GREENVILLE, N.C. (July 15, 2026) — James Richardson, who has spent more than 17 years in prison for a shooting he did not commit, has been denied a chance to prove his innocence. Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) and Tin Fulton Walker & Owen represent Richardson and intend to appeal.
Retired North Carolina Superior Court Judge Henry W. Hight, Jr., signed an order Sept. 24, 2025, denying Richardson a new evidentiary hearing. The document was not disclosed or filed until Tuesday, July 15, 2026.
The prosecution’s own theory in Richardson’s case makes his involvement in the shooting physically impossible. A Black juror faced pressure fueled by racial animus to change his vote to convict. A key witness has since recanted. Evidence that would have cleared Richardson was buried and never reached the jury. And now, instead of a hearing, Richardson gets more silence.
“We strongly disagree with the court’s ruling and are incredibly disappointed by it,” said Jake Sussman, Chief Counsel, Justice System Reform at SCSJ. “We have critical evidence and witnesses that the jury never heard before it wrongly convicted James Richardson of crimes that he did not commit. Mr. Richardson deserves a fair day in court, something he has never been afforded, where no one is hiding the ball. It is a miscarriage of justice to deny him that opportunity yet again.”
On August 26, 2025, Richardson returned to Pitt County Superior Court for the first time since he was wrongly convicted in 2011. During an all-day hearing, his attorneys argued before Hight for a chance to present their evidence at a full evidentiary hearing. Following the hearing, he took the matter under advisement. His order ultimately denied all of Richardson’s claims.
“The court’s ruling is a setback, not an end,” said Abraham Rubert-Schewel of Tin Fulton Walker & Owen. “The Pitt County District Attorney’s Office should welcome a hearing on the merits if, as they’ve suggested, they are interested in reaching the truth of what happened. To date, they haven’t, so the work continues. Keeping an innocent man in prison does not afford Mr. Richardson or the victims’ families the justice and fairness they deserve.”
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Southern Coalition for Social Justice came together in 2007 to give Black, Brown, and low-income people better resources in the fight for justice across the South. We are lawyers, social scientists, and communications professionals working to dismantle racism and oppression in the criminal legal system, in our environment, and at the ballot box. Learn more at southerncoalition.org and follow our work on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.