CHARLOTTE – A three-judge panel will convene in Mecklenburg County today to hear the case of State vs. Israel Grant.
On November 29, 2017, the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission held a hearing in State vs. Israel Grant (Mecklenburg – 05 CRS 244094; 05 CRS 076342). Grant was convicted for the August 15, 2005, robbery of Christina Adcock and Jason Taylor.
During the hearing, the Commission’s executive director, Lindsey Guice Smith, presented the case to the Commissioners. The Commission’s lead investigator on this case was Staff Attorney Brian Ziegler. After carefully considering the evidence, the Commission unanimously concluded that there was sufficient evidence of factual innocence to merit judicial review and the case was referred forward for a hearing before a three-judge panel.
MORE INFORMATION
The North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission is a state agency charged with investigating post-conviction claims of factual innocence. The agency was created by the General Assembly in 2006 and began operations in 2007. The Commission is the first and only of its kind in the country. Since 2007, the Commission has conducted investigations that have resulted in the exoneration of 10 individuals and over 2,500 claims have been submitted to the agency. Since November 2017, the Commission has held three hearings which resulted in referral to a three-judge panel. All are awaiting hearing.
For more information, please contact the Commission’s executive director, Lindsey Guice Smith, at 919-890-1580 or [email protected].
Visit the Commission’s website at www.innocencecommisson-nc.gov.
About N.C. Judicial Branch
The Judicial Branch is an equal and distinctively separate branch and core function of government. More than 6,000 Judicial Branch employees statewide administer justice in courthouses in North Carolina’s 100 counties. The Judicial Branch budget for FY 2017 – 2018 was $530.2M, 92% of which is used to pay salaries and the remaining 8% is used for operations. The Judicial Branch receives 2.25% only of the overall State budget. More than 47% of the Judicial Branch’s appropriation is equivalent to revenues collected by the courts through imposed fines and fees that are deposited in the State General Fund.
About N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts
The N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts (NCAOC) is the administrative agency for the N.C. Judicial Branch, providing administrative services to help the North Carolina court system operate more efficiently and effectively, taking into account each courthouse’s diverse needs, caseloads, and available resources.
Media Contacts
Sharon Gladwell – O 919-890-1394 | M 919-247-2173 | [email protected]
Charles Keller – O 919-890-1405 | M 704-607-0777 | [email protected]