KC Johnson points out the particular problem that Brad Ross represents for Durham Police investigators who claim the were always open to exculpatory evidence in the Duke lacrosse investigation. Midfielder Ross, Duke’s No. 10 with the movie-star looks who won the Virginia game in April with a behind-the-back shot in overtime, wasn’t even at the party. He wasn’t even in Durham. And yet Crystal Gail Mangum, the accuser, told investigators she was absolutely positive he was at the party.
The cops knew Ross was not one of the party-goers, so they knew that Mangum was wrong. And yet they kept him on the suspect list of 46 white players, even with that knowledge. One wonders whether Durham DA Mike Nifong would have sought an indictment of Ross if Mangum had fingered him as one of her alleged attackers, even though Nifong and the cops knew Ross was in Raleigh at the time of the party.
Sadly, probably so.
