Room 553: Real-life story #3

Howdy from Texas,

Readers have asked where the idea for Room 553 came from. While I won’t give too much away, I’ve always thought a lot about truth versus perception and about how the notion of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ sounds nice in theory, but is it actually reality?

With the release of Room 553, I thought it would be interesting to share some true stories of wrongful convictions.

You’ll find the third below.

By the way, this does not answer the question of whether my character actually is guilty (you’ll have to read the book for that) but rather takes a look at how evidence is weighed and ultimately (as Max describes) how scary it can be to have a jury of your peers deciding your fate.

Hope this week affords you lots of time for reading.

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Darryl Hunt

In 1984, then 19-year-old Darryl Hunt was arrested and convicted of the rape and murder of Deborah Sykes on the outskirts of Winston-Salem, NC. Hunt’s girlfriend provided an alibi, but when she was arrested on outstanding larceny charges, she later told police that he had confessed to killing Sykes. Despite recanting this false information before the trial, the prosecution used it anyway, ultimately securing a conviction.

On appeal, the conviction was overturned due to the wrongful admission of the interrogation. Upon retrial, Hunt was offered a sentence of time served if he would admit guilt. Maintaining his innocence, he was re-tried and convicted again to life in prison.

However, in 1994, Hunt’s legal team filed for DNA testing. The sample from the victim’s body did not match Hunt’s DNA. Unfortunately, Hunt’s appeals would be denied for 10 years under the claims that the new evidence did not prove innocence. Finally, in 2004, 19 years after being wrongfully convicted and 10 years after DNA proved it, that same DNA profile matched another convicted murderer who later confessed to the crime. Hunt was set free in 2005 and went on to found the Darryl Hunt Project for Freedom and Justice.

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“She felt no remorse for drawing blood. In the context of their relationship, it had its place.”

For Max and Laurel, nothing is off limits when they meet in room 553. Their illicit affair is exhilarating, passionate—and dangerous.

Driven as much by compulsion as pleasure, Max can’t stop. His mistress is Jesus on the streets, and Satan in the sack. But when things take a sharp and sudden turn for the worse, he finds himself ensnared in a trap of his own making.

Under heavy scrutiny by the police and the media, Max is hailed as a cold and evasive womanizer. He made mistakes, to be sure. But does that make him a killer?

Unnerving and addictive, Room 553 is a vivid and sensual psychological thriller that weaves a story of cruelty, reckless desire, and blind, bloody justice.

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