SBI report expected Wednesday
A report on the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is expected to be released Wednesday, WRAL News has learned.
Posted — Updated
A special three-judge panel heard testimony in February that complete blood test results had been excluded from crime lab reports presented at Taylor's 1993 trial.
An SBI agent testified that the lab results, which could have helped prove Taylor's innocence, were not included in the reports because it was SBI policy at the time not to do so.
The practice changed years ago, but Cooper, last month, suspended activity of the lab's blood stain analysis program, saying procedures and cases involving the program needed further review.
He also announced that longtime SBI director Robin Pendergraft was stepping down from the post she held since 2001 to take on a new position in his office. The move had nothing to do with the review, Cooper said.
Some defense attorneys have criticized Pendergraft for being slow to change and have also called for the Crime Lab to be independent of the SBI, saying it seeks to build cases to support law enforcement's theories instead of the truth.
The state chapter of the NAACP has also called for a thorough review of the SBI practices, including an examination of SBI testimony for potential bias.
It also wants the state to empanel a commission to review the criminal justice system.
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
