Darryl Hunt

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For the member of The Pogues, see Darryl Hunt (musician)

Darryl Hunt is an African-American man from Winston-Salem, North Carolina who, in 1984, was wrongfully convicted of the rape and murder of a young white newspaper reporter, Deborah Sykes, but was later exonerated by DNA evidence. He served 19.5 years in prison before he was freed after review and exoneration.

A modern cause célèbre, his case was said to have "helped define race relations in Winston-Salem for 20 years" [1].

Darryl Hunt is now involved in the Innocence Project, as well as his own group called The Darryl Hunt Project for Freedom and Justice [2]. This project is devoted to "educating the public about flaws in the criminal justice system, advocating for those wrongfully incarcerated as a result of those flaws, and providing resources and support for those trying to rebuild their lives."

1 History of the case
2 Documentary
3 Settlement
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History of the case

Based on an ID made by a former Ku Klux Klan member, Thomas Murphy, Hunt, then 19-years-old , was charged with the rape and murder of a local reporter, Deborah Sykes. No physical evidence linked Hunt to the crime, but he was convicted by an all white jury, and sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1994, DNA testing cleared Hunt. Mark Rabil, Hunt's defense lawyer, and Larry Little, currently a professor at Winston-Salem State University, with the support from the community of Winston-Salem and the surrounding area, fought for Hunt, who was finally exonerated in 2004. He apologized to Deborah Sykes' mother for her loss, and forgave everyone for the years he spent in prison.

[edit] Documentary

In December 2005, an independent documentary film titled The Trials of Darryl Hunt, was named a Sundance Film Festival selection, and premiered in early 2006. The film documents, in its own words, "the story [of the brutal rape and murder] in the American South, and offers a deeply personal story of a wrongfully convicted man, Darryl Hunt, who spent twenty years in prison for a crime he did not commit." The documentary illustrates the humility of both Darryl and his wife, the drive and determination of his supporters, and depicts the ongoing battle with the racism that underlies this case.