, aspartame, if you are out there, that cgm told nifong in December of 2006 that she could not recall being penetrated. nifong then dropped the rape charge.
How does that mesh with your assertion that cgm always maintained she had been raped?
uncivility for silly chicken killy(if you are still out therea0;
Are you now going to claim you know allabout the cgm arrest?
more uncivility for hypocrite nifong4prez:
cgm published her book in which she again falsely alleged she was raped. Then, she refused to answer any questions and, until recently, disappeared from view.
How is that promoting healing and harmony?
uncivility for hypocrite nifong4prez:
After the verdict in his ethics trial, well after the Lacrosse players were exonerated, nifong claimed he still believed something happened in the house.
Is that promoting healing and harmony?
Mike Nifong for Prez - "Attempted" murder? Do they give Nobel Prizes for "attempted" chemistry?
No, but the Norwegians will hand out Nobel Peace Prizes for doing essentially nothing.
Ask -0-, he got one.
uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
Did you notice, even after fighting with her and being threatened with stabbing by her, Milton Walker was not exactly happy that cgm was arrested.
Why do you think it is aberrant, that the families of the innocent Duke Lacrosse players would be upset that their sons were arrested, especially when probable cause for arresting them was not there?
uncivility for the anonymous irrelephant in the room(in case he is still following):
Do you think cgm is eager to appear in court and exonerate herself? Bail has been set at $!,000,000. Bail is usually set so high because the accused is considered a flight risk, and the court wants to impose a very significant penalty for non appearance.
uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
Do you suppose wicked wendy murphy might come down here to represent cgm pro bono?
I hope so. wicked wendy would probably allege cgm's actions were due to psd over the rape case. That would open the door for the prosecution to impeach the claim. What better way to impeach that claim than to show the rape never happened.
crazy sidney, why don't you pay for cgm's defense. Why don't you hire a lawyer to make the psd claim. You said the rape case file is sealed. This is your opportunity to have it unsealed.
February 19, 2010 9:04 AM
Edited Feb 19, 2010 9:05AM
more uncivility for hypocrite nifong4prez:
nifong has admitted he had no credible evidence to justify prosecuting the innocent Lacrosse players.
By prosecuting three innocent men without cause, how was nifong promoting healing and harmony?
February 19, 2010 5:57 AM
Edited Feb. 19 2010 9:10 AM
uncivility for hypocrite nifong4prez:
The North Carolina NAACP, which published an error filled list of Torts and Crimes to support cgm has not, in several months, expressed any support for cgm or for nifong or for crazy etc. sidney.
more for crazy etc.sidney:
Regarding your claim that the State Bar had a flimsy case against nifong:
You cite as evidence that the State Bar filed an amended complaint against nifong.
The first complaint was filed on December 28, 2006. Nifong's concealment of exculpatory evidence was revealed December 15, 2006. The amended complaint was filed on January 24, 2007.
Could it be the concealment of exculpatory evidence was revealed too late for the State Bar to include it in the original complaint? It takes time to prepare a formal complaint for a judicial procedure, does it not?
Once they learned the allegation, that nifong concealed evidence, it was entirely appropriate for the State Bar to file an amended complaint which included the allegation.
In any event, the State Bar case against nifong was strong, a lot stronger than the case nifong had against the falsely accused Lacrosse players.
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney
Any impediment to nifpng winning the DA election existed before the false rape case developed. At that point he was between 15 and 20 percentage points behind Freda Black in the polls. After the rape case he had caught up with her. How did that happen?
Do you think any black voters would have voted at all if the rape case had never happened. From what I read, they were turned off by both nifong and Freda Black. What happened to endear nifong to them?
uncivility for hypocrite nifong4prez:
First off, there was no crime against cgm.
After cgm falsely accused the three innocent Lacrosse players, we had the pot banger demonstrations, we had the NCCU forum in which nifong said he was going to prosecute the case even without evidence, saying it to mollify angry black citizens of durham, we had the new black panther marching in Durham, trying to intimidate Colin Finnerty, demanding guilty verdicts for the three innocent men.
