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Simply send an email to the JournalNow Web Staff at webstaff@journalnow.com, or you can send in a letter for one of our opinion editors at:
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P.O. Box 3159
Winston-Salem, NC 27102
From T.B. in Winston-Salem (4/10):
I heard that Darryl Hunt recently had a flat tire. But I know this cannot be true because I didn't see it on the front page of the Journal.
Is it your intention to publicize every aspect of this man's life on the front page from now on? So Darryl Hunt's identity was stolen; what about the thousands of other identity theft victims in the Triad? Oh that's right, according to the Journal, Hunt is the ultimate victim.
From B.R.H. in Winston-Salem (4/5):
Who does this group at City Hall think it is fooling? This Darryl Hunt review board is a farce and a fraud, and none of this group can be objective.
The way the Journal described the meeting, it was dominated by Larry Little and Mark Rabil.
They preach about racism and racial tension in Winston-Salem. I didn't know we had any until Vivian Burke, Nelson Malloy and Larry Womble as well as Little and Rabil started talking about it.
The statement was made: "We don't want another Darryl Hunt." Think about it; there has already been another one.
Alfred "Heavy" Rivera was sent to Death Row for murder and drug involvement. He came off Death Row and was set free, only to go right back to selling drugs. Tom Keith and the city council don't want to talk about this.
The young men who went down with Rivera were black. They are still in prison and will be for a long time. Was that racial, or an example of racism? The young men who were murdered were also black, and Rivera is Hispanic.
Tom Keith's office botched it on the death penalty and had to set him free. Now I suspect that they gave him a plea bargain on the drug charges to get rid of him. Oh yes! Those folks owe him compensation for the time he spent on Death Row. Maybe the city council and Mark Rabil will get it for him. If they pay Hunt, they owe Rivera.
From G.L. in Winston-Salem (3/1):
Was it really a matter of race?
It was very disturbing when the news spread that day about a young white woman being raped and killed downtown. Then came more years of anger and division among our community.
The rhetoric recited almost daily suggested that police unjustifiably singled out an innocent young man because of his color to satisfy their need to clear this highly publicized case. Now that the truth has been uncovered, it does appear that police got the wrong man.
The real question is why a menacing predator who also turned out to be black selected a young white woman. Darryl Hunt might have been innocent of the Deborah Sykes murder, but he was all over the police department's radar screen for other acts. Was it the police department's fault that Hunt resembled Willard Brown and was named by witnesses?
This is the real question: why a young white woman was selected for assault that morning. When Hunt's supporters finish their celebration over having proved the police wrong, perhaps they can tackle that question.
From S.J.W. in Winston-Salem (2/16):
It is simple to pass judgment, especially when you know nothing about the situation. The letter writer of "Keith Should Resign" (Feb. 9) should get his facts together. In both cases when Darryl Hunt was convicted, Tom Keith was not the district attorney. However, since he has inherited this case, positive things have come of it.
Keith has made so many improvements in Forsyth County. Hunt was released from prison on Christmas Eve because Tom Keith obviously worked day and night during the Christmas holiday.
It is a true shame there are so many people in this community who will not allow the community to heal because they still have a racist state of mind. I feel it is the black community that is not allowing this community to heal.
Throughout the "Murder, Race, Justice" series, it was noted that a white woman's death would not go unpunished. The black community jumped on this as a racially motivated investigation. Well, guess what? Willard Brown, who confessed to the murder, is black.
Let us show the community and the nation that we have a DA with enough drive to try to make a community safe for everyone.
From T.S. in Winston-Salem (2/9):
I am sure it is apparent to all by now that if this community is to heal from the wounds of District Attorney Tom Keith's racist reign of terror against its minority members, the first step must be Keith's resignation or removal. Keith's record speaks for itself and warrants no continuous rehashing. Unlike those of us who are his victims, he has been proved guilty by his own actions and words.
In the case of Darryl Hunt, all of us have in some way been set free. We will never get the precious time back we lost, nor will we ever get a dime in compensation. Common sense says that no one will reopen any other cases from Keith's "white is right" administration.
