Famous documentary “The Staircase” by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade centres on Kathleen Peterson’s murder and the ensuing trial of her husband Michael Peterson. The documentary series features interviews with a number of people involved in the case, starting with the accused Michael and ending with lead prosecutor Jim Hardin and his staff. In the first episode of the documentary series, Mike Nifong is interviewed and discusses Kathleen’s skull injuries. One must be curious to learn more about Nifong and his current whereabouts as he discusses a crucial component of the case. Here is everything you need to know in that regard!
Who is Mike Nifong?
During the Michael Peterson trial, Mike Nifong served as an associate district attorney and was a member of Jim Hardin’s prosecution team. Nifong was appointed Durham County DA to finish the term of Jim Hardin, who had been nominated to the Superior Court in 2005. He was the Democratic candidate that won the DA election in 2006. The Duke University men’s lacrosse team players Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty, and David Evans were accused of rape, sexual assault, and kidnapping in 2006 by Nifong. In the early stages of the case, Nifong spoke with the media often and made a number of statements.
Seligmann, Finnerty, and Evans were accused of rape, but Nifong later dropped the accusations, allegedly as a result of a shift in the victim’s account. After coming to an arrangement with the lab director, Nifong concealed DNA evidence that would have cleared the three defendants. The director stated in his testimony that the DNA of the three young guys did not match the genetic material discovered in the purported victim’s body and knickers. Nifong eventually forced to turn the case over to Roy A. Cooper, the state’s attorney general at the time, who dropped the charges against the three young men owing to a lack of solid evidence.
The Duke lacrosse case was not the final chapter in Mike Nifong’s legal struggles. Darryl Howard’s conviction for the 1991 suffocation and sexual assault of a mother and kid, for which he received an 80-year sentence, was reversed in 2016. Nifong handled Howard’s case, and a judge determined in 2014 that Nifong failed to inform Howard’s counsel of information implicating further suspects. Nifong has been living a quiet life since Howard was cleared in 2016. He and his wife Cy Gurney appear to still reside in Durham County, North Carolina. He has a son with Gurney and a daughter from his first marriage. It is uncertain what he is working on presently.