SBI questions lab results; murder cases could be re-opened

New Hanover County (WWAY) — New Hanover County prosecutors will have to start from scratch, regarding the cases in question. Their mission is to determine if blood evidence in these cases is important enough to re-open the cases.

Aside from doing an exhaustive review of evidence, prosecutors will also have to try to track down defense attorneys, law enforcement officers, and old reports, which they say, may not even exist anymore.

Due to recent budget cuts, resources are low. Prosecutors say collecting the necessary components will take time, but assistant district attorney Tom Old says it’s going to be a lot of legwork.

“Most of those cases are of such an age, that not many of us, if any of us, were involved in any of them,” said Old. “The work that we will need to do in respect to this SBI lab report, and our continuing duties, is all the more difficult with fewer and fewer people. It’s basically a law of diminishing returns.”

Five of the convicted murderers from our area are currently in prison, serving life sentences.