The Winston-Salem City Council’s public safety committee signed off on allowing the Silk Forest Citizen Review Committee to review the facts of the Jill Marker case instead focusing on the police department’s handling of the matter.
But talk of asking Police Chief Pat Norris to apply for a review of the case by the N.C. Innocence Inquiry Commission has backed off, at least for now:
Executive Director Kendra Montgomery-Blinn told council members that it could be months or years until the innocence commission could hear the Silk Plant Forest case. “We have a very small staff,” she said. “We are backed up right now.”
She also told council members that the request would have to include new evidence of innocence, which Norris said she did not have.
Council Member Robert Clark said that the city should give the citizens committee time to see if there is information to pass on to the state.
“I think we have the cart before the horse here,” he said.
Interesting that subpoena power, whether by the review committee or by the City Council on behalf of the committee, didn’t seem to come up, at least based on the Journal’s account. Of course the possibility of a new trial for Kalvin Michael Smith is still there, more than likely before the innocence commission could get the case. I wonder if the fact that the possibilty wasn’t mentioned is somehow indicates which way Forsyth DA Tom Keith is leaning?
