Find wrongful prosecutions by county.
All of the following cases are wrongful capital prosecutions carried out in North Carolina since 1989. They are instances in which the state prosecuted a person for a death penalty eligible murder, despite not having enough evidence to prove the defendant even committed the crime. Unlike the exonerees tracked by the National Registry of Exonerations, these defendants eventually had their charges dismissed or were acquitted by juries — but most spent years in jail and many lost homes, jobs, relationships, and their financial and emotional stability.
Timothy Neal
Date of Arrest: 03/06/2012
Vance County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Lonnie Demond Yancey
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 08/31/2015
Days in Jail: 1274
Jerry Anderson - Detailed Profile
Date of Arrest: 01/27/2006
Caldwell County
Race: White
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Tunnel Vision
Tunnel Vision
Names of Victim(s): Emily Anderson
Notes: Hung jury at trial. Charges dismissed by prosecutor after trial.
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 11/27/2007
Days in Jail: 670
Time deliberated by jury: 7 days
John William Bare
Date of Arrest: 10/02/1987
Guilford County
Race: White
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Tunnel Vision
Tunnel Vision
Names of Victim(s): Janett Pace Bare
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 08/04/1989
Days in Jail: 7
Received Bond
Linwood Earl Batts
Date of Arrest: 12/31/2001
Wilson County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Derrick Lamont Lyles
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 04/11/2003
Days in Jail: 467
Derrick Donta Bell
Date of Arrest: 08/16/2002
Wake County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Tunnel Vision
Tunnel Vision
Names of Victim(s): Pierre Williams
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 10/29/2003
Days in Jail: 440
Austin Tyler Borghere
Date of Arrest: 04/02/2005
Harnett County
Race: White
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Self Defense
Self Defense
Names of Victim(s): David Barefoot
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 03/30/2007
Days in Jail: 728
Chris Gordon Brooks
Date of Arrest: 12/14/1994
Cleveland County
Race: White
Names of Victim(s): Judy McMurray
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 05/22/1996
Days in Jail: 526
Floyd Brown
Date of Arrest: 07/16/1993
Anson County
Race: Black
Names of Victim(s): Katherine Lynch
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 10/08/2007
Days in Jail: 5198
Anthony Vidal Burris
Date of Arrest: 06/13/1997
Gaston County
Race: Black
Names of Victim(s): Angela Shantea Mitchell
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 10/04/1999
Days in Jail: 844
Time deliberated by jury: 3.5 hrs
Daniel Carlson
Date of Arrest: 08/08/2003
Cumberland County
Race: White
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Tunnel Vision
Tunnel Vision
Names of Victim(s): Andrea Chavarria
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 03/05/2007
Days in Jail: 207
Received Bond
Time deliberated by jury: 3 hrs
Gregory Chapman
Date of Arrest: 07/02/2008
Duplin County
Race: Black
Names of Victim(s): Unborn twins
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 03/31/2015
Days in Jail: 2464
Time deliberated by jury: 30 min
Dirk Chontos
Date of Arrest: 03/31/2000
Caldwell County
Race: White
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Tunnel Vision
Tunnel Vision
Names of Victim(s): John David Sauls
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 11/05/2002
Days in Jail: 950
Jeffery Bernard Cobb
Date of Arrest: 07/08/2007
Guilford County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Abbas Eltaib Elshikh
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 12/08/2009
Days in Jail: 885
John Tyler Collins
Date of Arrest: 12/29/2001
Buncombe County
Race: White
Names of Victim(s): Mary Elizabeth Judd
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 07/09/2003
Days in Jail: 558
Derek Morris Colson
Date of Arrest: 03/23/2006
Catawba County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
State Misconduct
State Misconduct
Names of Victim(s): Betsy Dickens, Beverly Linebarger, Cynthia Lail
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 09/15/2009
Days in Jail: 1064
Received Bond
Brenda Copeland
Date of Arrest: 08/26/1998
Durham County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Tainted Forensic Evidence
Tainted Forensic Evidence
Names of Victim(s): Katherine Guy
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 04/21/1999
Days in Jail: 190
Received Bond
Stephanie Gray Davis
Date of Arrest: 04/11/2003
Columbus County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Douglas Sasser
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 11/05/2004
Days in Jail: 575
Bobby Ray Dial
Date of Arrest: 06/18/1999
Robeson County
Race: Native American
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Tunnel Vision
Tunnel Vision
Names of Victim(s): Charles Anthony Smiling
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 02/22/2002
Days in Jail: 981
Time deliberated by jury: 22 min
Michael David Dowd
Date of Arrest: 11/25/1998
Chatham County
Race: White
Names of Victim(s): Lee Otis Baldwin, Joe Daron Glover
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 05/24/2000
Days in Jail: 547
Aaron Orlando Forrest
Date of Arrest: 10/19/2002
Northampton County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): John Hicks
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 04/28/2004
Days in Jail: 558
Robert Gattis Jr.
