Quest to convict hid a lack of evidence
Chapter 1: The district attorney moved quickly to take over the lacrosse inquiry. An N&O review shows that once Mike Nifong accepted the accuser's story, little else mattered.
A case starts to unravel
Chapter 2: District Attorney Mike Nifong brusquely rejects defense lawyers' overtures and an offer to share information. The emerging evidence does not support his certainty.
- Share your thoughts on the case
- The reporter and the research
- Source notes
- Key characters
- Comparing descriptions (JPG)
- Conflicting identifications (PDF)
- Supplement to motion to suppress the alleged "identification" of the defendants by the accuser (PDF, 4.3 MB)
- Read the series on Mike Nifong's handling of the Duke lacrosse case
Nifong ignores clues from DNA tests
Chapter 3: The SBI tests are no help, so Mike Nifong turns to a private lab. The result there? 'He was not happy with it,' says his former campaign manager.
Undisclosed DNA results go public
Chapter 4: The defense analyzes mounds of data provided by the lab Mike Nifong hired to conduct DNA tests, then counterattacks. The results devastate the prosecution.
To the end, the account continues to change
Chapter 5: In December, Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong's investigator talks with Crystal Gail Mangum. New and conflicting information creates more problems for the prosecution.