The time has come for this community to ask itself whether Tom Keith stands for what we want our community to be remembered for and thought of nationally.
Shall we show the nation we made a mistake putting him in office but we have learned from it? That Keith is gone and, by way of his resignation or removal, the community has begun healing?
From L.S. (also signed by 11 other women) (1/28):
As clergywomen and women in ministry in Forsyth County, we want the Sykes family to know that our support for Darryl Hunt and family does not take away our support for Sykes family members as well. We give our apologies if they have felt neglected.
We acknowledge their suffering from the horrible death and loss of Deborah. We claim her as a sister too, and we deplore violent acts against women. It is good that more truth has come out so that justice can proceed.
We ask them to know that God and many of us in this Winston-Salem community are concerned about them.
We believe that forgiveness is needed for everyone's healing. We ask for forgiveness for the rape and murder committed and for the mistakes made by civil authorities, witnesses and the Christian community. May the grace and mercy of Christ help us to forgive when we can't.
We pray for their healing and for the peace that the Lord intends for them and for our community.
From S.Y. in Damascus, Va. (1/25):
I think it is disgusting that Darryl Hunt gets an award for courage when others who have been released from jail don't get awards. It makes me sick to see him acting like a star and rubbing it in people's faces every chance he gets.
From C.A.H. in Winston-Salem (1/17):
I think some of the critics of the judicial system have gone a little overboard in their remarks about the Darryl Hunt case. I seriously doubt that all the police officers, detectives, district attorneys, judges and jurors in his trials conspired in a vendetta to get Hunt because he is black.
I think it was some of his peers who initially swore under oath that they saw him at the crime scene, and a qualified eyewitness is about the best evidence you can have. Unfortunately, sometimes an innocent person is found guilty and sometimes, despite overwhelming physical evidence, a person who is likely guilty is found innocent, as in the O.J. Simpson case. In a civil suit, Simpson was found liable for the deaths of two people.
Apparently that Hunt was left to rot in jail did not bother Willard E. Brown, who apparently knew that Hunt was not guilty of the crime.
I don't know what Hunt's status or employment situation was before the crime, but I understand he was able to continue his education and take some college-level studies while in prison. I think it is important to remember that the same judicial system that put Hunt in prison is the same system that might exonerate him.
Unless his critics determined to make this a racial issue have more tangible evidence, perhaps it would be better for all concerned to let it end. I do hope Hunt gets monetary compensation for the 19 years he has lost.
From L.S.O. in Statesville (1/16):
Why is everyone glorifying Darryl Hunt? Is it because he is a black man? I wonder if the murder of my sister-in-law would have been so publicized if her murderers had been white? I doubt it. This was wrongly made into a racial issue from the start when it should not have been.
The only racial thing about it is that the victim was white and the murderers were black, and they later bragged about killing a white woman.
Police have said that they received tips that Darryl Hunt was one of those bragging about this. Does that sound as though he is innocent?
Proving that he was not the rapist does not mean that he did not participate in the abduction or the murder.
I am glad that Willard Brown was finally caught, but I don't understand everyone's blindness to facts that might also lead to Darryl Hunt and Sammy Mitchell.
People should stop crying, "Poor Darryl Hunt" and open their eyes.
I believe that he is he is not the innocent that everyone makes him out to be. I hope that someday all of this will be resolved, but I know that if it doesn't happen in this life, these men will be judged in the next life, and they will not be able to deceive anyone on that judgment day.
From K.S. in Winston-Salem (1/16):
A recent letter accusing the Journal of unnecessary over-coverage of the Darryl Hunt case is an affront to Phoebe Zerwick's fine work and an affirmation of the deterioration of the spirit of the First Amendment ("The Race Card," Letters to the Editor, Jan. 9).
Serious journalism requires that readers employ analysis and evaluation.
Sadly, many of our citizens have come to expect their news Entertainment Tonight-style: whitewashed and inconsequential, requiring nothing more (and nothing less) than intellectual submission.
