An Arrest in Rocky Mount

by Matt Kelley · 2009-09-03 05:57:00 UTC
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I wrote in August about the six women found strangled over the last four years near Rocky Mount, NC -- believed to be the victims of a serial killer. All six victims were black women, and most of them were sex workers with drug addictions. Three more women are missing. These murders began in 2005, and for years this group of marginalized, poor victims wasn’t getting a lot of attention. Finally, when the sixth victim was found this summer, the national media started to notice. (And I’m no better than the MSM; I didn’t write about until after the Anderson Cooper show had swooped down on rural Rocky Mount).

So the Silver Fox makes an appearance and suddenly we have a suspect. Antwan Maurice Pittman was charged yesterday in the murder of Taraha Nicholson, who was found strangled to death in March. The cops aren’t saying whether Pittman is tied to any of the other crimes, or even what evidence connects him to this crime. I don’t know what broke the case. I do believe the victims’ families, however, when they say the response wasn’t exactly all-hands-on-deck after the first few victims were found dead. Now we have to watch closely to make sure the police have the right guy.

Pittman is a registered sex offender with along rap sheet - making him a possible perpetrator, but also an easy target. In cases like this, where intense media pressure suddenly comes down on a small police department, it's not unheard of to pin the crime on the first person that comes to mind.

Regardless, I’m glad this case is finally getting some attention – the community and the victims deserve it. It’s about time we take a look at the role race plays in criminal investigation and the way media covers crime. Even this case has only bubbed to our attention because it's sensational. If one or two poor black women had been killed, we wouldn't be talking about this case right now, and we wouldn't be watching Pittman's trial as closely, either.

When the system operates outside of the public eye, the chances for injustice increase. And when the victims or the suspect (or both) come from a marginalized group, the public eye is less likely to notice.

Matt Kelley is the Online Communications Manager at the Innocence Project and a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Follow him on Twitter @mattjkelley.
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