Roy Cooper Accused of Misleading Public Over Release of 4,200 Prisoners

Roy Cooper, now a Democratic Senate candidate and former governor of North Carolina, signed a 2021 settlement that resulted in the release of 3,500 inmates, a figure later reported as 4,200. Prison officials initially told a legislative committee that only inmates whose sentences concluded in 2021 would be freed, but the list later revealed that violent offenders, including murderers, were also included. The roster became public after DeCarlos Brown, charged with the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail, was identified among those released.

Cooper’s campaign called the disclosure a "lie" and attempted to attribute the releases to federal policies and prison officials, despite being the only governor to sign a legally binding agreement obligating the state to free prisoners. Other states saw judicial orders that were often blocked, whereas Cooper’s agreement was a voluntary legal commitment. The ACLU secured the consent decree with the state Department of Corrections, and nearly half of the released individuals have since reoffended, contributing to 25 murders and over 600 violent felonies.