ORANGE COUNTY, N.C. — A new law takes effect Friday, Dec. 1, and is named after two teens who were killed in Orange County in 2022.
Devin Clark and Lyric Woods were murdered in Orange County in September 2022. It took two weeks to find out who did it.
This new law will make it easier for law enforcement agencies to put out information about juveniles who may have committed a crime.
Investigators said Clark and Woods were allegedly shot and killed by Isaiah Ross, who was 17 at the time of their murders.
Ross was accused of killing the teens in an execution-style murder which resulted in a two-week hunt for him.
The Orange County District Attorney Jeff Nieman said it took so long to find Ross because law enforcement couldn't share any information.
"We all remember it was a tense time in this community when there was that gap between when the murders occurred, and when we were able to apprehend the suspect," Nieman explained. "This law provides law enforcement with the tool to shorten that gap."
Within the law, there are parameters around the releasing of juveniles' first and last names, photographs, alleged offenses, and the level of threat imposed.
1. The child is accused of at least one offense that could go to the superior court.
2. A judge determines that the suspect is a danger to themselves or others.
3. A judge finds "good cause."
"What this law is attempting to do, is balance between the responsibility of law enforcement to protect the public, and also keep juvenile records, private as much as possible," Nieman said.
There is still protection in place for underage suspects accused of committing crimes, the law states that once they are taken into custody all information must be removed from social media and websites run by law enforcement agencies.
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