Linwood Wilson: Threatening, Intimidating Behavior

It appears that Linwood Wilson’s penchant for improper behavior extends beyond the lacrosse case.

The D.A.’s chief investigator—who received a promotion and a 66-percent raise as the lacrosse case was occurring—behaved like a caricature of a rogue investigator over the past year. He and he alone was present at the December 21 “interview” with Crystal Mangum, where Mangum radically changed her story in ways that—just coincidentally, of course—filled some of the gaping holes in Mike Nifong’s case. As Joe Neff revealed, one witness filed an affidavit accusing Wilson of witness tampering. He played a key role in the bogus prosecution of Moez Elmostafa after Elmostafa helped secure Reade Seligmann’s alibi.

Yesterday, Judge Orlando Hudson dismissed assault and weapons charges against Breon Jerrard Beatty because of Wilson’s conduct, suggesting that Wilson had “threatened” the chief witness in the case, Beatty’s cousin, to give false testimony. Hudson was clearcut: “Intimidation [of a witness] is wrong. I don’t want to reward the state when they do things like that.”

As the N&O’s Anne Blythe wrote, “The two-hour hearing not only highlighted the specifics of one case, it provided hints that the climate in Durham County courts has chilled for prosecutors in the aftermath of the Duke lacrosse case.”

The Herald-Sun’s John Stevenson set the scene as defense attorney Bob Brown cross-examined Wilson, who admitted that in the discussion (that Judge Hudson would later characterize as “intimidation”) with Chasaray Newman, the accused man’s cousin, Wilson had brought up the possibility of revoking Newman’s parole, thereby sending him to prison.

Was Wilson aware the District Attorney’s Office was not empowered to unilaterally terminate someone’s probation, Brown demanded.

“I wasn’t aware the DA did not have the authority to do that,” the investigator replied. “I was under the impression the state did have that authority.”

Brown: “You threatened him [Newman], didn’t you?”

Wilson: “That’s your words. I didn’t threaten him at all.”

And what about Wilson’s demeanor and tone of voice when he talked to Newman, Brown wanted to know.

“You weren’t joking?” he asked.

Wilson: “Absolutely not.”

Brown: “You meant for him to take it as a very serious matter?”

Wilson: “Of course.”

Brown later noted, “That is tampering with a witness. That is intimidation of a witness. If it was me as a defense attorney making these threats, I would be arrested. It is wrong. It is illegal.”

Joe Cheshire perceptively summed up the day’s events: “The Duke lacrosse case opened a window into the Durham District Attorney’s Office and how they operate. That window allowed not only the public to look in, but it allowed judges to look in. Hopefully that will continue for the transparency of justice.”