On final day in office, Gov. Roy Cooper grants clemency to 15 on NC’s death row
In one of his final acts in office, Gov. Roy Cooper granted clemency to 15 people on death row, forgave two people for their past crimes and made two others immediately eligible for parole.
Cooper’s office said the governor received 89 petitions from the 136 people on death row seeking clemency, but he granted it only to these 15:
- 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.
Clemency does not mean the 15 will leave the walls of their prison. Instead of waiting for a death sentence to be carried out, they now face a life sentence, without the possibility of parole.
“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 news release announcing that he had commuted the sentences “after thorough review, reflection, and prayer.”
The Democratic governor announced the decisions on Tuesday, his final day in office, after reaching his term limit.
Cooper’s office said he made the decisions after reviewing detailed petitions from the defendants and talking with district attorneys and families of the victims.
Other factors Cooper’s office said he weighed included a defendant’s criminal history, their mental and intellectual capacity at the time of the crime, the influence that race played in the case, sentences of their co-defendants and whether a plea agreement was offered.
“Governor Cooper sent a powerful message today confirming what North Carolinians have experienced for over 18 years,” said Abraham Bonowitz, cofounder of Death Penalty Action, in a written statement. “We don’t need executions to hold accountable people who have committed horrible crimes, or to be safe from them. Death by incarceration is a better way to frame the sentence these men now face, and that is indeed appropriate in most of these cases.”
The American Civil Liberties Union also praised Cooper’s actions Tuesday, noting that North Carolina has the fifth-largest death row in the country.
“With this action, Governor Cooper has commuted more death sentences than any governor in North Carolina’s history and joins the ranks of a group of courageous leaders who used their executive authority to address the failed death penalty,” said Chantal Stevens, executive director of the ACLU of North Carolina, in a written statement. “We have long known that the death penalty in North Carolina is racially biased, unjust, and immoral, and the Governor’s actions today pave the way for our state to move towards a new era of justice. “
Parole
Separate from the death penalty cases, Cooper also made two prisoners immediately eligible for parole and forgave the crimes of two others.
“Ensuring careful review of petitions for clemency is a responsibility I take seriously,” Cooper said in a second news release. “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.”
Brian Fuller, 54, is now eligible for parole after spending 27 years in prison, convicted on two counts of second-degree murder out of Rockingham County.
Fuller killed Roy Hobson Rhodes, 56, and Jean Byrd Owen, 42, when his Toyota crashed, in May 1997, into their pickup truck at an intersection in Eden during a 17-mile police chase that began in Guilford County, according to Rockingham Now. The couple became trapped inside their vehicle that had caught fire. Fuller was sentenced to 39 years in prison.
The governor’s office said Fuller has maintained good disciplinary records in prison and has worked steadily.
The N.C. Post Release Supervision and Parole Commission will now decide when and if he is granted parole.
The same will be true for 63-year-old Joseph Bromfield, who is serving in his 34th year behind bars for two counts of first-degree murder out of Cumberland County.
Bromfield is convicted in the 1989 robbing and killing Annanitra “Star” Jackson and Arlena Elizabeth Redd under the felony murder rule. The felony murder rules allows prosecutors to charge a suspect with murder if someone dies while the suspect is committing a dangerous felony.
Bromfield admitted to police that he kicked one of the women and stole a few dollars from them when his co-defendant went to their house angered that they wouldn’t sell cocaine to him. He witnessed his co-defendant kill the women, he told police, according to case files.
In prison, Bromfield obtained a college degree, works steadily and maintains good disciplinary records, according to the governor’s office.
Forgiveness
Two others received pardons of forgiveness.
In 2007, Brandon Wallace was convicted of conspiracy to traffic cocaine and marijuana in Lee County.
Since then, the now 43-year-old has been crime free, earned a college and law degree and was admitted to practice law. He serves as president of his county’s bar association, according to the governor’s office.
In 1984, John “Jack” Campbell, who is now 63, was convicted in Wake County of selling cocaine.
Since serving his sentence, he’s been crime-free, completed college, owned a small business, has been gainfully employed and supported his family, according to Cooper’s staff.
The governor’s office says that pardons of forgiveness are offered at the governor’s discretion to people who’ve made significant strides since completing their sentences.
Following Biden
Advocates opposed to the death penalty have encouraged Cooper to commute the sentences of the 136 North Carolinians currently on death row, changing their sentences to prison terms.
Earlier this month, Cooper issued nine pardons and commuted six sentences, though none of them were for people on death row.
Cooper’s decision follows a series of commutations made at the federal level by President Joe Biden in the final days of his administration. Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 men on death row to life without the possibility of parole.
“This historic decision, following President Biden’s decision to commute the sentences of 37 people on federal death row, reflects growing recognition that the death penalty belongs in our past, not our future,” Stevens said. “With 121 people still on death row in our state, we know there is much more work to be done to realize that vision, and the ACLU of North Carolina will continue to advocate for the end of the death penalty once and for all.”
Though North Carolinians continue to be sentenced to death, the state hasn’t executed anyone since 2006, due to ongoing litigation.
This story was originally published December 31, 2024 at 2:42 PM.
