New Twists in The Case

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Many of the uncertainties in Nifong's case would be overcome if he had a single witness from the lacrosse squad to back the women's story. Police have pressed the Duke players to cooperate, and Nifong has said he is still hunting for the third man in the bathroom. "I would like to think," Nifong said last month, "that somebody has the human decency to call up and say, 'What am I doing covering up for a bunch of hooligans?'" There is evidence that some players conspired to hide their identities that night. Court papers state that the alleged rapists used false names--"Adam," "Bret" and "Matt"--to refer to one another in the bathroom. And the victim told police she was told the bash was a gathering of Duke track and baseball players. If the team members are obeying a code of silence to protect a friend, even defense lawyers acknowledge it is unlikely to last.

Nifong has a reputation for fair play. He is a Little League umpire on weekends, and even lawyers who may face him in this case say he is competitive but uncommonly decent in court. At a candidates' debate, he admitted it was unlikely that many in the audience had ever heard of him before a few weeks ago. They certainly have now.