On Trial for their Lives

Death penalty prosecutions threaten the innocent in N.C.

  • Home
  • About this Project
  • Search the Cases
  • Definitions

Search Cases

NC County
Type of Case
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution
Click here for full definitions of these terms
Race of Defendant
Years in Jail

Search the Cases

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
State Misconduct, Unreliable Witness Testimony
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
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
False Confession, State Misconduct
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
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Self Defense, Tunnel Vision, Unreliable Witness Testimony
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
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
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Tunnel Vision, Unreliable Witness Testimony
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
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
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
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
State Misconduct, Unreliable Witness Testimony
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
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
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
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
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
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Self Defense, Tunnel Vision
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
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
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
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
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
State Misconduct, Unreliable Witness Testimony
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
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
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
State Misconduct, Unreliable Witness Testimony
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Tainted Forensic Evidence, Tunnel Vision
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
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Self Defense, Tunnel Vision
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
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
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
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
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
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Tunnel Vision, Unreliable Witness Testimony
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
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
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
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
State Misconduct, Unreliable Witness Testimony
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Tunnel Vision, Unreliable Witness Testimony
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
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
Tainted Forensic Evidence, Unreliable Witness Testimony
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
Causes of Wrongful Prosecution:
False Confession, State Misconduct
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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


About this Project
 
The Wrongful Capital Prosecutions database is a project of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation. It is the only database in the United States that tracks the cases of people who are charged with capital murder but never convicted. Based in Durham, North Carolina, CDPL represents death-sentenced men and women in North Carolina and works to end the death penalty. Learn more about CDPL’s work.

Learn More
 
• Learn more about the North Carolina death penalty at NCDeathPenalty.org.
• Read stories from North Carolina’s death row.