N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper commuted the sentences of 15 North Carolinian inmates on death row to life without the possibility of parole on his last day in office Tuesday, the largest clemency action of its kind in the state.
The 15 inmates whose sentences were commuted range in age from 38 to 67. Some have been on death row for as long as 31 years, while the most recently imprisoned was sentenced in 2011. None were convicted in Durham County.
“These reviews are among the most difficult decisions a governor can make, and the death penalty is the most severe sentence that the state can impose,” Cooper said. “After thorough review, reflection and prayer, I concluded that the death sentence imposed on these 15 people should be commuted, while ensuring they will spend the rest of their lives in prison.”
The Governor’s Clemency Office reportedly received 89 petitions for clemency, all of which were “carefully reviewed, researched and considered.” The office considers a wide range of factors in such reviews, including the “mental and intellectual capacity of the defendant at the time of the crime,” credible claims of innocence and input from prosecutors and family members of the victim.
Cooper’s decision follows a two-year long campaign for the governor to grant clemency to all inmates on North Carolina’s death row, which have included vigils outside the governor’s mansion. Many petitions have focused on individuals who were under the age of 25 when they offended and those who are currently over 55, as these populations are “more likely to be rehabilitated and less likely to reoffend.”
According to N.C. Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, 12 of the 15 inmates were tried before reforms were implemented in 2001 to prevent wrongful convictions. Fourteen are people of color.
“This action is smaller than we asked for, but it is still a historic step by a North Carolina governor to address injustice in the death penalty. The 15 men granted clemency today include people affected by racism in their trials, people who were sentenced under outdated laws and those who committed crimes at very young ages, among other inequities,” said NCCADP Executive Director Noel Nickle in a statement. “We are grateful that Gov. Cooper heard our calls for action.”
The move also comes after President Joe Biden made similar announcements earlier this month. On Dec. 12, he granted clemency to nearly 1,500 people who were placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic and “have shown successful rehabilitation and a strong commitment to making their communities safer,” and he pardoned 39 individuals convicted for nonviolent crimes. Less than two weeks later, he commuted the sentences of 37 additional inmates on death row to life without the possibility of parole.
Capital punishment is currently legal in 27 states, including North Carolina, though executions have been paused in five of them. North Carolina has the fifth largest death row in the country.
Excluding the 15 inmates whose sentences were commuted, there are currently 121 offenders facing a possible death penalty in the state. Of the remaining inmates, 50 are white, 63 are Black/African American, four are American Indian/Alaskan Native and four are Asian/Asian American. Just two are female.
No executions have taken place in North Carolina since 2006 due to ongoing litigation on the matter. That year, the N.C. General Assembly created the Innocence Inquiry Commission, which is responsible for reviewing claims of innocence and advertises itself as the “first of its kind in the nation.” According to the Commission’s 2023 annual report, it has received 3,602 “claims of actual innocence” since it began operating in 2007, and its work has resulted in the exoneration of 15 falsely convicted individuals.
Alongside the 15 commutations, Cooper also issued two non-death penalty commutations and two pardons of forgiveness Tuesday. A week prior, he commuted the sentences of six N.C. inmates and pardoned nine others, none of which were facing the death penalty.
Across his eight years in office, Cooper has issued a total of 43 commutations and 34 pardons — the most of any North Carolina governor in the 21st century.
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Zoe Kolenovsky is a Trinity junior and news editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.