Darryl Hunt, an African-American man from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was wrongfully convicted in 1984 for the rape and murder of Deborah Sykes, a 25-year-old white newspaper copy editor. He maintained his innocence and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Hunt spent 19 1/2 years in prison before being exonerated in 2004 after DNA evidence showed he could not have committed the crime, and another man, Willard E. Brown, confessed to the murder.

After his release, Hunt became an advocate for criminal justice reform and the abolition of the death penalty. He founded The Darryl Hunt Project for Freedom and Justice to educate the public about flaws in the criminal justice system and support those wrongfully incarcerated. His activism helped lead to passage of the N.C. Racial Justice Act in 2009, which allowed death row inmates to challenge sentences based on systemic racial bias. Hunt died on March 13, 2016, at age 51.

If anyone knew Darryl Hunt, Deborah Sykes, or has information about the case or its aftermath, please share what you know.