On November 17, Elon Law students Daniel Harris, Leah Shellberg, Ashley Smith, Ben Synder, and Melissa Westmoreland presented research into potential wrongful convictions of individuals in North Carolina, before Christine Mumma, Executive Director of the N.C. Center on Actual Innocence. Elon's chapter of the Innocence Project also met Dwayne Allen Dail, exonerated after 18 years in prison for a rape he did not commit.
Law students presented findings on cases they have been researching over the semester and recommended whether or not the cases should be reviewed further. Mumma offered insights on their suggestions and advice for research on cases the students will receive next semester.
Mumma also introduced Dwayne Allen Dail, exonerated after 18 years in prison for a rape he did not commit. Dail spoke about his case and the issues he faced with eyewitness misidentification and unvalidated and improper forensic science. As a result of actions taken by the Center on Actual Innocence, DNA testing was done on evidence which had previously been presumed to be lost that proved Dail’s innocence and identified the rapist in the case.
Dail thanked students for the work they are doing with the Innocence Project, telling them that what they are doing for inmates across the state is important because, “they are people, people with families” and, for most, the Innocence Project is their last hope. Dail also offered his own experiences to help students in their review of Innocence Project cases.
Members of the Innocence Project receive cases each semester from inmates all over the state. They work in groups, reviewing cases to determine if there are any issues of innocence to pursue. At the end of the semester, they present memos to Mumma announcing their recommendations for the Center on Actual Innocence.
Members of the Elon Law chapter of the Innocence Project include:
A. Brennan Aberle, President
Ann Ansley
Melissa Apperson
Danielle Appelman, Treasurer
Constance Apple
Tara Austin
Christopher Avery
Kelly Ayre
Jonathan Bain
Lincoln Bennett
Pamela Boeka
Ryan Brown
Sherea Burnett
Katie Butts
Morgan Canady
Brittany Capps
Armanda Clymer
Benjamin Crissman
Jennifer Crissman
Jessica Culver
Andrea Davis
Melody Davis
Heather Deal
Brett Dewitt
Sarah Dixon
Wilfred Drath
Sally Duncan
Colleen Forcina
Adam Furr
Shoshana Fried
Matthew Garber
Robert Garner
Dustin Gill
Katherine Gosney
James Grant
Susanna Guffey
Richard Hackworth
Robert Harrawood
Daniel Harris
Elizabeth Hebron
Adam Hilton
Josh Howell
Andrew Jones
Caitlin Kelly
Danielle Kennedy
Kristen Kennedy
Daniel Kim
Elizabeth Klein
Jeffery Koehler
Jessica Kondziola
Matthew Kraus
Selena Lackey
Gwendolyn Lewis
Elisabeth Linka
Greg McLaren
Jennifer Meeks
Danielle Miller
Parker Moore
Ryan Morrison
Josh Nielsen
David Prado
Cory Puryear
Bryan Ray
Amy Riddle
Mathew Schantz
Leona Schweins
Jason Senges
Kristin Seum
Tiffany Sexton
Leah Shellberg
Kaitlin Shimansky
Ashley Smith
David Smith
Benjamin Snyder
Michael Sprague, Vice President (Training)
Crystal Sumner
Albert Tatum
Leslie Taylor
Ashley Thompson, Vice President (Case Manager)
Lien To
Diana Varner
Sarah Warner
Melissa Westmoreland
Christopher White
Matthew White
Markeshia Wilkins
James Wrenn
Lizi Xun
By Ashley Smith, L’12