Domestic Violence Charges Dropped Against Panthers DE Greg Hardy
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CHARLOTTE, NC – Prosecutors say they couldn’t find their key witness in the case against Greg Hardy.
In front of a packed courtroom, the Panthers defensive end showed little emotion as District Attorney Andrew Murray dismissed the charges. Murray told the judge that without testimony from Hardy’s ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder, the trial couldn’t go forward. The court session lasted less than five minutes.
“We encourage domestic violence victims to not only report incidents of domestic violence, but to participate in every level of the prosecution,” Murray said afterwards.
Holder had accused the Panthers player of assaulting and threatening to kill her inside his Uptown condo back in May. The DA said Hardy apparently reached an undisclosed civil settlement with his ex. Hardy and his attorney walked out after that, with nothing to say.
“There are a lot of things that a victim has to take into account,” says Karen Parker, president of Safe Alliance, an organization that assists domestic violence victims. She says it’s common for victims to back out, but says it’s important they go ahead with testifying. “There’s also the message that goes out that people are not going let batterers get away with domestic violence,” Parker says.
Charlotte attorney Mark Jetton, who is not involved with the case, says Holder will not face charges when she shows up again because she was never served with a subpoena. “This Ms. Holder has collected some type of money from Mr. Hardy, the civil suit has been settled, and I think that definitely may have played a big part in what you saw today,” Jetton says.
