NORTH CAROLINA: 20 YEARS IN PRISON FOR AN INNOCENT MAN. WHY?

A public forum held last week to give local folks a chance to sound off on a 20-year-old murder case was cut drastically short when only a handful of residents showed up. A committee appointed by the City Council held the forum last Thursday at City Hall. The seven-person committee is charged with reviewing the actions of city departments - mainly the police - in the investigation of the murder of Deborah Sykes, who was brutally raped before she was killed in 1984. The death of Sykes, who was white, sent racial shock waves through the city after police arrested a 19-year-old black man, Darryl Hunt, for the crime.

Although many in the community believed Hunt was innocent, he was tried and convicted of killing Sykes and spent nearly 20 years in prison for the crime. Hunt was released on Christmas Eve in 2003 after DNA taken from the crime scene was linked to another man.

The committee, which is made up of four whites and three blacks from various walks of life, will put the police investigation of Hunt under the microscope to determine what went wrong. "There were mistakes made," said Ike Black, the vice chairman of the committee. "We hope these mistakes won't be repeated."

The committee will pore over endless stacks of documents, transcripts and other evidence during their probe. The public forum was to be where the committee would get residents' take on the case. But only one resident spoke at the forum, and his comments were about a matter unrelated to the Sykes case. ....

Police Chief Pat Norris was on hand for the forums last year. She was there last Thursday too. Norris, who only became chief two years ago, said her department will be forthcoming in the committee's investigation and use the committee's report, which should be complete next summer, to make changes if necessary. The department has already made some changes in the wake of Hunt's release, Norris said, including changing the procedure it uses for suspect lineups.

By most accounts, the Police Department has taken a public relations blow for fingering Hunt when there was evidence that indicated that he may have been the wrong man. But Norris says she doesn't believe that the damage is permanent. "That happened then," she said. "That is not how the Police Department is conducting business now."

Darryl Hunt and his wife, April, showed up for the hearing. But it was over by the time they arrived. He surmised that some people may have stayed home because they have grown weary of the case. "A lot of people just want to put this in the past. I understand that because I want to also," he said. But Hunt says he wants justice, true justice, before he gets his peace. Hunt and his team of lawyers and supporters have long maintained that Police Department officials twisted and hid evidence that could have exonerated Hunt. The miscarriage of justice that occurred is beyond most people's comprehension, Hunt said. He hopes the committee's review will show some of that.

Hunt has been praised since his release from prison for his poise. He has never expressed anger or hatred, just disappointment. He has started a foundation to help others wrongfully accused of crimes. He also regularly speaks on behalf of a death penalty moratorium that has been proposed in North Carolina for several years. "I still believe that this can make a difference," Hunt said of the committee's review

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