The letter writer's suggestion that wrongful imprisonment provided Hunt his only avenue to quality education is a condemnation of American education - it is not a testimony to the virtues of our legal system.
If black Americans can rely on neither equitable education nor equitable justice, it is incumbent upon the Fourth Estate to make the rest of us aware of it.
If that, or the exposure of any other transgression our society commits against its citizens, creates discomfort, so be it.
Change requires learning - and learning can be a painful process. It is less painful to insulate our egos with the biased resistance and denial necessary to disparage those committed to revealing the truth.
From P.W.H. in Winston-Salem (1/14):
A heartfelt thanks to the Journal for its eight-part series on the Darryl Hunt case. I truly feel as though the report put focus back on the case as a whole.
We as a community, as a whole, all suffer when injustice is done. And I am grateful for Hunt's defense team and supporters who kept the faith. These include his attorney, Mark Rabil, and pastors John Mendez and Carlton Eversley.
I hope that Phoebe Zerwick continues her tireless efforts to uncover the truth, no matter where it leads.
From B.J.K. in Winston-Salem (1/13):
Several thousand wrongly convicted people have been freed because DNA testing conclusively proved that they were not the ones responsible for the crimes in question. There is more involved than society's shame or the unspeakable horror deliberately inflicted most unjustly upon some people.
These days, one need not be guilty of anything to be convicted. On another level, guilty parties remain at large, free to prey upon society again. No wonder crimes continue to be committed despite the number of people incarcerated in America. And building and maintaining a vast prison system takes money away from schools.
The guilty are going free in exchange for easy convictions, and no one can rationally believe that convictions of innocent people occur only in cases involving DNA evidence. Grudges, lies and withheld or falsified evidence need to be exposed to protect the innocent. Junk science has also been known to lead to wrongful convictions. "Experts" testify about tests never conducted; suppress evidence; falsify test results; and engage in statistical exaggeration. We also must be concerned about police and prosecutorial misconduct, false confessions, inadequate legal representation and jailhouse snitches. Convictions of innocent people should make honest people sick. Convictions of innocent people must end.
From W.Z. in Winston-Salem (1/13):
Would anyone venture to guess where Darryl Hunt would be today if he had been given the death penalty? This cause celbre is an argument for an end to the death penalty in this state.
Furthermore, the continued SBI involvement is like using Mr. Fox to guard the hen house. The federal government needs to investigate rampant injustices within the state legal system from the police to the judicial branch.
How many others languish in state prisons with a situation similar to that of Darryl Hunt?
From E.B.M. in Winston-Salem (1/11):
I would like to address the Darryl Hunt drama. I feel as though it's great news to be vindicated for a murder that he claims to be innocent of. I feel strongly, though, that he was there at the scene of the crime on that morning and could possibly have stopped her cruel death. There has been so much written about this crime. Had it been a black woman who was the victim, would we now be having all this drama? I doubt it.
When the murder happened, a clerk at the Hyatt House hotel identified a black man (Hunt) as having used the restroom and having left evidence of blood in the sink after washing up in there.
It's so rewarding to see the former Black Panther leader running the show. I don't think it should be said that everything is OK now, and that this is a done deal. I believe that this man, Hunt, was involved; he was at the scene when it happened.
You know what? Hunt will come out on top. However, I feel that he had something to do with the crime or at least knew about it.
From J.W.L. in Pfafftown (1/9):
It's not the Journal anymore; it's the Darryl Hunt Journal. Every day for weeks, we have heard how Hunt was wrongly accused. When Deborah Sykes was murdered, and evidence appeared to point to Hunt, where was the former Black Panther Larry Little; did he grieve for the Sykes family?
This has been turned into a racial issue, with the white man being told how wrong we have been to put in prison someone who has been convicted of brutally stabbing a woman to death. Nineteen years ago, Hunt was found guilty because of evidence, not the color of his skin. The DNA evidence proves that Hunt did not rape her but does not prove he was not at the scene of the crime.