Date of Arrest: 03/18/2002
Orange County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): James "Bill" Long, Nicholas Whitted
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 05/06/2003
Days in Jail: 415
Time deliberated by jury: 3 hrs
John Christopher Gatton
Date of Arrest: 01/07/1992
Iredell County
Race: White
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Roger Staley, James Davis
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 09/23/1993
Days in Jail: 626
Time deliberated by jury: 4 hrs
Filiberto Reyes Gaytan
Date of Arrest: 07/16/2008
Richmond County
Race: Hispanic
Names of Victim(s): Jose Gonzales
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 03/20/2009
Days in Jail: 248
Daryl Lamont Glover
Date of Arrest: 03/11/2002
Robeson County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Robert Graham
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 06/18/2004
Days in Jail: 3
Received Bond
David Wayne Hammack
Date of Arrest: 12/29/2001
Buncombe County
Race: White
Names of Victim(s): Mary Elizabeth Judd
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 09/28/2003
Days in Jail: 639
Jose Hernandez
Date of Arrest: 11/16/2007
Wake County
Race: Hispanic
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Nguyen Truong
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 03/27/2009
Days in Jail: 498
James Clementh Hicks
Date of Arrest: 10/21/2000
Harnett County
Race: White
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Shirley Hicks
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 09/26/2001
Days in Jail: 341
Time deliberated by jury: 1 hr
Terri Louise Hinson
Date of Arrest: 11/20/1996
Columbus County
Race: White
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Tainted Forensic Evidence
Tainted Forensic Evidence
Names of Victim(s): Joshua Cade Hinson
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 04/17/1998
Days in Jail: 61
Received Bond
Alexander Ingram
Date of Arrest: 11/27/2012
Richmond County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Michael Collins
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 01/29/2016
Days in Jail: 1159
Lorenza Brazhnav Knight
Date of Arrest: 04/26/1999
Pitt County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
State Misconduct
State Misconduct
Names of Victim(s): Jae Michael Kirby
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 12/28/2005
Days in Jail: 100
Received Bond
Michael Keith Lee
Date of Arrest: 05/27/2003
Cumberland County
Race: White
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Tainted Forensic Evidence
Tainted Forensic Evidence
Names of Victim(s): Veronica Ward
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 08/28/2008
Days in Jail: 1921
Leslie Arlene Lincoln - Detailed Profile
Date of Arrest: 09/19/2002
Pitt County
Race: White
Names of Victim(s): Arlene Lincoln
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 03/23/2007
Days in Jail: 1133
Received Bond
Dolan Locklear
Date of Arrest: 05/04/1999
Robeson County
Race: Native American
Names of Victim(s): George Locklear
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 03/19/2003
Days in Jail: 1416
Time deliberated by jury: 2 hrs
Taurus Locklear
Date of Arrest: 03/16/2011
Robeson County
Race: Native American
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Brandon Hunt
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 08/25/2015
Days in Jail: 1623
Francisco Luviano
Date of Arrest: 11/16/2007
Randolph County
Race: Hispanic
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Charles Winifred Ward
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 04/12/2010
Days in Jail: 609
Received Bond
Roy Anthony McAllister
Date of Arrest: 09/30/1994
Wilson County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Rudolph Hobbs
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 12/05/1997
Days in Jail: 1163
Time deliberated by jury: 30 min
Rufus McMillan
Date of Arrest: 03/31/1999
Robeson County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Billy Hammond
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 08/01/2002
Days in Jail: 1220
Time deliberated by jury: 50 min
Michael Lane Mead - Detailed Profile
Date of Arrest: 02/03/2009
Gaston County
Race: White
Names of Victim(s): Lucy Johnson
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 07/12/2011
Days in Jail: 24
Received Bond
Time deliberated by jury: 9 hrs
Ronald Douglas Michaux
Date of Arrest: 01/26/2005
Cumberland County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Jermaine March
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 01/25/2007
Days in Jail: 730
Time deliberated by jury: 2 hrs
Almario Millander
Date of Arrest: 08/26/1994
Onslow County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Ernest Michael Linn
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 06/03/1996
Days in Jail: 648
Johnny Dale Miller
Date of Arrest: 07/19/2004
Gaston County
Race: White
Names of Victim(s): Jerry Barnette
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 12/29/2006
Days in Jail: 894
Kathy Wilson Miller
Date of Arrest: 10/27/1998
Rowan County
Race: White
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Tunnel Vision
Tunnel Vision
Names of Victim(s): Leon Wilson Jr.
