Winston Salem man Darryl Hunt spent nearly two decades in prison for a murder he did not commit. In 1985 the 19-year-old black man was charged with assaulting, raping and stabbing to death Deborah Sykes, a young white newspaper reporter. After DNA results proved his innocence in 1994, it till took 10 years of legal appeals until his was finally exonerated in 2004. This case and others like it is part of the work of The Innocence Project. Their mission is to assist prisoners who can be proven innocent through DNA testing - and so far claim more than 300 success stories in the U.S., 18 of those people served time on death row. We'll talk about wrongful convictions, the work of The Innocence Project, life after exoneration, race and injustice in the courtroom and the impact of the repeal of the Racial Justice Act, when Charlotte Talks. (This show was pre-recorded earlier this month.)
Guests
Mark Rabil - Co-Director of the Wake Forest University Law School Innocence and Justice Projectand Darryl Hunt's Attorney. He's represented him for 20 years through trials, hearings, investigations, appeals, and clemency and pardon proceedings.
Darryl Hunt - Innocence Project Client. Darryl Hunt was convicted twice of a 1984 North Carolina murder he didn't commit. After DNA results proved his innocence in 1994, it still took 10 years of legal appeals to exonerate him.