Governor Grants Pardon of Innocence to Gregory Taylor

Press Release

Based on the decisions of the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission and a three-judge panel, and after recent DNA testing by the Raleigh Police Department, Gov. Bev Perdue today granted a pardon of innocence to Gregory Taylor. Taylor was imprisoned in North Carolina from 1993-2010 as a result of a murder conviction. The pardon for Taylor makes him eligible to be considered for payments by North Carolina's Industrial Commission.

"Gregory Taylor was forced to pay a debt to society for a crime he did not commit. No amount of money can buy back those 17 years, but at least this pardon of innocence will clear his name and make him eligible to receive compensation for his unjust imprisonment," Gov. Perdue said.

Legal counsel in the Governor's Office learned of the DNA results from the Raleigh Police Department earlier today. Gov. Perdue, who is traveling down east today, signed the pardon this afternoon in New Bern.

With the exoneration of Gregory Taylor, law enforcement has reopened the 1991 murder case of Jacquetta Thomas. Gov. Perdue supports the diligent work of law enforcement in continuing the investigation of this brutal crime.

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