The Case of Darryl Hunt    

The Case of Darryl Hunt

Conviction of a person for a crime that he or she did not commit is one of the greatest tragedies in the U.S criminal justice system. These wrongful convictions are often associated with causes such as erroneous investigations, but they are usually resolved through forensic science involving DNA testing. The following essay describes the case of Darryl Hunt, who was wrongfully convicted and exonerated.

Why Hunt Was In Custody and What Happened Ultimately

Darryl Hunt was in custody because he was wrongfully convicted of two murders that he did not commit. Ultimately, when new evidence emerged, he was exonerated and freed. In August 1984, Deborah Sykes, a 25-year-old white, was sexually assaulted and murdered. Following the murder, Darryl Hunt, a 19-year-old African American man, was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime. Three years later, Darryl Hunt was tried again and convicted for the 1983 murder of Arthur Wilson, an African American man. In1989, both cases were overturned on appeal. However, in 1990, Hunt was acquitted and was convicted again in 1991 on the Sykes charges for life imprisonment. In 1994, the defense gained DNA in the Sykes case, and it showed he did not commit the rape, but the judge ruled it would not be sufficient evidence as he could have been involved in the murder. However, new DNA findings excluded him from the scene of the crime, and he was freed.

Role of DNA in the Case

DNA had an essential role in this case as it helped to exonerate Darryl Hunt. The first DNA testing found the semen found the specimen collected from the crime scene not to be Hunt’s ruling out the possibility of Hunt having committed the rape. In 2004, Hunt’s lawyers requested the government’s database to run a DNA profile from the crime scene, and the request was granted. When the results came out, they matched the DNA to Willard Brown, another man who had been incarcerated for another murder, excluding Hunt from Sykes murder. Willard Brown also confessed to committing the rape and the killing and pleaded guilty. As a result, Hunt was exonerated and freed after serving 19 years in prison.

Laws That Can Be Established To Help Wrongfully Convicted People

Laws that require the use of DNA tests as the primary source of evidence can be established to assist citizens placed in wrongful convictions. DNA evidence is more reliable because it gives accurate proof in determining a person’s innocence or guilt and that even the minute quantities of DNA can yield sufficient material for analysis. Moreover, the probability of two individuals having identical DNA profiles is less than 1 in a billion. Other methods, such as the use of eyewitnesses used in Hunt’s case, are very unreliable. The reason is that they rely on techniques such as showing the witness photographs implying that, the witnesses compare the photos and select the one that most approximates what they can remember.

Role of race in the case

Race played a part in the care of Darryl Hunt during the identification and the trails. Following the murder of Sykes, a man came forward telling the police that he saw Skye with an African American man before the crime happened. Since the police had already met Hunt the day before, they arranged a photo lineup and included Hunt’s photo because the witness described features of a person who matched Hunt’s appearance. As a result, the man identified Hunt as the perpetrator. During the retrial, Hunt went before an all-white Jury, and the central eye witness testified against him again. Within one hour, the jury had concluded its deliberation and convicted Hunt for first-degree murder. Even after DNA results established that Hunt’s DNA  was not similar to that found in the victim’s body, Hunt’s appeals were rejected. Thus, he continued to serve prison for another ten years.