I still think Hunt is not innocent. He should feel as if he has been compensated already. The state has educated and housed him. Can he say he would have had that otherwise? The Hunt Journal, I mean, the Winston-Salem Journal should try to report on something else for a change.
The only way to stop racially motivated acts is to stop making crimes tied to race. If a man has committed a crime, by law he goes to prison if found guilty. It is up to Little and the Journal to stop playing the race card.
My prayers are with the Sykes family. I hope the city leaders and ministers want to hear about the victim and her family; they are the ones who have suffered and are still suffering.
From M.M. in Winston-Salem (1/9):
Phoebe Zerwick has demonstrated through her columns in the Journal that she is an outstanding journalist. Now it would appear certain that she will attain the national recognition she deserves as a recipient of a Pulitzer Prize for her series on the Deborah Sykes murder case.
From L.B.R. in Winston-Salem (1/8):
I am curious to know what Sandra Campbell, who recently wrote a guest column about the Sykes family, was expecting of Darryl Hunt upon his release from prison ("Family still grieves for slain woman," Jan. 3).
Her comments suggest that she is disheartened that he isn't malnourished, reclusive or homeless. She seems to make light of his 19-year imprisonment and loss of freedom for a crime that he says he didn't commit.
Perhaps the irony is that his innocence and faith have sustained him beyond her assumptions of how he appears in the media.
Hunt is very fortunate to have the continued support of his attorney and a community of leaders and ministers. They have carried on his fight for justice with above-average stamina. Without their continued furor and insistence on continuing investigation, I doubt there would be another suspect in custody.
The quest for truth and justice in this case, though it may rekindle grief for the Sykes family, does not negate their loss. On the contrary, it supports the healing process for both the Sykes family and Daryl Hunt.
Although no card came in the mail or call over the phone, Campbell and her family are still remembered.
And, as Hunt advised, we should pray for them. Pray that they find peace and truth to replace the inane comparisons and assumptions.
From C.M.L. in Winston-Salem (1/6):
My last letter to the editor, in December, urged City Manager Bill Stuart and the Winston-Salem City Council to look outside for a new police chief. Two days after my opinion letter was published, Stuart and retiring Chief Linda Davis announced that the search would be from within the current ranks of the Winston-Salem Police Department.
Finally, someone heard me at city hall. Council member Vivian Burke, chairwoman of the public safety committee, has also recommended that Stuart look outside the department.
I did not base my opinion on the Darryl Hunt issue. The current command-level staff members who would be considered for the job carry the mentality of the past insider police chiefs who trained them. Winston-Salem needs a new face and fresh perspective. The community needs new leadership in the police chief's office.
As Forsyth County citizens decided in 2002, the sheriff's office needed a fresh face and a new mentality, and they elected Bill Schatzman. We already see a positive difference in one year. Unfortunately, the citizens do not get the opportunity to appoint a new police chief, so we all must let our opinions be known down at city hall.
From J.S.L. in San Angelo, Texas (1/5):
The Darryl Hunt case has exposed a cancer within our criminal-justice system, a cancer not unique to Winston-Salem, Forsyth County or even North Carolina.
Without trying to assess blame, which lies with many whose hands touched the case over the years, one man's quest for justice stands out.
Attorney Mark Rabil labored for Hunt tirelessly, often free - and at the expense of Rabil's family, his law practice and his reputation.
I wonder whether, if Hunt had been my own client, I would have been able to do all that Rabil has done in his behalf in the face of such overwhelming odds and legal impediments.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch labored tirelessly and at great personal risk defending Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. Finch took the controversial case at great personal cost because he believed in justice. Few of us can measure up to the lofty standard that he set.
I often wonder whether I would have been able to sacrifice as much as Finch. But Rabil has shown us that there are some attorneys who still believe in the ideals that Finch espoused.
I'm glad for Hunt that Rabil and the other attorneys who have labored for Hunt were willing to accept those personal and professional costs.
Though I have moved my law practice from North Carolina to Texas, I'm still proud to call Rabil a colleague and a friend.
