Lau is awaiting a decision to vacate Long’s conviction, to send it back to lower court or to uphold his sentence.
As Long and Lau await a decision from the court, which could take months, Governor Roy Cooper has the power to commute Long’s sentence now.
Lau explained that they’ve asked the Democratic governor to do this “in light of the significant evidence of wrongdoing and misconduct in the case, the actual innocence of Mr. Long and, quite frankly, because he served 44 years for a rape conviction on the basis of little to no evidence.”
Lau added, “We are happy to continue to make every effort to prove Mr. Long’s innocence in court… That said, going through the courts takes time and the governor could end this injustice immediately, if he would just commute Mr. Long.”
SiriusXM radio host Clay Cane tweeted Governor Cooper saying, “If Black Lives Matter to you, release Ronnie Long.
