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Published: Apr 04, 2006 10:58 AM
Modified: Apr 04, 2006 02:03 PM

Samiha Khanna: Duke lacrosse controversy

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SK: I think Tim Tyson taught readers Sunday about a history not many were aware had occurred. Durham is a place of many new residents, people who may not have the institutional knowledge of the university's history in the community. We are trying to explore these notions as we follow up on the story in the coming weeks. In response to your specific question about Mr. Tyson's piece--I haven't seen an equivalent piece in other publications. Many people have spoken out about a history of sex crimes on college campuses, but not issues of race and gender on the Duke campus specifically. These are keys to thorough follow-up stories that we are working to document.

Moderator: Jerome D. writes: "Why hasn't the victim picked the 3 players who are alleged to have raped her, out of a picture lineup and why haven't the police arrested them?"

SK: Whether the accuser has chosen photos out of a lineup is a detail that remains close to the investigation -- something that may not be wholly confirmed until much later. There haven't been arrests because, the police and the DA say, they are taking their time to conduct a thorough investigation. The DA said last week he anticipates making arrests as soon as next week. They say they are waiting to make arrests until the DNA results come back.

Moderator: Douglass D. replies: "Re your response on finding jurors, for those of us not in the know, what rules does NC have to venue cases out of the originating county? In my state, they can usually be venued only to neighboring counties -- which hardly solves the problem in this case. Can the case be venued far away from the Triangle?"

SK: That question might best be answered by our courts reporter. (Editors note: Courts reporter Benjamin Niolet responds: "I wouldn't want to speculate on whether a judge would decide to move the case out of the jurisdiction. I would point out that the Mike Peterson murder trial drew quite a lot of national and regional publicity. And authorities still determined in that case that the trial could be held in Durham. I have to say though that no charges have been filed and we are a long way from decisions such as where a trial would be held.")

Moderator: What sort of feedback have you been receiving from readers?

SK: We have received a mix of feedback from people all over the country, who are concerned about the implications of this case for the university, for the young men being accused, and for the victim. Most of the emails are positive comments on our coverage. Many offer prayers and words of encouragement to the woman who says she was raped. Some discredit her for her profession, and question whether the allegations are true. Most comments I, personally, have received attack the way the university and the team have handled the situation. Others have been emails from some of these players' hometowns, offering insight on their behavior before they got to Duke.

Moderator: Thanks, Samiha. We're out of time.


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