From J.B. & A.B. in Sun City Center, Fla. (1/5):
We want to join with others who are celebrating the release of Darryl Hunt from prison.
We left Winston-Salem more than a year ago, and this news reached us in the St. Petersburg Times on Christmas Day. We recall so well the headlines at the time we moved to Winston-Salem in 1989, asserting Hunt's guilt, and we followed his appeals through two separate trials.
We want to thank Carlton Eversley, Larry Little, John Mendez and all the others who never gave up their support of Darryl Hunt and their efforts to prove his innocence.
We are celebrating with him, here in Florida, and wish Darryl Hunt all the best.
From A.J.B. in Winston-Salem (1/3):
Because she was just doing her job as a reporter, I doubt that Phoebe Zerwick will ever receive the credit of having helped save, or salvage, Darryl Hunt's life.
But she deserves a tremendous amount of credit for instigating and driving the investigation that eventually led to Darryl Hunt's release. She is a hero to Darryl Hunt, to our community and to justice.
If she has not yet been applauded for her work by the Journal administration, it should be done immediately.
From A.J.H. in Winston-Salem (1/3):
I have been following the stories, including the eight-part series, on the Darryl Hunt case. In the Dec. 28th article, District Attorney Thomas Keith noted that after this is all over he would like to talk to Hunt about what could be done differently next time.
As a keen observer of the case, as it has been presented in the Winston-Salem Journal, I would note that the answer to Keith's question is rather simple. In all criminal cases it would be prudent to pay attention to forensic science. Keith's refusal to consider the DNA evidence presented him in 1994 can only be understood as racism and ignorance.
Scientific inquiry, when engaged in systematically, is relatively free of biases such as racism and classism. My advice is simple: Pay attention to scientific evidence when it is available, and this should reduce the number of serious miscarriages of justice.
Hunt missed out on the most productive years of his life. The years he spent in jail are those typical for having children and launching a career, both of which he was denied. Consider this. When Hunt entered prison, Ronald Reagan was the president. During his incarceration he has missed out on advances we take for granted such as ATMs, Wal-Mart, CDs and the Internet. Regardless of the outcome in the case now, Hunt will never have his 20s and 30s back. That is the biggest shame of all.
From D.A.L. in Winston-Salem (1/3):
Kudos to Phoebe Zerwick for the series she wrote in the Journal titled "Murder, Race, Justice: The State vs. Darryl Hunt" and all the follow-up articles concerning this case. Her series was investigative journalism at its best! I couldn't wait to pick up the paper each day that series ran.
Congratulations to the Journal for running the series.
I also want to personally wish the very best to Darryl Hunt with the rest of his life. I feel certain that he will not waste a second of it.
From H.D.P. in Kernersville (1/2):
In the death of Deborah Sykes, I read about the testimonies of the attributed witnesses of the yet unclear circumstances leading to the report by a caller, which gave the wrong location for the crime and the caller being, as I understand it, not identified. So, this case was immediately cloaked in suspense.
After the testimony and retrials, I would have concluded that Darryl Hunt was involved. I concluded that the state had, beyond reasonable doubt, presented and proved its case of murder against Hunt.
In addition, I might have had a bit more insight that I had made the correct decision when, almost immediately, a former Black Panther organizer, and two ministers who have tendered to the public what I perceived as anti-white rhetoric, came to Hunt's defense.
So, one with this information could reasonably conclude as many law-enforcement officers and prosecutors might have and reasonably discount the support for Hunt by the aforementioned supporters. I believe those supporters, because of their past activities and records, helped me believe that justice was done. DNA testing is new, and I accept the correct result(s), by qualified people.
I also believe that the free press, which the Winston-Salem Journal deployed with the series questioning the degree of guilt of Hunt, played a major part in the recent actions taken by the courts. The pen is mightier than the sword.
From D.O. in Winston-Salem (12/30):
Willard Brown has known for the last 18 years that the wrong person was convicted of the crimes against Deborah Sykes. To let another human being languish in jail for something you know in your heart that you have done really adds insult to injury.
