Harnett County man's 25-year prison stay ends after new analysis comes to light

A Harnett County man is out of prison Thursday after spending 25 years behind bars for the murder of a 7-year-old girl.

In 2001, a jury convicted Quincy Amerson of murdering Sharita Rivera by hitting her with his car, intentionally.

Now that conviction has been overturned, showing the child was struck by several cars that night.

Quincy Amerson is a free man on Thursday. His release came nearly a month after he was exonerated, an effort led by Duke's Wrongful Convictions Clinic.

"I've really just been hanging out with the family, just taking it all in," said Amerson. "Me and my father have been riding all morning, all morning, just messing around."

The case dates back to August of 1999, when Amerson was accused of intentionally running over Sharita three times with his car.

"Seems like forever ago," Amerson said.

Amerson's attorneys hired a crash reconstruction expert to review the original report and determined that it was wrong. A state expert reviewed that new report and agreed that the original report was incorrect.

The case even picked up steam nationally. A November 2022 article from Popular Mechanics explored the possibility of Amerson being wrongfully arrested due to a faulty crash scene reconstruction.

That expert said the initial crash reconstruction reached far-fetched conclusions, based on speculation and "junk science," according to an expert hired to reevaluate the case.

Shortly after the 7-year-old's death, investigators found her mother, Patrice Rivera, dead in their home. No arrests were ever made in her murder.

We've also learned the state lost evidence in this case. With Amerson's conviction overturned, it leaves two deaths unsolved.

Amerson said he maintained a sense of hope during his two-plus decades in prison.

"I was always optimistic," Amerson said. "I never gave up hope. Like I said I had loved ones who were along for the whole ride. You know friends and family, whatever. I found myself reading a little bit, writing, reaching out. I'm trying to get out. I'm trying to find people to help me. Anything to keep my mind off of that situation."

WRAL News is working to get a response from District Attorney Suzanne Matthews to get her reaction to the exoneration and why it took a month to sign Amerson's dismissal.