Greg Taylor spent 6,149 days in North Carolina prisons for a murder he did not commit. Greg’s story is one of excess, wrong turns, bad luck and a loving supportive family that never stopped believing in him. It’s also the story of the courageous people who have worked tirelessly to reform North Carolina’s criminal justice system and madke it one of the most progressive in the country. What happened to Greg on the day he was arrested could have happened to anyone.
We began documenting Greg's story in January, 2010 - one month before Greg gained his freedom.
Since then, we have conducted over 45 interviews with Greg's attorneys, his family, friends and others.
Our most recent addition to Greg's story is a video we call "Greg Taylor 'Ghost.'" The footage comes, primarily from an interview we did with Greg January 25th, 2010 at Johnston County Correctional Institution - 23 days before he was freed. In the interview he reflects on his years in prison: from the astonishment he and his family felt at his conviction to missing his daughter's wedding. We'll be submitting Ghost to film festivals. Here's the trailer.
The following is a video we put together of the final minutes of the Innocence Inquiry Commission hearing that set Greg free. We call it "The Verdict." This sample is 20 minutes long - consequently it is a large file and may take some time to download. Sometimes it is best to wait a minute or two for the file to load before playing.
This clip "Passion" is part of an interview with Christine Mumma, Greg's attorney. She is also the Executive Director of the North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence. www.nccai.org/. Chris is a compelling spokesperson for criminal justice reform in North Carolina and across the country. It is through Chris that we have been involved with this project.
In the weeks before Greg's hearing we interviewed many of his family. The clip below sets the scene for the hearing that would determine Greg's future.
Free Greg Taylor c/oSwiftwater Media 108 S. Spruce Street Winston-Salem, NC 27101 It takes a lot of people to tell a story that takes place over twenty years. To see the people who have helped us to date, click the link below. We would love to add your name to our credits! Greg and his attorneys proved his innocence during a hearing before a three-judge panel that was concluded on February 17, 2010. One of the key revelations during the hearing was that the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation had a policy that, at best, misled how blood evidence was reported. In Greg's case the SBI report said that blood found on the fender of his truck gave "chemical indications" for the presence of blood. This implied that the blood was from Jacquetta Thomas, the victim in the case. The reality was that while the first tests did indicate the presence of blood, subsequent tests PROVED that it was not human blood.
The Raleigh News and Observer has done an excellent series of reports on the SBI scandal called "Agent's Secrets." http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/08/08/619461/sbi-ignores-years-of-warnings.html. The impact of this investigation is only beginning to be felt across the state.
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CREDITS
