North Carolina governor commutes 15 death row sentences in final day in office

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday commuted the sentences of 15 prisoners on death row to life in prison without parole, marking his final move in office.

The governor's office said it had received 89 clemency requests from the 136 prisoners on death row, which were mostly filed under the 2009 Racial Justice Act, which allows inmates to seek resentencing in cases of racial bias that led to the death penalty, per The Hill.

No prisoner in North Carolina has been executed since 2006, because of ongoing litigation, his office said.

“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 in a press 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 15 people were chosen based on their mental capacity at the time of the offense, behavior while incarcerated, whether the crime was particularly heinous or cruel, and other factors, the governor's office said.

Cooper, a Democrat, also commuted the sentences of two other individuals who were convicted of murder that made them immediately eligible for parole, and pardoned two inmates convicted of drug crimes. 

The two convicted of first and second degree murder each served at least 20 years in prison, and maintained a good disciplinary record while incarcerated.

“Ensuring careful review of petitions for clemency is a responsibility I take seriously,”  Cooper said in a separate statement. “Each of these individuals is deserving of clemency as we continue our important work to protect our communities and improve the fairness of our criminal justice system.”

The governor's actions come a week after President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates, and pardoned another 40 prisoners. He also commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 other prisoners in what the White House has lauded as the biggest single-day clemency order in modern U.S. history.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.