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 03/07/2000
Days in Jail: 498
Time deliberated by jury: 4 hrs
Marron Fredrick Murchison
Date of Arrest: 09/08/2004
Union County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
State Misconduct
State Misconduct
Names of Victim(s): John Henry Stafford
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 06/30/2008
Days in Jail: 14
Received Bond
Marshall Ray Nicholson
Date of Arrest: 04/08/2004
Mecklenburg County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Eddie Kearney
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 09/16/2008
Days in Jail: 1623
Quatrell Damar Nicholson
Date of Arrest: 10/22/2009
Scotland County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
State Misconduct
State Misconduct
Names of Victim(s): Chris McKoy
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 01/21/2014
Days in Jail: 1553
Mario Alberto Peralta
Date of Arrest: 01/30/1998
Chatham County
Race: Other
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
State Misconduct
State Misconduct
Names of Victim(s): Manuel Garcia
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 03/24/1999
Days in Jail: 419
Time deliberated by jury: 4.5hrs
Michael Jerome Pettaway
Date of Arrest: 10/08/2001
Vance County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Abdo H Mohamed Moharam
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 05/20/2003
Days in Jail: 590
Time deliberated by jury: 2 hrs
Curtis Porter
Date of Arrest: 05/08/1989
Buncombe County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Amos Miller
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 12/01/1989
Days in Jail: 208
Time deliberated by jury: 1 day
Julius Ray Sanders
Date of Arrest: 10/14/1994
Cabarrus County
Race: White
Names of Victim(s): Pamela Sanders
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 11/09/1995
Days in Jail: 392
Time deliberated by jury: 1.5 hours
Jermaine Antoine Smith
Date of Arrest: 02/16/1996
Wake County
Race: Black
Names of Victim(s): Chasity Wilder, Ashley Wilder, Shatona Wilder, Rogedrick Wilder
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 10/17/1997
Days in Jail: 610
Time deliberated by jury: 2.5 hrs
Beut Thongphounphim
Date of Arrest: 01/31/1995
Guilford County
Race: Other
Names of Victim(s): Keith McClintock
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 02/26/1997
Days in Jail: 501
Received Bond
Charles Triplin
Date of Arrest: 10/08/2003
Cumberland County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Shelly Wooten Jr.
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 12/05/2007
Days in Jail: 1520
Daniel John Walter
Date of Arrest: 09/02/1994
Cumberland County
Race: White
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Osbourne White Jr.
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 03/14/1996
Days in Jail: 0
Received Bond
Time deliberated by jury: 2 hrs
Donald Baxter Wells
Date of Arrest: 10/03/1998
Gaston County
Race: White
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Sarah May McAbee
Notes: Capital trial ended in hung jury. Second trial was non-capital, also ended in hung jury.
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 02/22/2002
Days in Jail: 123
Received Bond
Melvin West
Date of Arrest: 05/06/2004
Cabarrus County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Tara Nicole Chambers and her unborn child
Type of Case: Dismissal before Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 02/07/2006
Days in Jail: 643
Terrence Eric White
Date of Arrest: 07/31/2002
Forsyth County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Frank Lee Myers
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 03/30/2004
Days in Jail: 609
Time deliberated by jury: 2 days
Henry White Jr.
Date of Arrest: 07/31/2002
Forsyth County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Frank Lee Myers
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 03/30/2004
Days in Jail: 609
Time deliberated by jury: 2 days
Nicky Scott White
Date of Arrest: 03/15/1996
McDowell County
Race: White
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Unknown
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 06/11/1997
Days in Jail: 454
Time deliberated by jury: 5 hrs
Kova Duan Wright
Date of Arrest: 08/10/2000
Catawba County
Race: Black
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Unreliable Witness Testimony
Names of Victim(s): Ronnie Hill
Type of Case: Acquittal at Trial
Date of Acquittal/Dismissal: 03/21/2001
Days in Jail: 7
Received Bond
Time deliberated by jury: 37 min