More truths will certainly come out of this case, and many people should think long and hard about the roles they've played, but none so much as Willard Brown. Darryl Hunt, leaving jail, said that he was a better man from the last 18 years. It will take a better man to forgive an injustice such as this.
From S.C.L. (12/29):
I have read many books and seen many pictures of people of different races uniting together for the same cause, but nothing as captivated and held my attention like the picture of Professor Larry Little consoling Attorney Mark Rabil, who has spent the last 20 years fighting for the freedom of a innocent man. "To Kill a Mockingbird" indeed!
From T.B. in Winston-Salem (12/26):
A little while back I wrote a letter to the Journal. I told of the openly racist tactics used by district attorney Tom Keith's administration and the Winston-Salem police department in the convictions and deaths of blacks who fall prey to their clannish justice.
I made mention of two people whom I knew personally who died while in police custody and no charges were filed against the officers involved despite outcries for justice by the black community. The spirit of that letter was that under Keith's administration, white police officers are incapable of being wrong, and black suspects are incapable of being right.
Darryl Hunt has spent 18 years in prison unjustly because of this same clannish brotherhood. Finally, with the cloak of lies and cover-ups pulled off the heads of Keith and this city's police department, the white community has taken note. I say to the white citizens of Forsyth County, "It's about time!" I hope that they all will take serious notes on Hunt's experience, since it is the one being brought into public eye.
Hunt's case is the norm in our county. I speak directly to the white community. I hope when they are sitting in that jury box they will remember, "Innocent until proven guilty."
Take note, and remember I told you so.
From J.H.S. in Winston-Salem (12/5):
Perspectives like that espoused in the Nov. 30 letter to the editor (from F.N.W. in Winston-Salem) are the main reason I am glad Hunt continues to spend quality time in a state prison.
Though the Journal can dedicate thousands of words in a well-done series examining the Deborah Sykes murder case, people of the letter writer's persuasion grasp at the same tired straws that time and again have failed to win Hunt his freedom.
She says that DNA is the "one solid piece of evidence" for or against the murderer. Did she miss out on the blood on his hands? Did she miss out on the bloody towels in the hotel bathroom? If the police just picked Hunt up off the streets for no good reason, why was his name associated on those same streets with the murder in the days before his arrest?
One aspect that was not much talked about was that experts at the time said the murderer would most likely have exhibited sexually deviant behavior before the crime. Most people would agree that being shacked up with a 14-year-old runaway girl is quite deviant sexual activity for an adult male.
The writer's ultimate pitch to free the twice-convicted murderer comes in the phrases "he is almost surely innocent" and "he has been in prison long enough." Race may see murder that way, but thankfully justice does not.
Don't free Darryl Hunt. He is where he belongs.
From G.R. in Wilkesboro (12/5):
Just wanted to let you know how much I have enjoyed Phoebe Zerwick's series on the Darryl Hunt case. I lived in Winston-Salem from 1993 to this June. I had heard bits and pieces about the case, but I never understood the magnitude of it all. The series has been enthralling and reads like a mystery novel. There are so many issues and so many sides.
I wonder if the truth will ever really come out. It really has created reasonable doubt in my mind. I mentioned the series to my husband, and he got hooked, too. I can only imagine how many hours Zerwick must have spent researching and writing this piece. Thanks for the thought-provoking series!
From F.N.W. in Winston-Salem (11/30):
The Journal and Phoebe Zerwick are to be commended for the excellent and exhaustive series on the Darryl Hunt case. Now it's time for the powers that be - preferably Gov. Mike Easley, since he could do it more quickly - to do their part.
In retrospect, the case against Hunt was pitiful. Eyewitnesses identifying a man of another race in early morning from a car. A 14-year-old runaway who admitted she "gave them what they wanted." A nearsighted witness who wasn't wearing his contacts.
The one eyewitness was afraid he'd be accused. The one solid piece of evidence for or against Hunt is the DNA evidence, and to ignore it or consider it irrelevant is the height of injustice.
