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North Carolina Governor Commutes Death Sentences of 15 Inmates to Life Without Parole on Final Day

Jan 1, 2025, 01:11 AM

On his final day in office, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper commuted the death sentences of 15 inmates to life in prison without parole, reducing the state's death row population by more than 10%. Before this action, there were 136 offenders on death row, and Cooper's office had received 89 clemency petitions. The decision followed a thorough review of these petitions and considered factors such as the defendants' conduct in prison, the adequacy of legal representation, and the sentences received by co-defendants. Among the inmates whose sentences were commuted, 13 are Black, with conviction dates ranging from 1993 to 2011. The move was praised by death penalty opposition groups as a historic act of clemency, with the American Civil Liberties Union highlighting it as a step towards ending the death penalty in North Carolina. No executions have been carried out in the state since 2006 due to ongoing litigation, and North Carolina remains the fifth-largest death row population in the country. Cooper's office also considered the potential influence of racial bias in these cases.