DA candidates Hollocker, Murray on sex crimes; handling things differently than Newman

Two Republican candidates are vying to be District Attorney for Henderson, Polk and Transylvania counties, a position made infamous when Greg Newman was removed from his post last year. He was the first district attorney to be removed outside of an election in Western North Carolina history.

Mary Hollocker, a former magistrate for Henderson County and a current Transylvania County attorney, is up against Andrew Murray, who was appointed by N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper to the position last year after Newman's removal.

Hollocker, 53, is running for the position for a second time, the first time was in 2018. The Hendersonville resident is a former professor at Brevard College in its criminal justice department and currently works for Neumann Law Firm in Brevard.

Prior to becoming DA, Murray, 60, who lives in Flat Rock, was picked by Donald Trump to be a U.S. Attorney and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2017.

The winner of the primary will be the only name on the ballot in November for district attorney District 42, unless someone else qualifies by petition, according to the North Carolina Board of Elections.

Related reading:District Attorney Greg Newman removed from office; only 3rd removal in NC history

According to the North Carolina Board of Elections, the winner will appear on the ballot in November. The winner’s name will be the only name listed on the November ballot for District Attorney District 42, unless someone else qualifies by petition.

After Newman was removed from office, April 27, 2021, when Superior Court Judge Robert C. Ervin ruled that he engaged in "willful misconduct in office" and "conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice which brings the office into disrepute” under N.C. General Statute 7A-66, six days later, Murray was appointed acting district attorney.

Both Murray and Hollocker said they would handle things differently than Newman, who held the post from 2013-2021. His handling of child sex abuse and sexual assault cases ultimately led to his removal from office.

The candidates responded to general questions about their role as the district attorney and how they'd serve the citizens of Western North Carolina. Their answers:

How would you handle sex crime cases differently than Newman?

Hollocker:  My experience with sexual assault cases is fairly extensive.  I was assigned to and handled numerous sexual assault cases while I was a prosecutor before moving to North Carolina.  As a prosecutor, I attended numerous trainings all over the country on the topics of abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence.  My experience in handling these cases will aid greatly in improving the manner in which sex assault cases are prosecuted in our district.

First and foremost, communication with the victim of sexual assault is key.  A relationship between the prosecution team and the victim is essential to the process – especially when the victim is a child.  A good relationship helps to gain full and accurate information from a victim that has already been through a devastating experience and is often extremely reluctant to again visit that trauma.  Expecting a victim to come to court and testify before a group of strangers and expect them to do so persuasively when they don't have a relationship with the prosecutor and others on the prosecution team is simply a dereliction of duty.

Once a relationship is established, the prosecution team must evaluate whether the victim is strong enough to endure a trial.  The prosecution team must work closely with the victim's counselor who is usually extremely helpful in making this determination.  The impact the trial will have on the victim cannot be ignored.  Requiring a victim to go through a process that will cause more harm than good is not a responsible way of moving forward.

Another important factor is to make sure the victim and their family are kept up to date on what is going on in the prosecution, taking time to explain how the process actually works.  Way too many victims are left in the dark about these things which adds to stress levels and emotional trauma that can be eliminated by having transparency.  The process must be thoroughly explained to the victim so that they understand how the trial will be conducted and they know what to expect.

Finally, it is important that the victim has support throughout the prosecution process.  From being kept aware of court dates to providing assistance when a victim impact statement is given, victims must not feel alone and isolated when they are involved in this process.  Having a victim coordinator is essential as is having a separate room or area for the victim to wait while at the courthouse is essential.  There is no excuse for having a victim sit in the same courtroom with the person who committed the crime against them.  Doing these things will lessen the stress and anxiety that victims experience and will hopefully help in the long-term healing process.

I do not believe that many of my practices were utilized effectively by either the former or current district attorney.  When elected district attorney, I will actively be involved in handling sexual assault cases as I have the experience and knowledge to successfully prosecute these cases.  I will train other attorneys in the office to also handle these types of cases.  As I have said, of paramount importance is to work closely and compassionately with the victims of these horrible crimes."

Murray: Shortly after taking over the office, I recognized the office needed to be reorganized in order to capitalize on the available talent and experience in the office to make us more efficient and effective and to provide for accountability.  Two of my most senior assistant district attorneys (ADAs), with over 45 years of combined experience, are now exclusively handling all violent crimes, including serious sex offense cases.  I also initiated a process where my executive team (comprised of myself and senior ADA’s) reviews serious felony cases, including murder, rape and sex offenses.

In addition to the reorganization and case review process, I immediately recognized I needed an additional assistant DA. to handle "special victim" cases to include sex crimes and felony domestic violence cases.  Early in my administration, I went to Raleigh to speak with each of our legislators about this critical need.  Our legislators listened and were able to secure an additional ADA and victim witness coordinator position out of the most recent state budget.  I have hired a new ADA and am in the process of training an ADA from my office with several years of experience to be a "special victims" prosecutor.  This ADA has been assigned to work with, and be mentored by, my two most senior ADAs that exclusively handle serious felonies. This ADA will also attend every available training opportunity geared towards sex crimes and domestic violence crimes. My purpose and desire is to develop an ADA sexual crimes expert in order to most effectively meet the needs of the community for this unique and difficult subset of crimes.

Describe your political career up to this point and what made you want to run for this office? 