Certainly it is technically possible that somebody else was the rapist and he was the killer, but that scenario is pretty ludicrous, especially since the other two known to be in the area are also ruled out.
Somewhere out there (and the person who committed the rape near GMAC in spite of another eyewitness identification to the contrary is a good bet) there is a guilty party.
It is time to free Darryl Hunt, like the other 138 nationwide who have been exonerated. He is almost surely innocent, and he has been in prison long enough.
From B.C. in Winston-Salem (11/30):
The Journal series about the Darryl Hunt case described how a well-known Patterson Avenue drink house was a safe haven, as well as a negative influence upon the behavior of the convicted murderer.
The landlord, as well as the city government, including the police department, had evidently ignored the property for years, allowing the criminal conditions there to spin out of control.
To prevent havens and breeding grounds for criminals, the police must receive support from the landlords, who should be more selective when choosing their tenants.
City council members have the ability to create and finance the enforcement of more effective city codes as to how a property is managed and maintained. Our city could also use more drug-rehab centers and homeless shelters to better serve the street people.
Of primary concern is the problematic illegal rooming house, created when an uncaring investor or a live-in owner rents out rooms in a house by the week to known prostitutes, drug dealers and street people, without doing a background check.
A reasonable person would not allow old tires to lie around, because old tires breed mosquitoes. Neither should we allow the presence of poorly managed and drug-infested properties, which are the breeding grounds for crime.
The owners of these properties need to be held accountable for providing a safe haven for criminals who prey upon innocent victims such as Deborah Sykes.
From J.G.D. in Winston-Salem (11/30):
I read with astonishment that the N.C. Supreme Court refused, based on DNA evidence, a new trial for Darryl Hunt. And to top it off, in the "In Brief" section of the paper recently, there was the story of a man who, after serving 16 years for an elderly neighbor's rape and slaying, was released after new DNA evidence showed that body fluids from the crime scene were not his. Is the Pennsylvania Supreme Court more knowledgeable and wise than North Carolina's? Go figure.
Let us all pray that justice will prevail for Darryl Hunt.
From V.Y.H. in Winston-Salem (11/25):
I have some questions concerning the evidence: Was it determined that the assailant(s) were right- or left-handed from the angle of the wounds? Were Hunt's pants tested for soil and grass analysis? What exactly was the explanation for the dirt on Hunt's pants? I think a good starting point would be to obtain DNA from Terry Thomas.
This story is a great endeavor and unsurpassed undertaking of a newspaper. Great work.
From D.R. in Winston-Salem (11/23):
I moved to Winston-Salem two years ago, so I had never heard of this case until your series started last week. From what I'm reading, Darryl Hunt and possibly his buddy, Sammy Mitchell, were the killers of this young lady. This is not the only murder they have been involved with either. However, I am catching all of your snide remarks to try to portray the case as unfair to Hunt. I'm just not buying it.
From B.C. in Winston-Salem (11/18):
The Journal article about the Darryl Hunt case described how a well-known Patterson Ave. drinkhouse was a safe haven, as well as a negative influence upon the behavior of the convicted murderer.
The landlord, as well as the city government, including the police department, had evidently ignored the property for years, allowing the criminal conditions there to spin out of control.
In order to prevent havens and breeding grounds for criminals, the police department must receive support from primarily the landlords, who should be more selective when choosing their tenants. City Council members have the ability to create and fund the enforcement of more effective city codes as to how a property is managed and maintained. Our city could also use more drug rehab centers and homeless shelters in order to better serve the street people.
Of primary concern is the problematic illegal rooming house, created when an uncaring investor or a live-in owner rents out rooms in a house by the week, to known prostitutes, drug dealers and street people, without doing a background check.
A reasonable person would not allow old tires to lie around his city because old tires breed mosquitoes. Neither should we allow the presence of poorly managed and drug-infested properties, which are the breeding grounds for crime.
The owners of these properties need to be held accountable for providing a safe haven for criminals who prey upon innocent victims, such as Deborah Sykes.