Druanne White
Encyclopedia
Druanne White is a trial lawyer in South Carolina
. Before that she was a prosecutor
for the state for more than 11 years, then was elected to a four-year term as Solicitor
(District Attorney) for the Tenth Judicial Circuit.
, and her law degree at the University of South Carolina School of Law
.
During her time as prosecutor, White became one of the foremost experts on capital murder cases in the United States. She was invited to testify as an expert witness to the U.S. Senate Judiciary committee on June 10, 2002. She testified in the matter of “Reducing the Risk of Executing the Innocent: The Report of the Illinois Governor's Commission on Capital Punishment”, along with other experts in the field, including Scott Turow
, Donald Hubert, and Professor Larry Marshall (Northwestern University School of Law
).
White taught the Career Prosecutors Course at the College of the National District Attorneys Association in Alexandria, Virginia
, which is attended by prosecutors from around the country.
. The 23-year-old Marchbanks was portrayed by the media and the community as a drug dealer and murderer.
On Sept. 8, 2006, Marchbanks and Robey, who were childhood friends, argued. Marchbanks fled to her home, and Robey, a much larger woman, charged in. Afraid, Marchbanks fired her .45 caliber pistol at Robey, killing her with a shot to the chin.
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. Before that she was a prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
for the state for more than 11 years, then was elected to a four-year term as Solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
(District Attorney) for the Tenth Judicial Circuit.
Early life and education
White earned her undergraduate degree at Furman UniversityFurman University
Furman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...
, and her law degree at the University of South Carolina School of Law
University of South Carolina School of Law
The University of South Carolina School of Law, also known as South Carolina Law or SC Law, is one of the professional schools of the University of South Carolina. South Carolina Law was founded in 1867 in Columbia, South Carolina and is the only public and non-profit law school in the state of...
.
Career
After gaining her law degree, White served in the United States Marines Corps as a Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG) officer for a few years. She was then hired as a state prosecutor. She served in this position for more than 11 years. In 1999, she was elected as Solicitor [District Attorney] for the Tenth Judicial Circuit, where she served a four-year term (2000–2004).During her time as prosecutor, White became one of the foremost experts on capital murder cases in the United States. She was invited to testify as an expert witness to the U.S. Senate Judiciary committee on June 10, 2002. She testified in the matter of “Reducing the Risk of Executing the Innocent: The Report of the Illinois Governor's Commission on Capital Punishment”, along with other experts in the field, including Scott Turow
Scott Turow
Scott F. Turow is an American author and a practicing lawyer. Turow has written eight fiction and two nonfiction books, which have been translated into over 20 languages and have sold over 25 million copies...
, Donald Hubert, and Professor Larry Marshall (Northwestern University School of Law
Northwestern University School of Law
The Northwestern University School of Law is a private American law school in Chicago, Illinois. The law school was founded in 1859 as the Union College of Law of the Old University of Chicago. The first law school established in Chicago, it became jointly controlled by Northwestern University in...
).
White taught the Career Prosecutors Course at the College of the National District Attorneys Association in Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, which is attended by prosecutors from around the country.
Stephanie Carter
Among White's notable trials as prosecutor was that known for its victim, Stephanie Carter, a four-year-old girl who died at the hands of her father and stepmother after suffering physical abuse for a year. After the father pled guilty, White prosecuted the stepmother and won a conviction. White subsequently co-authored a state bill entitled "Stephanie's Law", to make it easier for law enforcement to protect children in South Carolina from abuse. Among other provisions, it requires classification of suspected child abuse cases immediately as "unfounded" or "indicated", and allows reopening of cases upon the receipt of additional information.Defense Attorney
After losing a bid for re-election as Tenth Circuit Solicitor to challenger Chrissy Adams, White opened her own law practice. As a defense attorney, White has helped to acquit two women accused of murder, among other cases.April McCullough
McCullough was charged with shooting and killing her 32-year-old boyfriend, Scotty Fowler, in February 2005. She claimed there had been a history of domestic violence. The jury acquitted McCullough, convinced by White's argument that Fowler had abused her client and McCullough killed him in self-defense.Cynthia Marchbanks
White convinced a jury that Cynthia Marchbanks killed her pregnant neighbor in self-defense, after an argument escalated. Her unborn child also died, 40 days after the six-month-old fetus was delivered by emergency Caesarean sectionCaesarean section
A Caesarean section, is a surgical procedure in which one or more incisions are made through a mother's abdomen and uterus to deliver one or more babies, or, rarely, to remove a dead fetus...
. The 23-year-old Marchbanks was portrayed by the media and the community as a drug dealer and murderer.
On Sept. 8, 2006, Marchbanks and Robey, who were childhood friends, argued. Marchbanks fled to her home, and Robey, a much larger woman, charged in. Afraid, Marchbanks fired her .45 caliber pistol at Robey, killing her with a shot to the chin.
Honors
- 2000 - elected Prosecutor of the Year by the South Carolina Solicitor's Association.
- 2003 - Gov. Mark SanfordMark SanfordMarshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. is an American politician from South Carolina, who was the 115th Governor of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011....
appointed White to the S.C. Prosecution Commission, which coordinates the state's prosecution of capital cases. - 2006 - Sanford awarded White the Order of the PalmettoOrder of the PalmettoThe Order of the Palmetto is the highest civilian honor awarded by the Governor of South Carolina. It is awarded to persons who make contributions of statewide significance. An auxiliary honor is "The Order of the Silver Crescent." Today it is awarded to persons who make community or professional...
, South Carolina's highest civilian honor.
External links
- "Testimony of Ms. Druanne D. White, Solicitor, Tenth Judicial Circuit, South Carolina", US Senate Judiciary Committee, 12 Jun 2002