RALEIGH, N.C. (WGHP) — The North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission released a statement Wednesday after the state Senate proposed eliminating the commission.
According to a report included with the North Carolina State Senate’s budget proposal, SB 257, the Senate aims to eliminate the NCIIC.
According to its website, the NCIIC was established in 2006 to “investigate and evaluate post-conviction claims of factual innocence.” Since 2007, the commissioner has helped to get 15 people exonerated.
The state Senate report states, “Other non-state entities provide similar opportunities for individuals to seek legal guidance and case review.”
An NCIIC spokesperson sent the following statement to FOX8.
I am shocked and saddened to hear about the Senate’s proposal. The North Carolina Legislature was responsible for creating the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission almost 20 years ago and neither the wisdom nor the necessity undergirding its creation has changed. As a former 20-year career prosecutor and then Judge, I was so impressed by North Carolina’s ingenuity in the formation of this Commission, that I left the bench to pursue the Executive Director post. Coincidentally, we have been trying repeatedly to meet with various Senators on the budget committee to inform them of our work, mission and value. Not only does the Commission investigate claims of actual innocence, but we also investigate claims that result in the confirmation of an offender’s guilt. Recently, the Commission testified at a murder trial regarding a defendant that the Commission located, obtained a confession from, and tied to the crime as the actual perpetrator via DNA testing. This resulted in a conviction in December 2024. Our stories are numerous and our benefit to the North Carolina criminal justice system and constituency is invaluable. We provide the solemn service of swiftly and efficiently correcting injustices as soon as possible to avoid unwarranted years of incarceration and resultant excess of taxpayer dollars paid in compensation. We also screen for frivolous filings and assist the overburdened Court system with confirmation of guilt to assist the District Attorneys’ offices in defending MARs and appeals. We serve as the expansion of the road for innocence projects that have reached a dead end and need our assistance to reach the truth and we serve as the stop sign for offenders looking to game the system and perpetuate the suffering of crime victims and their families.
Our relevance has not ceased. Our Executive Director was asked to testify before the Senate in Canada who is hoping to adopt a similar model – one that only exists in North Carolina nationwide and is one of only three globally. Moreover, a Three Judge Panel began on Monday regarding one of the Commission’s cases, which is the culmination of the claimant’s quest for an exoneration. Our Commission investigations have also led to 15 exonerations of innocent people who collectively spent over 300 years in prison for crimes they did not commit. Thus, our mission, which only we and no other entity has been able to provide in these instances, is neither complete, unnecessary, or a waste of resources. We hope to continue a dialogue with our supporters at the General Assembly as well as our attempts to inform those who wish to abolish this one-of-a-kind creation. We ask all who have benefited from the Commission’s work to share their experiences and support so that what was once created out of incredible courage and forethought is not now decommissioned.
Laura N. Pierro, Executive Director, The North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission
According to the NCIIC, the organization has handled many high-profile cases in the Piedmont Triad, including the case of Darryl Hunt, who was exonerated in 2004 for the 1984 murder of Deborah Sykes, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
Source: Fox 8 News Channel
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