sylvester smith
In 1984, two girls, 4 and 6 years old, were molested by their 9-year-old cousin at their family home in Belville, North Carolina. When the molestation was discovered, the girls’ grandmother pressured them to accuse Sylvester Smith, the boyfriend of one of their mothers, of committing the abuse, instead of their cousin. The girls accused Smith and, based on their testimony, he was convicted of rape by a jury and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. Twenty years later, in 2004, the victims came forward and recanted, saying that Smith had never molested them and they were pressured into lying by their grandmother, who was trying to protect their cousin, her grandson. In November 2004, Smith’s conviction was overturned and prosecutors dropped the charges. Smith requested a pardon from then Governor Mike Easley, but Easley, who had personally prosecuted Smith in 1984, refused to pardon him in 2005. The girls’ cousin, who is now serving a life sentence for murder, could not be prosecuted because he was under age at the time of the crime.
Summary courtesy of The National Registry of Exonerations, reprinted with permission. |
County: Brunswick
Most Serious Crime: Child Sex Abuse Additional Convictions: Sexual Assault Reported Crime Date: 1984 Convicted: 1984 Exonerated: 2004 Sentence: Life Race: Black Sex: Male Age: 32 Contributing Factors: Perjury or False Accusation Did DNA evidence contribute to the exoneration?: No |