In 1976, Joseph Sledge was accused of murdering a mother and daughter in Bladen County, NC. Because of the many limits of scientific evidence at the time, hairs found at the scene of the crime were identified as "Negroid." And because Joseph Sledge was a Black man, the hairs were linked to him. Over 34 years later, the use of DNA testing has been used to prove that those hairs were not Sledges'. The News and Observer has tracked the evolution of Joseph Sledge's case. Mandy Locke is a reporter for the News & Observer and has been following the story of Sledge, as well as other North Carolina inmates. She joins Host Frank Stasio to discuss the evolution of evidence in the case of Joseph Sledge.
You can find Mandy Locke's articles covering the Joseph Sledge's story here:
In prison for 34 years, but 'God knows I'm innocent'
Discarded evidence costs some NC inmates a chance at freedom
Key witness in Sledge case recants, saying investigators pushed him to lie
