September 2022 Newsletter
The Durham County District Attorney’s Office newsletter highlights the work staff do in and out of the courthouse.
In the Community
DA Deberry Joins Prosecutors Against Gun Violence Summit on Shootings
DA Deberry participated in a national conference on non-fatal shootings. The conference was presented by the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, the Prosecutors’ Center for Excellence and Prosecutors Against Gun Violence, of which DA Deberry is a member. Topics included best practices for investigating and prosecuting non-fatal shootings, preventing non-fatal shootings, helping victims, witnesses and defendants heal from trauma, and community outreach. While non-fatal and fatal shootings often involve similar characteristics, non-fatal shootings typically see lower clearance rates.
DA Deberry Speaks on Panel about Family Justice Centers
DA Deberry participated in a panel discussion as part of the 4th Annual North Carolina Family Justice Center and Collaborative Communities Conference. The panel was titled “Criminal Justice Reform and Racial Equity Plenary,” moderated by Jasmine McGhee, Special Deputy Attorney General and Director of the Public Protection Section at the North Carolina Department of Justice. Other panelists included representatives from Buncombe County Justice Services, the ACLU, and an advocate for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence in Guilford County.
DA Deberry Joins National Conference on Sex Crime Prosecutions
DA Deberry attended a national conference on the challenges of prosecuting sex crimes and how to better serve individuals and communities impacted by these cases. The conference was offered by the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College and included prosecutors, advocates, academics, and survivors.
Staff Speak to Student Journalists Covering Courthouse
DA Deberry, Assistant District Attorney Kendra Montgomery-Blinn and Communication Specialist Sarah Willets spoke to an Advanced Reporting class at Duke University. Students in the class report on the courthouse for The 9th Street Journal, and have for several semesters. They shared information with students about the court process, the role of district attorneys, and the policies and priorities of the Durham DA’s Office. Previous classes’ work has featured the Durham DA’s Office clothing closet, domestic violence prosecutor Joshua Sotomayor, convictions in cold case sexual assaults, and what Pride means to DA Deberry.
In the Office
ADA Ingram Selected for Stanford University Leadership Program
Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Ingram was selected to participate in a national leadership program for prosecutors. Prosecution Leaders of Now is hosted by the Stanford Graduate School of Business and sponsored by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Approximately 40 early-to-mid career prosecutors were selected for the virtual, 12-week program. The goal of the program is to “to develop and support emerging leaders committed to transforming the practice of prosecution and redressing inequities in the criminal justice system.” As part of the program, participants are asked to identify a project in their office and come up with an action plan to address it. ADA Ingram’s project is focused on continuing to build coordination between the DA’s Office and law enforcement. ADA Ingram is a prosecutor with the Durham DA’s Office Homicide & Violent Crimes Team.
“The program focuses on teaching us to lead and think outside the box,” Ingram said. “It is teaching skills to use in order to understand how our jobs as prosecutors affect all those involved in the criminal justice system, defendants, victims, law enforcement and the communities that we serve.”
Deputy Chief Ford Harding Marks Service to State of NC
Brenda Ford Harding, Deputy Chief for Legal and Community Affairs, was presented with a service award, marking five years of service to the state of North Carolina.
Prior to joining the DA’s Office, Ms. Ford Harding worked as a Reginald Heber Smith Community Fellow at North Central Legal Assistance Program; staff attorney and managing attorney at East Carolina Legal Services; executive director of the Land Loss Prevention Project; acting director of the North Carolina Central University School of Law’s civil litigation clinic; chief deputy commissioner for the Employment Security Commission; and executive director of North State Legal Services. She previously served in Washington, D.C.-based organizations as deputy director of the National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights; executive director of Neighborhood Legal Services and chair of the Transformative Justice Coalition.
Learn more about Ford Harding, her career advancing civil rights, and her role in the Durham DA’s Office in this video created by a Durham DA’s Office summer intern.
Workload Study Underway in Prosecutors’ Offices
Prosecutors’ offices across the state are engaged in a study to measure staff workloads and resource needs. The results of the time study, conducted by the National Center for State Courts, will be used to inform the allotment of employees in DA’s Offices, which are set by the state legislature. The last workload study was conducted in 2012.
DA’s Office Staff Continue Commitment to Victim Services Through Training
The Durham DA’s Office is committed to ensuring crime victims are informed and supported through the court process. In accordance with this commitment, staff participated in a training on crime victims’ rights in North Carolina. The training, conducted by the Conference of District Attorney’s, covered crime victims’ rights as they relate to notice of court proceedings and developments in their cases. The training was offered to reinforce prior training most staff members have previously had on the subject, and educate new employees. As a complement to the victims’ rights training all staff also received virtual training on communicating with people who have endured trauma.
In the Courts
Recently closed cases include:
- Assistant District Attorney Blake Norman secured a conviction in a homicide that occurred December 19, 2020. The defendant pleaded guilty on September 12 to second-degree murder for shooting the victim, who was in the car with him and others. A co-defendant’s charges remain pending.
- Assistant District Attorney Michael Wallace secured a guilty plea in the August 18, 2019, shooting death of an 18-year-old. ADA Wallace stated in court that the defendant had gone to the victim’s home to confront him after being told the victim choked his four-year-old son. During the confrontation, the defendant shot the victim in the chest, claiming self defense. The defendant entered an Alford plea on September 21 to voluntary manslaughter.
- Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Ingram secured a conviction in a 2021 shooting that killed a teenager. The shooting took place on April 4, 2021, outside a gas station on Alston Avenue. The defendant pleaded guilty on September 26 to second-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon. A co-defendant’s charges remain pending.
