Former Buncombe Prosecutor Pleads the Fifth

This Source Verification Page documents an Asheville Citizen-Times article reporting on former Buncombe County Assistant District Attorney Kate Dreher's deposition testimony in civil litigation arising from the wrongful convictions of Robert Wilcoxson and Kenneth Kagonyera. The article discusses Dreher's invocation of her Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination and provides additional context regarding allegations involving the handling and disclosure of evidence. Statement of Facts D relies upon this reporting to document concerns regarding prosecutorial conduct, evidence disclosure practices, and allegations of wrongful conviction arising from criminal prosecutions in Buncombe County, North Carolina.

Related SMAR Citation

“[Prison Legal News]”

Source Name

Former Buncombe Prosecutor Pleads the Fifth

Author(s)

Jon Ostendorff

Publication

Asheville Citizen-Times

Publication Date

December 12, 2014

Verification Source

Former Buncombe Prosecutor Pleads the Fifth

Source Location

Asheville Citizen-Times

Highlighted Pages

1 - 2

Referenced in the Supplemental Motion

Page 28, Paragraph 48

Source Status

✔ Article obtained and reviewed.

✔ Relevant passages highlighted.

✔ Publicly available source.

✔ Included within the Source Verification Archive.

Cited to Support

Lyle C. May alleges that former Buncombe County Assistant District Attorney Kate Dreher was required to appear for a deposition in civil litigation arising from the wrongful convictions of Robert Wilcoxson and Kenneth Kagonyera and invoked her Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination during questioning. The Asheville Citizen-Times article is cited to document reporting concerning Dreher's deposition testimony, her invocation of the Fifth Amendment, and allegations raised in the underlying litigation regarding the withholding of evidence favorable to the defense. May relies upon this source to support his claim that prosecutorial conduct in the Wilcoxson-Kagonyera matter became the subject of civil litigation and judicial scrutiny concerning the handling and disclosure of evidence. May further cites this source to demonstrate that allegations involving prosecutorial misconduct, wrongful convictions, and failures to disclose favorable evidence have arisen in other Buncombe County criminal cases and therefore warrant careful review of similar allegations raised in connection with his prosecution arising from the July 1997 murders in Asheville, North Carolina.

Supporting Documents

Original Article

Link to the original article.

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Highlighted Research Copy

Working research copy containing the highlighted passages cited in the Supplemental Motion.

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