North Carolina Governor Commutes 15 Death Sentences to Life Imprisonment

Outgoing Governor Roy Cooper reduces the state's death row population by over 10% in a historic clemency decision on his final day in office.

Governor Roy Cooper commuted the sentences of 15 death row inmates to life without parole, citing a thorough review process and various factors influencing his decision.
The commutations leave 121 individuals on death row in North Carolina, which has not carried out an execution since 2006 due to legal and procedural challenges.
Factors considered included racial bias in trials, intellectual disabilities, inadequate legal representation, and the age of defendants at the time of their crimes.
Notable cases include Hasson Bacote, whose sentence was challenged under the Racial Justice Act, and Christopher Roseboro, who had claims of intellectual disability and ineffective trial counsel.
This marks the largest single clemency action in North Carolina's modern history and follows a similar federal move by President Joe Biden, who recently commuted 37 federal death row sentences.