This series was led by reporter Joseph Neff, 47, a veteran investigative reporter who has reported extensively on criminal justice.

Neff, who holds degrees from Northwestern and Columbia universities, came to The N&O in 1992 and has covered prisons, police, courts and the legislature. His stories helped lead to the exoneration of Alan Gell, an innocent man who was on North Carolina's death row, and to the convictions of former Agriculture Commissioner Meg Scott Phipps and seven others.

Neff co-wrote the 2004 series "The Bridge," about four military contractors killed in Iraq, which won a national award for non-deadline reporting from the Society of Professional Journalists.

Neff has been involved in The N&O's coverage of the Duke lacrosse case since it began. His previous reports have pointed out weaknesses in the prosecution's case. For this story, he spent months examining thousands of documents and conducting dozens of interviews.