In Focus: What Happened to the Rape Kit in Alleged UNC Campus Rape Case? | Eastern North Carolina Now

News Release:

    Roy Cooper's campaign launched another dishonest TV ad in defense of his inexcusable crime lab delays, backlogs and failures. He again falsely claims he fixed problems in the crime lab...
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    ...But long delays in the crime lab are still impacting law enforcement's ability to solve crimes and deliver justice for victims today.

    Over 6 Months After Alleged Valentines Day Rape, UNC Sophomore Still Waiting For Test Results From Roy Cooper's Crime Lab
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    Immediately after going to authorities, 19-year-old UNC Sophomore Delaney Robinson of Apex had a rape kit conducted to gather evidence on the alleged rape.

• Robinson: "I did everything a rape victim is supposed to do. I reported it. I allowed the rape kit to be taken. I gave a statement. I cooperated with law enforcement and the Title IX office." (WRAL, 9/14/2016)

    The Orange County DA says the rape kit was submitted to Roy Cooper's crime lab months ago for testing.    

• "Orange County District Attorney Jim Woodall said a crime lab director confirmed that the lab is in possession of the rape kit, which was submitted months ago and is being tested." (WRAL, 9/14/2016)
   

    But Roy Cooper's office says they never tested the rape kit.

• "NCDOJ: Law enforcement/ DA never requested State Crime Lab analysis of rape kit collected from UNCstudent." (Andrea Blanford, ABC11, 9/13/2016)

    Six months after the alleged rape was reported, Delaney's rape kit still hasn't been tested and they are still waiting.

• "The test results are still not back" (WNCN, 9/13/2016) http://wncn.com/2016/09/13/unc-student-says-rape-investigation-ineffective/

    In his gubernatorial campaign, Roy Cooper claims he "cleared the backlog" of untested rape kits and "fixed the problems at the crime lab." These claims have already been proven false by independent fact checkers. (WRAL, 9/9/2016)

• Roy Cooper's crime lab "was plagued by scandal during the first half of his tenure and still experiences long processing times..." (WRAL, 9/9/2016) http://www.wral.com/fact-check-is-it-true-cooper-fixed-the-problems-at-the-crime-lab-/15991330/

    While Roy Cooper continues to ignore the problems, Governor McCrory joined a national, nonpartisan campaign calling for reform to how rape and DNA evidence kits are handled. The campaign seeks to bring officials at the local, state and federal level together to work towards the goal of testing every rape kit connected to a victim within 15 to 30 days and set up a comprehensive rape kit tracking system to ensure victims don't fall through the cracks. https://governor.nc.gov/press-release/governor-mccrory-endorses-steps-ensure-justice-sexual-assault-victims

    Disclaimer: The NCGOP respects the privacy and safety of all people, especially those who are victims of sexual assault or who are in ongoing investigation in rape and sexual assault cases. The following names are only used as they have already made themselves known to the public by way of press conferences and availabilities. It is our sincere desire for them to be taken in the utmost seriousness and that justice will finally be served.

• Contact: NCGOP Communications
•     communications@ncgop.org