The Trials of Darryl Hunt

On Tuesday, July 11th, I attended the movie screening for "The Trials of Darryl Hunt" at Landmark E Street Cinema, 555 11th Street, NW. The movie screening was held by the Center for American along with Annie Sundberg. "The Trials of Darryl Hunt" documents a brutal rape and murder in North Carolina, and offers a deeply personal story of a wrongfully convicted man, Darryl Hunt, who spent twenty years in prison for a crime he did not commit.

In 1984, a young white newspaper reporter, Deborah Sykes, was raped, sodomized and stabbed to death just blocks from where she worked in Winston-Salem, NC. Base on an ID made by a former Klan member, a 19-year-old black man, Darryl Hunt, was charged. No physical evidence linked Hunt to the crime. Hunt was convicted by an all white jury, and sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1994, DNA testing cleared Hunt, yet he would spend another ten years behind bars. The film chronicles this capital case from 1984 through 2004. With personal narratives and exclusive footage from two decades, the film frames the judicial and emotional responses to this chilling crime - and the implications surrounding Hunt's conviction - against a backdrop of class and racial bias in America. This unique look at one man's loss and redemption challenges the assumption that all Americans have the right to unbiased justice.

The panel discussion that followed the movie featured Darryl Hunt; Mark Rabil, Darryl Hunt’s attorney; Nkechi Taifa, senior policy analyst at Open Society Policy Center; and Clyde Williams, Center for American Progress. The movie was very moving. At a few points in the movie, I was brought to tears. I think everyone should watch this movie when it comes out, but especially the people who have lived in the South at one point in their lives. Being a native of North Carolina, I was shocked that I had never heard of his story. This is one reason I chose to pursue a career in the legal system, to try to make a positive impact on at least one person’s life. I know that Darryl Hunt's case is not the only case like this. During the discussion Darryl was asked about his faith and how it was strengthened throughout his prison sentence. He told the audience that his grandparents instilled Christian beliefs in him at a young age, by making him attend church every Sunday. After the screening and discussion had come to an end, I had a chance to speak to the entire panel and the director of the movie. I really enjoyed this movie and I am glad I had the privilege to view the movie before it airs on HBO.

This movie will debut on HBO in 2007!