The students of Winston-Salem State’s African-American Culture classes got an opportunity to hear a lecture from Darryl Hunt, April 1. The Winston-Salem native spoke about the injustices of wrongful imprisonment and how it affects the black community.
In 1985, at age 19, Hunt was falsely accused and convicted of the rape and murder of a young, white newspaper editor. He was tried by a jury of 11 whites and one black, and his involvement in the crime stemmed from the eyewitness testimony of a former Ku Klux Klan member and a 14-year-old heroin addict.
He spent 19 years incarcerated, often in solitary confinement, in more than 13 state penitentiaries.
“I actually went through four murder trials,” Hunt told the class.
In addition to the atrocities that were committed against him through the N.C. penal system, Hunt said that he also received several death threats throughout his ordeal.
“If you don’t believe in miracles, you’re looking at one,” Hunt said.
Hunt attributed dropping out of school and hanging out with the wrong crowd as the means by which law enforcement were able to pin the crimes on him.
“I wasn’t involved in any illegal activities, but some of my friends were.”
Hunt said that his friend, Samuel Mitchell, was accused of the same crime. According to Hunt, investigators were determined to convict one of them. He said he was pressured into lying on Mitchell.
“I knew where Sam was the night that it happened…I couldn’t tell a lie on an innocent man.”
While serving time, Hunt held fast to his belief in the truth, even if it meant that he could save himself. With his refusal to cooperate with the police, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Following the December 2003 confession from another man and with the help of DNA and a relentless defense team, Hunt was exonerated Feb. 6, 2004.
Since his release, Hunt and a group of his supporters founded “The Darryl Hunt Project,” an organization committed to overturn cases in Winston-Salem of convicted felons who were wrongly accused.
“The [Hunt] case hasn’t had much affect on the justice system in Winston-Salem. One can observe injustice in the city daily,” said Maigan Stanback, a political science major from Winston-Salem.
Dr. Elwanda Ingram, a professor of African-American cultures believes otherwise.
“His case…brought awareness to Winston-Salem’s justice system. [The Police Department] now know that they have a responsibility to bring justice to the right person,” Ingram said.