In early February, Dyrell Green’s attorney asked for him to be allowed to leave the jailhouse and visit his father, Ronald Canty, who was at the end of his life.
Green is one of three people charged in the July 24, 2021, murders of Bri-yanna Williams and Kordrese Tyson. Green and his co-defendant, Omote Bell, are set to go to trial in May. Another defendant, Raquel Adams, was convicted last year.
The pandemic, the complexity of the cases, and the withdrawal of Bell and Green's original public defenders have all contributed to the slow movement of the case. Green has been in the New Hanover County detention center since August, 2021, roughly four and a half years. According to his family and advocates, he’s been in solitary confinement for much of that; according to his father, that's at least in part due to allegations that he assaulted a detention officer in September of 2022 (that case is also still pending). He’s currently being held on a $1.2 million bond.
After a series of health issues, Canty’s health began failing quickly, according to court records. On February 9, Green's court-appointed capital defender, Matthew C. Geoffrion, filed a motion requesting a temporary modification to Green’s bond that would allow him to visit Canty.
“This Motion is counsel’s attempt to avail Mr. Green of the mercy of the Court and request that Mr. Green be allowed to leave the New Hanover County Jail for one day in the custody of the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, and to be allowed to visit with his father Mr. Canty at Novant Health (or other subsequent facility if Mr. Canty is so placed),” the motion stated.
In his request, Geoffrion reiterated that he feels the state’s case against Green is much weaker than the case against Bell or Adams.
“Mr. Green has at all times maintained his innocence in this matter. Even in the light most favorable to the State, the evidence against Mr. Green individually is thin, much thinner than against any of the co-defendants,” the motion read.
In addition to maintaining his innocence, Green has also refused to take a plea deal or testify against his co-defendants. Green’s former attorney, along with his family and advocates, have pointed to weak points in the state's case, as well as concerns about the grand jury indictment against Green, where a detective appeared to have given false testimony to jurors.
Related: Inside the Grand Jury’s Black Box (The Assembly and WHQR)
Geoffrion argued a weak case against Green could set up an unfair situation.
“It would be deeply unfair if Mr. Green were to have his day in court and win his trial this spring, set to begin May 11, 2026, but not be able to visit his father for one last visit,” according to the motion.
The motion notes that while the prosecutor on the case, Doug Carricker, “expressed that he was sympathetic,” the District Attorney’s office would not agree to any sort of temporary release. It also notes that “counsel has contacted the New Hanover County Jail and as of this writing has not been able to have a substantive conversation with anyone in charge of the jail about the possibility of any sort of short term visit.”
Green requested the motion be heard without delay because it was “extremely time sensitive.”
According to the motion, “Mr. Green throws himself at the mercy of the Court and will accept the visit to be under any reasonable circumstances including in handcuffs and leg shackles if necessary, so long as the New Hanover Sheriff’s Department escort can stay at the door of the room, so Mr. Green can visit in quasi-privacy with his father,” adding that Green asked for at least two hours.
About a week later, on February 16, at which point Canty was in hospice, Superior Court Judge G. Frank Jones heard the motion, with Assistant District Attorney Sean Spearing present for the state.
Jones denied the request. His order read, “Upon consideration of all relevant factors, the Court respectfully Finds and Concludes that the request presents an unreasonable risk of harm not only to Defendant but also to members of the community including law enforcement.”
The District Attorney’s office for New Hanover and Pender counties said it did not wish to comment on the hearing or order.
Geoffrion said he was limited in making comments on pending criminal matters, but offered a few notes, including that Green’s sister presented a letter on a medical doctor’s letterhead, “apparently signed by an MD,” dated February 10.
He said the letter read, in part, “I am writing to you regarding Dyrell Green, currently incarcerated. Mr. Green’s sister, [name withheld], is seeking your legal assistance to secure an emergency, compassionate, and special visit for Mr. Green’s father, who is currently at the end of his life…Mr. Canty has been given one week to live…It is our urgent request that Dyrell be allowed an in-person visit to say goodbye to Mr. Canty before he passes.”
Geoffrion said, “The result of the bond hearing was very disappointing to the defense.”
Canty passed away on February 28, two weeks after the hearing.
