Judges to Review Hickory Rape Case

A Hickory man serving a life sentence will get a chance to try to prove his innocence after more than two decades in prison.

Gurnal Scott: Willie Grimes has said all along he was not the man who raped an elderly woman in 1987. Now he will get a chance to prove that before a three-judge panel in hopes of overturning his sentence. The North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission reviewed physical evidence before making its decision. An analyst testified this week that fingerprints found on a banana in the victims' home thought to be Grimes' came from someone else. The commission is made up of judges, prosecuting and defense attorneys, law enforcement and members of the public. It heard three days of testimony before deciding the case needed another look. It could take months before three judges are seated to hear Grimes' case.