Hollocker: This is the second time I have run for a political office. The first time I ran was for district attorney in 2018. Both times I ran because I believe that the office of the district attorney can be more effective under my leadership. Communication is key in having an effective office that understands and meets the needs of our community. I worked as a magistrate judge for five years in Henderson County. During that time, I built a strong relationship with law enforcement and saw firsthand what their struggles were within the system. Often their cases are reduced or dismissed without so much a phone call to explain why. They are frustrated, and I have recently been told by many that they don’t see the point in putting forth the effort. In January of 2019, I worked as the attorney for the Department of Social Services in Transylvania County. When I took the position the caseload was a mess, and I set about changing that. I worked closely with social workers, guardian ad litems, defense counsel and court staff to make the process more efficient and effective. By July of 2019 we had one of the most effective courtrooms in our district. Communication with all participants was key in turning that courtroom around, and I know I can do the same thing in the criminal court system.

Murray: I have 14 years of experience as a state and federal prosecutor. Seven of the 14 years I served as the elected DA of the largest prosecutorial district in North Carolina. I served three years as President Trump’s hand-picked U.S. Attorney for the Western District of NC. I have 35 years of combined active and reserve exemplary service with the U.S. Coast Guard where I retired as a Captain (0-6). As a leader, I have a proven track record for fairness, integrity beyond reproach, positive law enforcement relationships, for diligently advocating for victims and for holding criminal defendants accountable. I am running to make a positive difference. The job of a district attorney is to strive for justice by doing the right thing... every time. My job is to seek justice for crime victims and to make our community as safe a place as possible to live, work, play and raise a family. I am committed to holding criminals accountable, making certain that violent criminals, drug traffickers and habitual offenders are no longer roaming our streets. I am running for the office of district attorney to capitalize on my breadth and depth of experience in order to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

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In what ways are you better suited for the office than your opponent?

Hollocker: I am better suited for this position based on my career, skillset and the relationships I have developed within our community. I was a deputy prosecutor for 12 years in Hilo, Hawaii. The first roughly five years of my career as a prosecutor I specialized in domestic violence, one of the most challenging cases a prosecutor can have because the victim for the most part doesn’t want your help. It is close to impossible to break the cycle of violence. I was fortunate to work for a Chief who believed the best thing he could do for us was build our skillset and sent me all over the United States to trainings to ensure I had what I needed to be a successful prosecutor.  The last seven years I spent in that office I worked in the violent crime unit continuing to prosecute domestic violence but also sex assaults, including those involving children, and murders. My experience and my passion are exactly what is needed to give our community the District Attorney's office we deserve. I know first-hand the problems our community faces and I am prepared to address those problems right away. We are battling a drug problem like we have never seen before. I will strongly advocate for the establishment of a drug court in our district to address this problem. To be clear, drug court is for offenders who are committing crimes because they have a substance abuse problem. It is not for drug dealers who prey on the weakest members of our community.  Drug dealers will be held accountable and removed from our society.  I intend to implement policies that will improve communication with our community and our service providers. One such policy is that I will require victims and law enforcement to give input before any case is resolved, reduced or dismissed. Both victims and law enforcement need a voice in our courtroom on how their cases are handled. Also, I intend to have quarterly meetings with service providers such as law enforcement, firefighters, probation officers, mental health providers and the like to find out what is and is not working in our community. I also intend to meet on a regular basis with our community, like a town hall meeting, where citizens can come and express their ideas and concerns about how the Office of the District Attorney is impacting them.

Murray: I am the only candidate who has effectively led and managed a prosecution office at both the state and federal levels. I have effectively managed hundreds of murder cases and evaluated and made charging decisions on more than 20 officer-involved shooting cases. An important part of the job of District Attorney is to assess the legal merits of a case and determine whether to bring charges against an alleged perpetrator, and to consult with, and advise, law enforcement. I have 11 years of experience as the leader and manager of a prosecutor’s office. I am the only candidate that has been the decision-maker on thousands of criminal cases and who has advised numerous law enforcement agencies across the state. I was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as President Trump’s hand-picked nominee as U.S. Attorney. I have been decorated for my effective leadership and management of numerous Coast Guard Reserve Units over my 35-year career. I am the only DA candidate who has been endorsed by Henderson County Sheriff Lowell Griffin, Transylvania County Sheriff David Mahoney, Polk County Sheriff Tim Wright, as well as the endorsement of the Police Benevolence Association. I also brought the Tommy Bryson murder case to a close. The murder of Tommy Bryson by Phillip Michael Stroupe II was horrific and unconscionable. Stroupe was an evil man that kidnapped Tommy Bryson while he was retrieving his mail at the mailbox. Stroupe kidnapped Tommy Bryson while eluding law enforcement. Stroupe later executed Tommy Bryson, a completely innocent, salt-of-the-earth member of the Mills River ocmmunity. For his cold-blooded murder, Stroupe needed, at a minimum, to go to jail for the rest of his life with no opportunity for parole. This was a case that shocked the conscience of the community. For that reason, I was very comfortable seeking the death penalty against Stroupe. Ultimately, it was the Bryson family who asked me to pursue a sentence of life without the possibility of parole, which I accomplished on their behalf. This sentence allowed them to find some closure and a path forward to begin their long healing process. I am proud to have played a part in negotiating a life without parole sentence for Stroupe, which not only provided closure for the Bryson family, but also provided closure for an entire community that was reeling in pain from the senseless murder of a neighbor, friend and pillar of the community.