May 2024 Newsletter
The Durham County District Attorney’s Office newsletter highlights the work staff do in and out of the courthouse.
In the Office
Two long-time employees of the Durham DA’s Office retired in May — Gloria Alexander and Chris Foust. Foust served as a legal assistant on homicide cases and retired after 15 years with the office. Alexander served as the calendar and grand jury clerk upon her retirement after 25 years with the office.
The Durham DA’s Office will have modified hours this summer. The office will close at 12:30 p.m. on Fridays only from May 24 through August 30. During these times, staff members will continue to be present for court and other in-person obligations.
The DA’s Office welcomed a new employee, Carmen Dennison. She joined the District Court Team as a legal assistant. Dennison previously worked in Farm Bureau’s subrogation department. She attended Louisburg College and graduated from East Carolina University with a business degree.
Sarah Willets is now the office’s director of public affairs and special projects. Willets joined the office as the communication specialist in 2019. She oversees the office’s media relations, web content and community engagement efforts and assists with office-wide policy and operational projects.
The DA’s Office welcomed a new class of summer interns. Interns in the DA’s Office get hands-on experience with administrative work, assisting victims, preparing cases and even prosecuting cases with support from an ADA. So far this summer, interns have also observed homicide trials and participated in discussions with DA’s Office staff and other experts working on a range of cases.
Sloan Godbey is a rising 2L at NCCU School of Law interested in human rights and social justice. As an undergraduate student at UNC-Chapel Hill, she majored in women’s and gender studies and political science with a minor in sexuality studies. Godbey has volunteered with the Trevor Project, started a nonprofit called the lowercase leaders, serves on the executive board of the Outlaw club at NCCU (for LGBTQ+ and allies), and previously interned with an immigration law firm. She is assisting the District Court Team and Special Victims Unit.
Fred Horne is a rising 3L at North Carolina Central University School of Law interested in criminal and civil litigation. He studied criminal justice at East Carolina University. Horne serves as vice president of the Trial Advocacy Board and a member of the trial team at NCCU School of Law. He previously worked as a legal assistant at Cummings and Kennedy Law Firm and as a legal intern at the Craven County District Attorney’s Office. He’s assisting the District Court Team this summer.
Amber Harvey is a third year last student at North Carolina Central University School of Law. She graduated from Hampton University with a degree in English. She volunteers at a food bank in Durham and serves as treasurer of her 3L Class Counsel. She previously worked as a fellow at the Charleston Pro Bono Office, assisting clients with divorce, custody and human trafficking issues. She is assisting the District Court Team and Special Victims Unit.
Cameron Ziglar is a third year last student at North Carolina Central University School of Law. She studied communication studies and political science at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is a member of the Black Law Student Association and previously served as a student advocate in the Juvenile Law Clinic at NCCU Law. As a participant in the Pro Bono Clinic at NCCU Law, she has worked with the DEAR Program and Legal Aid of North Carolina. She previously interned at the Forsyth County Public Defender’s Office and the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission. She is assisting the District Court Team.
Interested in interning with the Durham DA’s Office? Email Chief of Staff Michelle Cofield at michelle.s.cofield@nccourts.org.
In the Courts
Recently closed cases include:
- Assistant District Attorney William Massengale secured two first-degree murder convictions at trial. On May 23, a jury found the defendant found guilty of two homicides on February 3, 2021. He received two life sentences.
- Assistant District Attorney Mary Jude Darrow secured a second-degree murder conviction in a fatal shooting that occurred at a car meet-up on September 13, 2020. Read more in our press release.
In the News
District Attorney Satana Deberry talked to CBS17 about recent shootings in Durham, the extensive evidence involved in these cases, and how the DA’s Office works to address violent crime.