Is that what you call healing and harmony?
February 19, 2010 5:51 AM
Edited Feb 19, 2010 9:31 PM
more uncivility for crazy etc: sidney:
How appropriate for the State Bar to bill nifong for the costs of prosecuting him. nifong perpetrated the grossest case of prosecutorial misconduct in NC history. The NC Bar would not have had to spend so much money prosecuting him had he indeed been a decent, honorable minister of justice.
The extent and cost of the hearing indicates the State Bar presumed nifong was innocent until proven guilty. nifong did not make that presumption with the innocent Lacrosse players
more uncivility for hypocrite nifong4prez:
There is no doubt in my mind that you would know howw to give the nazi salute to adolf.
Is that how you are saluting nifong and cgm?
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
nifong did not show any nerve in charging the three innocent Duke Lacrosse players. There was an alleged crime. There was no evidence to show that the crime actually took place. There was no evidence to show any of the Lacrosse players were connected to the alleged crime.
Nifong knowingly charged three innocent men. That is not nerve. That is criminally unethical behavior.
And you wonder why the families were outraged. Just how stupid are you?
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
If the rape case cost nifong suport, then explain:
If the rape caset cost nifong support then one would expect his numbers in the polls to drop dramatically. After the rape case, his poll numbers rose tremendously.
That is historical fact.
uncivility for gangof4ster vic(ious)tirua peterson:
Have you no comment? Are you going to call for the destruction of the house in which this all happened?
Maybe cgm suddenly remembered an earlier call you madee to burn down a house and got confused.
more uncivility for crazy etc, sidney:
If AG Roy Cooper was in bed with the "carpetbagger jihad", then why did nifong specifically ask him to take over the case?
If I understand correctly the AG could not have intervened unless invited to do so by the Prosecutor handling the case.
You haven't addressed this before when it was brought up. You will probably duck the issue again.
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
This from Liestoppers:
" The defendant Michael B. Nifong, by his counsel, respectfully shows the Court
pursuant to RuleS 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and Local
Rule 7.3, that:
A. The Second Amended Complaint filed February 18, 2010 fails to state a
claim against Michael B. Nifong upon which relief can be granted.
B. The plaintiffs lack standing to seek injunctive relief.
C. All actions of Michael B. Nifong referenced in the Second Amended
Complaint were done in his role as District Attorney and as such are entitled
to absolute immunity.
WHEREFORE the defendant Michael B. Nifong respectfully prays the Court for
dismissal of all claims against him.
Respectfully submitted,
/s/ James B. Craven III
James B. Craven III
Attorney for Michael B. Nifong"
nifong is not exactly trying to go to trial so he can exonerate himself, is he?
If nifong did defend himself, wouldn't that compel opening of the Duke case file which you claim is sealed?
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
Why does nifong have a lawyer if he has done nothing wrong?
Didn't nifong ask a "mild" question like that of the innocent Lacrosse players?
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
I ask again, considering nifong's record, or lack thereof, of successfully prosecuting rape cases, why would the Duke defendants or their Lawyers want him off the case?
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
How can you claim any commonality with Dr. Martin Luther King? If Dr. King had been sued in civil court over his activities, he would have vigorously defended himself and his cause. nifong is putting up a vigorous effort, but it is to avoid having to defend himself.
This is not a criminal case, so 5th Amendment rights do not apply here, as they did in the unjustified criminal case nifong filed against the innocent Duke defendants, men who were falsely accused by cgm. Nifong's reluctance to speak up for himself in this civil case is an indication he has done something wrong and wants to avoid accountability.
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
You say the Attorney General's office was taking direction from the "Carpetbagger Jihad". You must have a source for your information. Why don't you share with us what you know>
February 20, 2010 4:59 AM
Edited Feb. 20, 2010 5:22 AM
To MIKE NIFONG FOR PRESIDENT:
Thank you for your insightful comments. We welcome contributions from you in the future.
more uncivility for crazy etc. sidney:
here's hoping you know to extend your right arm from the shoulder so you can properly salute hypocrite nifong4prez.
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