For five years, Thanksgiving came and went without North Carolina inmate Dominick Archield at his family's dinner table—this year, he was finally welcomed him home after evidence proved it was physically impossible for him to have committed the crime.
Prosecutors dropped charges against Archield, 39, this week after he spent four years in jail awaiting trial for for the 2019 murder of Denali Berries Stuckey, a transgender woman, and the 2020 attempted murder of a man while out on bail, according to the Post and Courier.
The cases against Archield collapsed after a review revealed significant flaws in both investigations. Key evidence in the attempted murder case relied on hospital surveillance footage, which was misinterpreted due to a daylight savings time error, proving Archield couldn't have been at the scene.
Among a series of errors, oversights, and shortcomings by North Charleston police, investigators overlooked the fact that the daylight savings time shift made it "physically impossible" for Archield to have been at the scene of the attempted murder of Deanglo Spann in 2020, as noted in a memo from Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson and Assistant Solicitor Jordan Norvell.
In the murder case, a recanted witness statement and mismatched physical evidence further undermined the prosecution, the Post and Courier further revealed.
"It feels great that love is still around. I had a big support team, and I appreciate everybody that stood by me," Archield said, standing outside the Charleston County Courthouse on November 29 with his family.
"We do not dismiss serious violent offenses lightly," the memo read. "But when cases weaken upon the completion of laboratory analysis and other additional developments, it is our responsibility to dismiss charges."
Despite questions surrounding the evidence, Archield remained behind bars for nearly five years as judges repeatedly denied him pretrial release. His attorney, John Kozelski, called the outcome long overdue.
Activists also expressed frustration over the delays, with James Johnson of the Racial Justice Network demanding an explanation.
"(Wilson) owes the community an explanation why Dominick Archield stayed in a county jail for almost five years," Johnson said.
Archield criticized former North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey for politicizing his case, pointing to the public announcement of his arrest.
"I want an apology from Mr. Keith Summey because he kind of railroaded me on TV, and I don't want LGBT people to see me in public and want to do something," Archield said. "I just feel like he needs to straighten this out. That's all I'm asking for. I'm innocent on both crimes."
