FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2025
The North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission wishes to announce the exoneration today of Mr. Clarence Roberts. On August 15-17, 2023, the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission (NCIIC) held a hearing in State v. Clarence Roberts, 13 CRS 054359 (Robeson County). The case arises from the murder of Joshua Council on June 14, 2013. On May 5, 2017, Clarence Roberts was convicted, after a jury trial, of Second-Degree Murder. After carefully considering the evidence, the Commission concluded by a vote of 6-2 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.
On April 16, 2025, the three-judge panel voted unanimously that Mr. Roberts had proved his innocence by clear and convincing evidence. Mr. Roberts has been exonerated and his immediate release ordered after being incarcerated for more than 8 years.
Since the creation of the NCIIC in 2007, over 3,500 claims have been submitted to and reviewed by Commission staff. The Commission has held 19 hearings. Sixteen individuals, who spent in excess of 300 years in prison collectively for crimes they did not commit, have now been exonerated as a result of the Commission’s investigations. The North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission wishes to credit attorneys Mackenzie Myers and Taylor Miller for their work on this case.
The Commission, as defined by statute, is an extraordinary procedure designed to review, investigate and determine credible claims of factual innocence. Mr. Roberts’ case evidences the continued benefit the Commission serves North Carolina not only through the exonerations of wrongfully convicted individuals but also in the confirmations of guilt. The Commission’s relevancy has not ceased, yet just as this case was in its final stages, the North Carolina Senate proposed the complete elimination of the Commission. Our hope is that this exoneration highlights the ongoing need for our services as well as the vital importance of our mission. It is imperative the Commission continues to complete the work outlined in our statute as it significantly contributes to the greater good of the criminal justice space as a whole.