Gov. Roy Cooper commutes sentences of 15 death row inmates on final day in office

NORTH CAROLINA (WLOS) — In his final day in office, Governor Roy Cooper commuted the sentence of 15 death row inmates in North Carolina.

“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,” said Cooper via a release. “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 decision comes just eight days after President Joe Biden reduced the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, including Richard Allen Jackson, the Buncombe County man convicted of raping and murdering Karen Styles in 1994.

Before Tuesday, Dec. 31, North Carolina had 136 offenders on death row.

Cooper’s Clemency Office received 89 petitions of which 15 were granted.

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Cooper’s office considered these factors when reviewing petitions:

• Facts and circumstances of the crime
• Whether a murder was particularly heinous and cruel
• Input from prosecutors in the county of conviction
• Input from family members of victims
• Defendant’s criminal history
• Defendant’s conduct and activity in prison
• Mental and intellectual capacity of the defendant at the time of the crime
• Credible claims of innocence
• The potential influence of race, such as the race of the defendant and victim, composition of the jury pool and the final jury, and evidence and testimony offered at trial
• Sentences received by co-defendants
• Whether plea agreements for a lesser sentence were offered prior to trial
• Age of defendant at the time of the crime
• Current age, health, and mental capacity of the defendant
• Adequacy of legal representation at trial and on appeal
• Laws governing capital punishment at the time of conviction
• Juror actions and statements
• Appellate history, including ongoing appeals

These are the men who had their sentences commuted to life without the possibility of parole:

• Hasson Bacote, 38, convicted in Johnston County in 2009
• Iziah Barden, 67, convicted in Sampson County in 1999
• Nathan Bowie, 53, convicted in Catawba County in 1993
• Rayford Burke, 66, convicted in Iredell County in 1993
• Elrico Fowler, 49, convicted in Mecklenburg County in 1997
• Cerron Hooks, 46, convicted in Forsyth County in 2000
• Guy LeGrande, 65, convicted in Stanly County in 1996
• James Little, 38, convicted in Forsyth County in 2008
• Robbie Locklear, 52, convicted in Robeson County in 1996
• Lawrence Peterson, 55, convicted in Richmond County in 1996
• William Robinson, 41, convicted in Stanly County in 2011
• Christopher Roseboro, 60, convicted in Gaston County in 1997
• Darrell Strickland, 66, convicted in Union County in 1995
• Timothy White, 47, convicted in Forsyth County in 2000
• Vincent Wooten, 52, convicted in Pitt County in 1994

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North Carolina has not executed a death row inmate since 2006.

“By commuting 15 death row sentences, Gov. Cooper has demonstrated moral courage and leadership. His decisions in these cases not only recognize the deep flaws in our capital punishment system but also appropriately raise important questions about the future of the death penalty in North Carolina,” said Jake Sussman, Chief Counsel for Justice System Reform at Southern Coalition for Social Justice. “These commutations demonstrate a straightforward effort, in a handful of cases, to address some of the many injustices that persist in the administration of the death penalty.”

Sussman’s client, Nasir al-din Siddiq, formerly known as Lawrence Peterson, is among the group of 15.

“Today’s decision by Gov. Cooper to commute these sentences was historic,” Sussman said.