The News & Observer has been examining the State Bureau of Investigation since the exoneration of Greg Taylor in February.
Reporters reviewed more than 15,000 pages of documents detailing crime lab protocol and practices. Many investigative files are not public, but we analyzed dozens of cases through court files and lawsuits, studying the testimony of agents and analysts.
We interviewed dozens of lawyers, ballistics experts, lab experts, state officials and those wronged by the SBI's mistakes.
Mandy Locke, 31, covers the federal court system and state legal matters. Since joining The N&O in 2004, Locke has written extensively about child welfare and criminal justice, producing investigative series about shaken babies and the state's lax attitude toward speeding enforcement. Recently, she has written extensively about the exonerations of Dwayne Dail and Greg Taylor.
Joseph Neff, 50, is a veteran investigative reporter who has written extensively about criminal justice. Neff came to The N&O in 1992. His stories helped lead to the exoneration of Alan Gell and to the conviction of former Agriculture Commissioner Meg Scott Phipps. Neff laid bare the prosecutorial misconduct of former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong in the Duke lacrosse case, and in 2008, he worked on "Losing Track," a series that exposed North Carolina's crippled probation system.
Travis Long, 33, joined The N&O as a photojournalist in 2003. In 2007, he started focusing primarily on video. His video projects on mental health, Dwayne Dail and domestic violence have won numerous state, national and international awards.
Shawn Rocco, 38, has been a staff photojournalist since 2002. He has received awards for his photography and multimedia from the National Press Photographers Association, Southern Short Course, Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar and the N.C. Press Photographers Association.
Steve Riley, 51, is senior editor for investigations. Since 2003, he has directed 25 major projects, including "Executive Privilege," the newspaper's investigation of former Gov. Mike Easley.
Other team members:
Research
Brooke Cain
David Raynor
Graphics
Tim Lee
Online
Lamonte Garrett
Andrew Roman
Copy editors
Bill DuPre
Leland Senn
Photo editor
Scott Sharpe
Design
Teresa Kriegsman
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The conviction in 2003 of Durham novelist Michael Peterson was obtained with “materially misleading” and “deliberately false” testimony from a State Bureau of Investigation agent who was a crucial witness about blood evidence in the murder case that spawned TV movies, books and a film, according to a written order filed on Wednesday. 
Until a few weeks ago, you probably thought that I was the baddest Santa you'd ever seen. That was before Duane Deaver offered expert testimony during trials of convicted murderers. 
Duane Deaver's work paved the path for Michael Peterson's new trial. His testimony also could force another look at the sentences of several other convicted murderers. 
When Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson ordered a new trial for Durham author Michael Peterson, he uttered a phrase seldom used by a judge describing the conduct of an SBI agent on the witness stand: "perjured testimony." 
Durham novelist Michael Peterson walked out of the Durham County Jail shortly after 6 p.m. today, joining his family for the first time after eight years in prison. Peterson spoke briefly after leaving the jail, saying he looks forward to proving his innocence in a "fair trial." 
Michael Peterson's hearing for a new trial this month was not the first time his defense team had challenged the credentials of former State Bureau of Investigation agent Duane Deaver. 
State Bureau of Investigation records of former agent Duane Deaver's cases show that Deaver had not done any work involving people hurt or killed in falls when he testified at the murder trial of Durham novelist Michael Peterson, according to testimony Tuesday. 
The Michael Peterson hearing took on some trappings of a film festival Thursday, somehow appropriate for a criminal case that has spawned documentaries and a feature film. 
To win a new trial, Durham novelist Michael Peterson and his lawyers are arguing that former SBI agent Duane Deaver tailored his expert witness testimony not to the facts or science of a case, but to what prosecutors wanted him to say. Keep up with the latest stories with our free local news e-mail newsletters, delivered straight to your inbox!
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