Last year, the N.C. State Bar said Scott Brewer (now a district court judge) and Kenneth Honeycutt (former Union County DA) withheld evidence in Jonathan Hoffman's 1996 murder trial.
Hoffman was convicted and sentenced to death. After seven years on death row, he got a new trial when evidence surfaced. That trial is expected to take place this fall in Union County, where Michael Parker -- Honeycutt's former chief assistant -- is now DA.
The bar says evidence of prosecutorial misconduct by Honeycutt and Brewer is enough to charge the two with obstruction of justice and subornation of perjury. Bar Counsel Carolin Bakewell sent Parker documents in the case in January.
This week, in a written statement, Parker says he got incomplete evidence, describing a letter acompanying documents Bakewell sent as not requesting an investigation or alleging criminal violations.
Parker was urged to step aside from the matter because of his prior association with both men. Honeycutt had proposed him as his replacement when he resigned.
Parker made no public statement, but asked the Administrative Office of the Courts to name a special prosecutor to look into the allegations.
In his statement this week, Parker said he would never have considered prosecuting the two himself, or even handling their investigation.
"There was never a question as to whether I could review the material and determine whether any violations occurred," he said. "I could not. In fact, I never set out to investigate the matter. My role was to collect and document the file to guarantee that whoever was tasked with the investigation and a decision in the matter had all the information from our files and that the Bar material was complete when handed over."
He said he had every confidence in Greeson, a retired state superior court judge.
"Judge Greeson is a well respected jurist," Parker said. "I know that he will set himself to this task with an eye toward determining the truth. I know that he will be fair and will render an impartial decision based upon the law and the facts."
Greeson will work independently from Parker and the Union County District Attorney's office.
John Chappell can be reached at 783-5841 or by e-mail at jchappell@thepilot.com.
