Drudge is reporting (top of the right hand column, no links yet) that all charges may be dropped as early tomorrow in the ridiculous Duke Lacrosse rape case. It was also reported that this news caused Amanda Marcotte’s head to explode.
Update: Still no news about the charges being dropped, but this is an interesting article that references Linda Fairstein, a Manhattan based prosecutor that specializes in prosecuting sex crimes,
With the Duke lacrosse investigation in its final weeks, Linda Fairstein, the former head of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Sex Crimes Unit and one of the nation’s leading experts on sex crimes, told ABC News that she would be shocked if the case went forward.
Having investigated and prosecuted thousands of rape cases, Fairstein has a special ability to evaluate the strength of the case. A pioneer in the field and an advocate of victims’ rights, Fairstein points to serious flaws in the investigation and in the evidence that has surfaced to date.
“If a prosecutor were to take this to court, given all the changes in the accuser’s story, I don’t think there is a crime for which these young men could be convicted,” said Fairstein.
Fairstein points to the laundry list of problems with this case that suggest that that not only was there no crime committed, but that the DA, Mike Nifong, handled the case badly. And there is this interesting bit,
Whatever the outcome, Fairstein worries about the impact of the Duke lacrosse case on rape prosecutions around the country. Her concern is that the high-profile investigation will inhibit aggressive prosecution of sexual assault cases.
“If there is a dismissal there will be many more people who encounter rape in the future with greater skepticism. It will reinforce the stereotype that many of these rapes are false reports.”
It would indeed be quite unfortunate if this is indeed the impact of this case.
In case it isn’t obvious, I was kidding with Marcotte reference.
