North Carolina Gov. Cooper commutes sentences of 15 death row inmates
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, on his last day in office Tuesday, commuted the death sentences of 15 inmates to life in prison without parole.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, on his last day in office Tuesday, commuted the death sentences of 15 inmates to life in prison without parole.
One of the prisoners receiving clemency was convicted murderer Hasson Bacote, a Black man who had challenged his sentence under the Racial Justice Act of 2009, a groundbreaking state law that allows condemned inmates to seek resentencing if they can show racial bias played a role in their cases.
The reprieves came as Superior Court Judge Wayland Sermons Jr. was considering the case of Bacote, who was sentenced to death in 2009 by 10 white and two Black jurors.
“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 statement. “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.”
While Cooper insisted that "no single factor was determinative in the decision on any one case," among the factors considered were "potential influence of race, such as the race of the defendant and victim, composition of the jury pool and the final jury."
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