Duke Lacrosse Grand Jurors Express Doubts About Case

According to ABC News, three of the members of the grand jury that returned the rape, sexual assault and kidnapping indictments against 3 Duke lacrosse players last year now have doubts about the charges in light of the information that has come tolight since. Yet further reason to remember that the mere fact that a person has been indicted has very little bearing on whether he or she actually did the things accused. In a system in which only the prosecutor can present evidence, it is a wonder that anyone targeted by the state can ever avoid indictment. Sol Wachtler, former Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals once famously remarked that a reasonably competent prosecutor could convince grand jury “to indict a ham sandwich.” If nothing else, the Mendacious Mr. Nifong has given us a compelling reminder of how true that statement is, and has perhaps opened the eyes of many heretofore blind supporters of police and prosecutors to the fact that innocent people are in fact sometimes charged with crimes, and that they are in fact innocent until proven guilty.