DURHAM -- North Carolina's legal community is remembering Darryl Hunt, who many said became the face of wrongful convictions throughout the state.
The 51-year-old was found unresponsive inside a car in Winston-Salem over the weekend. Police have not said what caused his death.
Hunt made headlines after he was freed from prison in 2004. DNA evidence proved he didn't commit the murder of a newspaper editor, Deborah Sykes. Hunt had served 19 years in prison. Many who advocated for his release say, even though he was free, he still had a prison mentality.
"He talked about it, how he was, still in some ways incarcerated -- psychologically and conditionally. He was conditioned to not make decisions for himself. Had to do what he was told to do," says Theresa Newman of the Duke Law Innocence Project.
Still, Hunt was able to channel his ordeal into a passion to help others. He often spoke about his story, highlighting the imperfections of the criminal justice system.
"The thing about Darryl is that you couldn't help to be a better person after hearing Darryl speak," says Jamie Lau of the Duke Law Innocence Project. He had heard Hunt speak when he was a law student.