15 Men Are No Longer on Death Row in NC

In one of his final acts in office, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper commuted the death sentences of 15 men convicted of murder to life in prison without parole on Tuesday, reducing the state's death row population by more than 10%. Cooper, who was barred from seeking a third consecutive term, will give way to fellow Democrat Josh Stein on Wednesday when Stein takes the oath of office, the AP reports. Cooper, who was previously the attorney general for 16 years, said his commutation decisions occurred following a thorough review of petitions submitted by defendants and input from prosecutors and victims' families. More:

• The numbers: Before Tuesday, North Carolina had 136 offenders on death row. Cooper's office said it had received clemency petitions from 89 of them. State Department of Adult Correction records list 13 of the 15 receiving clemency as Black. The convictions dates for the 15 range from 1993 to 2011.
• Standout quote: "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. "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."
• More on North Carolina: It's one of 27 states that have the death penalty as a criminal punishment, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, although five of those states currently have placed executions on hold. While North Carolina is not one of those five, an execution hasn't been carried out in the state since 2006.
• Current status: Even after Tuesday's action, North Carolina has the fifth-largest death row in the country, according to the North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.
• Among the 15: One inmate whose sentence was commuted is Guy LeGrande, who had once been set to be executed in late 2006 before a judge temporarily halted his case. He was convicted in Stanly County of killing a woman in 1993 whose estranged husband offered to pay him a portion of a life insurance policy. LeGrande's attorneys said he was mentally ill.

(More clemency stories.)