On Tuesday, December 31st, North Carolina Democratic Governor Roy Cooper, on his last day in office, following President Joe Biden’s lead, commuted the death sentences of 15 condemned prisoners to life imprisonment.
In a statement, Governor Cooper expressed, “These commutation decisions are among the most difficult decisions a governor can make. The death penalty is the harshest punishment that a state government can impose.”
He stated, “After a comprehensive review, reflection, and prayer, I believe that these 15 individuals should have their sentences commuted while ensuring they will spend the rest of their lives in prison.”
Governor Cooper explained, “Before today’s commutations, North Carolina had 136 death row inmates, with 89 individuals submitting clemency petitions to the Governor’s Office. The office carefully reviewed, investigated, and considered these 89 clemency applications, including the 15 approved today.”
Cooper listed a series of factors (reasons) that influenced his decision, including but not limited to:
1. Criminal facts and circumstances
2. Whether the murder was particularly heinous and cruel
3. Opinions of the prosecuting county’s district attorney
4. Views of the victims’ families
5. Defendant’s criminal record
6. Defendant’s behavior and activities in prison
7. Defendant’s mental and intellectual capacity at the time of the crime
8. Credible claims of innocence
9. Influence of racial factors, such as the race of the defendant and victim, composition of the jury pool and final jury, and evidence presented at trial
10. Sentencing of co-defendants
11. Whether a plea deal was reached before trial
12. Defendant’s age at the time of the crime
13. Defendant’s current age, health status, and psychological resilience
14. Adequacy of legal representation during trial and appeals
15. Legal aspects of the death penalty at the time of conviction
16. Actions and statements of jurors
According to National Public Radio, records from the Department of Adult Correction show that among the 15 offenders granted clemency, 13 were African American.
On December 24th, a day after President Biden announced clemency for 37 death row inmates, President-elect Donald Trump stated that once he takes office on January 20th, he will direct the Justice Department to vigorously pursue the death penalty for violent crimes to protect Americans from harm.
Trump declared on his social media platform “Truth Social,” “Upon taking office, I will instruct the Justice Department to promote the death penalty vigorously to protect American families and children from violent rapists, murderers, and those who have lost their humanity. We will once again be a nation of law and order!”
Biden mentioned in a statement that part of the reason for his clemency decision was his anticipation of the incoming Trump administration’s plan to rescind his administration’s rule that paused federal executions, except in cases involving terrorism and hate crimes.
During his campaign, Biden opposed the death penalty and upon taking office in January 2021, he halted federal executions.
In the summer of 2024, a plea agreement between the U.S. government and three defendants from the “9/11” attacks was made public. The agreement removed the risk of the death penalty for the three defendants in exchange for their guilty pleas. The top official from the Guantanamo Bay military commission approved the deal.
The public disclosure of the plea agreement immediately ignited strong political backlash from Republican lawmakers and others. Within days, Defense Secretary Lloyd James Austin ordered the agreement to be rescinded.
On November 6th, the day after Election Day, an anonymous official from the Biden administration stated that a military judge ruled the plea agreement was valid, rendering Secretary Austin’s order to cancel the agreement ineffective.
(Reference: Daily Wire)