Duke Lacrosse Team Rape Case, Masturbation, Sex

The Duke Rape Case: The DNA Evidence

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The Duke lacrosse team rape case doesn’t seem like great ATL fodder. If the accuser is telling the truth, a brutal and horrific rape took place. If the three defendants are telling the truth, three young men’s lives have been ruined, for a crime they did not commit.
But the story is all over the news today, since the three accused lacrosse players — team captain David Evans, Collin Finnerty, and Reade Seligmann — appeared on 60 Minutes last night (as did Kim Roberts, the other exotic dancer who appeared that night). There’s a lot of buzz around it right now.
So we reviewed some of the coverage. This nugget jumped out at us:

Plastic fingernails the accuser was wearing that night were found in the trashcan of the bathroom where she says the rape occurred. DNA that could belong to David Evans – but is not an exact match – was found on those nails. Not a surprise, says Evans, because the trashcan was in his bathroom and was filled with tissues and other items containing his DNA.

Ah yes, DNA-laden Kleenexes. We recommend paper towels — they’re more absorbent.
This reminded us of an article that appeared in the New York Times back in August, containing a detailed review of the physical evidence in the Duke case:

The police recovered semen from beside the toilet — about the same spot where the woman said she had spat out semen from someone who orally raped her. It matched the DNA of Matt Zash, a team captain who lived in the house and has not been charged. His lawyer said the semen had come from other, innocent sexual activity.

“[I]nnocent sexual activity”? Depends on your point of view — are you Catholic?

Investigators also found a towel in the hallway near Mr. Evans’s bedroom with semen matching his DNA. The woman had told the sexual assault nurse that someone had wiped her vagina with a rag. Mr. Evans’s lawyer said that this towel had nothing to do with her accusation, and that the semen came from other activity.

Might Mr. Evans have been engaged in some “innocent sexual activity” of his own, Foleygate-style?
Duke Rape Suspects Speak Out [CBS News]
Alleged Duke Rape Victim’s Kin Calls 60 Minutes Segment ‘Intimidation’ [ABC News]
Files From Duke Rape Case Give Details but No Answers [New York Times]

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