Repository Collection 03
State v. Ronnie Long
CASE ENTRY
Last Revised • July 11, 2026
This Source Verification Page documents the National Registry of Exonerations case profile for State v. Ronnie Long, cited in Claim III of the Supplemental Motion. The case is referenced as an example of a North Carolina conviction later overturned following findings of police misconduct, mishandling of evidence, and prosecutorial failures. It is included to illustrate comparable patterns of official misconduct cited in support of post-conviction relief.
Related SMAR Citation
“State v. Ronnie Long: Cabarrus Co. Willful police misconduct, mishandling of evidence, and prosecutorial failures led to vacatur and exoneration.”
Case Name
State v. Ronnie Long
Location
Cabarrus County, North Carolina
Convicted
1976
Exonerated
2020
Verification Source
The National Registry of Exonerations
Source Location
The National Registry of Exonerations
Highlighted Pages
3 - 4, 6 - 8
Referenced in the Supplemental Motion
Page 58, Paragraph 121
Source Status
✔ Obtained and reviewed.
✔ Relevant passages highlighted.
✔ Publicly available source.
✔ Included within the Source Verification Archive.
Cited to Support
Lyle C. May alleges that North Carolina courts have granted post-conviction relief in cases involving police misconduct, withheld exculpatory evidence, misleading forensic evidence, and prosecutorial failures. The Ronnie Long case is cited as an example in which undisclosed exculpatory evidence, misleading forensic evidence, and official misconduct resulted in the vacatur of Long's conviction and his subsequent exoneration. May relies upon Long to illustrate that comparable patterns of official misconduct have resulted in post-conviction relief and exoneration in North Carolina. May cites this authority in support of his request for disclosure of evidence relating to his Buncombe County case arising from the July 1997 murders in Asheville, North Carolina.
Supporting Documents
Case Profile
Link to the Case Profile.
Highlighted Research Copy
Working research copy containing the highlighted passages cited in the Supplemental Motion.
Continue Your Research
Return to Claim III
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