Buncombe County district attorney race grows: Assistant DA Katie Kurdys announces campaign
Kurdys has served as a prosecutor in the county for more than eight years and has worked with four district attorneys across four jurisdictions, she said in a news release. She has prosecuted cases across the docket, from "hundreds of high-level felonies," murder, rape and human trafficking cases to domestic violence, drug trafficking and white-collar crimes.
Kurdys emphasized her commitment to "trauma-informed justice," noting that victims of crimes are often the most vulnerable people in the community and violence is "frequently both a cause and consequence of generational trauma." Her release included quotes from two victims whose cases Kurdys helped adjudicate after they had gone unsolved or had stalled.
"This is about delivering justice with skill and compassion," Kurdys said in the release.
"Our community deserves a District Attorney who understands the complexities of trauma, has the courtroom and criminal law experience to handle our most difficult cases, and the vision to make our criminal justice system work better for everyone."
Kurdys specifically pledged to "eliminate the case backlog that harms both survivors and defendants," to continue conviction review processes, advocate for appropriate bond conditions, expand diversion and second chances for non-violent offenders and make sure all assistant district attorneys have trauma-based and procedural training.
Having worked as a county prosecutor, Kurdys said she "sees firsthand which systems are overdue to evolve and improve" in Buncombe County and will 'take a hands-on approach' to reform.
More: Buncombe County District Attorney announces his "preference" not to run for reelection
Kurdys previously worked for Womble, Carlyle, Sandridge & Rice, LLP (now Womble Bond Dickinson) as a civil defense attorney contractor. She is a perennial fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina and past special events chair of the Executive Committee for the Buncombe County Bar. She received a Unit Citation Award from the Asheville Police Department for her work on the Missing Person and Welfare Check Initiative after Tropical Storm Helene, which hit WNC last September.
Who else is in the DA race?
Her announcement comes just two weeks after Buncombe County Commissioner Martin Moore launched his bid for the position in a July 29 news release.
Moore, 37, was elected to a four-year term on the County Commission in 2022 and is now the board's vice-chair. He represents District 2. He is a former public defender and now attorney and mediator in private practice. In 2024, Moore ran for a seat on the state's Court of Appeals, losing to Republican Christopher Freeman in the November general election.
More: Commissioner Martin Moore launches campaign for Buncombe County district attorney
Williams, 55, was first elected district attorney in 2014 and is serving his third term. He said he would not run for reelection should a qualified candidate step forward, the Citizen Times previously reported.
As he expressed when Moore announced his candidacy, Williams told the Citizen Times on Aug. 13 that he believes Kurdys to be qualified for the post but said he will not make a final decision on running for a fourth term until closer to the end of the official candidate filing period, which is in December.
More: 40 murder defendants waiting to be prosecuted; 'stretched' Buncombe DA asks AG for help
Some of Kurdys' recent cases:
More: Asheville man found guilty in 'unusual' rape trial, sentenced to prison
More: Asheville teenager sentenced as adult for shooting 2 minors at 2023 Juneteenth festival
More: Asheville Blade reporters found guilty of trespassing: Superior Court verdict
More: Minor who shot AR-15 into homes, seriously injuring Asheville restaurant worker sentenced
Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Prosecutor Katie Kurdys announces campaign for Buncombe County DA
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