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Law

Appeals Court Reverses Decision In Case With Mishandled Evidence

The State Court of Appeals has reversed a Durham judge's decision to dismiss murder charges in a case involving claims of mishandled evidence.

In a decision released earlier today, Appeals Court Judge Sam Ervin says Durham Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson erred by dismissing charges against Derrick Allen. The court has ordered new hearings. Allen was accused of killing his girlfriend's daughter in 1998.

Judge Ervin says he and two other judges on the Appeals Court don't agree with Hudson's reasoning in throwing out Allen's child murder charges. But they do agree with Hudson's displeasure with how the state handled blood testing results. The case was one of many that an outside audit said was mishandled by the State Bureau of Investigation. Allen was serving a sentence when the charges were dismissed. He was charged in 1998 in the death and sexual assault of his former girlfriend's daughter. He was babysitting the child when he called 911, saying she was unresponsive

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Jessica Jones covers both the legislature in Raleigh and politics across the state. Before her current assignment, Jessica was given the responsibility to open up WUNC's first Greensboro Bureau at the Triad Stage in 2009. She's a seasoned public radio reporter who's covered everything from education to immigration, and she's a regular contributor to NPR's news programs. Jessica started her career in journalism in Egypt, where she freelanced for international print and radio outlets. After stints in Washington, D.C. with Voice of America and NPR, Jessica joined the staff of WUNC in 1999. She is a graduate of Yale University.
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