Ending the NC innocence commission will hurt crime victims like me and my family | Opinion
In 1991, my sister, Jacquetta, was murdered in Raleigh. Law enforcement assured me that they caught her killer, a man named Greg Taylor, and that he would be justly punished for his crime. While there is no such thing as closure when it comes to losing a loved one, there was a sense of relief that the right individual had been apprehended, tried and convicted for the murder of my sister. But more than 15 years later, I received a call that new evidence had come to light.
I was thrown into a process I hadn’t known existed — an investigation into Greg’s innocence was ongoing, and it was possible that he was innocent and would be exonerated for my sister’s murder. I desperately needed to know what to expect next, if my family was safe and if we would be able to maintain our privacy.
The staff of the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission, a state agency tasked with looking into possible wrongful convictions, stepped up and gave me the support I needed.
A Senate proposal in its budget bill would end the innocence inquiry commission. This is misguided legislation that would cause further harm to the families of crime victims.
The commission explained what to expect at Greg’s innocence hearing, they warned me that graphic pictures would be shown, and they answered my questions with kindness and empathy. They also ensured that I was protected from the extensive media attention that was directed at my family. They made it possible for me to review the evidence, and ultimately, I found the case against Greg to be lacking and supported his exoneration. However, I am still waiting for Jacquetta’s murderer to be found and brought to justice.
Going through an exoneration after horrifically losing a loved one is not an experience that you get over. It is painful, disorienting and traumatizing. You cannot imagine the faith I lost in the system and the fear I still feel that we may never know what happened.
The commission distinguishes itself by standing with crime victims throughout this process. They have an in-house victim services program with a full-time victim advocate on staff. When I went through this process, I needed a point of contact whom I could reach out to ask questions, discuss my frustrations and simply be there for me as I endured it. I am so glad to hear that an advocate is now on staff at the commission. For me, and all the family members of crime victims, having support and information is necessary to get through an exoneration and ensure that our rights are protected.
The Innocence Inquiry Commission’s mission of investigating post-conviction claims of innocence does not stand in opposition to the needs and desires of crime victims. The right person being convicted and held responsible for the hurt they inflicted is what matters most. Crime victims deserve truth, information, trauma-informed support and transparency — even when it disrupts the resolution that the conviction brought. The commission ensures that victims’ rights are protected and that victims and their families receive the support and services they need. Getting rid of the Innocence Inquiry Commission will simply hurt crime victims more than they have already been hurt, and North Carolina surely does not want that to happen.