“We believe these three individuals are innocent.”
Gerry Broome/Associated Press
“We believe these three individuals are innocent.”
Those were the words that 3 Duke lacrosse players waited 395 days to hear. The three gentlemen, David Evans, Collin Finnerty, and Reade Seligmann, had all charges dropped by the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office on April 11, 2007.
Roy A. Cooper, state attorney general, announced the news at a press conference, indicating an independent investigation “showed clearly that there is insufficient evidence to proceed.”
The woman making the accusations against the men changed her story so many times that she was deemed not credible. Her story never appeared to mesh with other evidence available in the case.
At least one of the accused had multiple pieces of evidence that supported his contention that he was not present when the rape allegedly occurred. In addition, DNA tests did not link the accused to the alleged victim.
Imagine being accused of a crime as heinous as rape, and spending over a year under fire for a crime you did not commit.
The prosecutor has said that no charges will be brought against the woman who made false allegations against these men.
