A New York Post investigation has revealed that nearly half of the convicts sprung from North Carolina prisons under then-Democrat Governor Roy Cooper during the COVID-19 pandemic have already been charged with new crimes, including a staggering 18 murder offenses.
According to the Post’s review of state records, at least 3,500 dangerous criminals were released in February 2021 as part of a little-known settlement between Cooper’s administration and radical civil rights groups, including the ACLU and NAACP.
These groups sued to force the early release of inmates, claiming the pandemic posed too great a risk to keep them locked up.
The results? Predictable carnage on North Carolina streets.
The Post found that more than 600 of these released inmates went on to commit serious felonies such as homicides, sex offenses (over 80 new charges), and other violent crimes.
A 2024 report from the North Carolina Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission confirmed a shocking 48% recidivism rate among those released under the settlement, higher than the general prison population.
More from New York Post:
Among them is Tyrell Brace, who was arrested and charged with the murder of Elante’ Thompson, 23, on Jan. 29, 2022, after being set free in July 2021 following multiple jail stints over the preceding decade for grand larcenies, breaking and entering, and assault by strangulation of a female with an unborn child.
Brace, now 29, was arrested in August 2022 following a seven-month investigation and pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter one year later. He had been expected to be released before the fatal shooting of Thompson, but got out even earlier due to the Cooper settlement.
Thompson’s mom, Debra, placed “the complete” blame on the then-governor for the death of her son — who was coming home from a party with friends when he saw a fight break out, tried to intervene and was shot dead.
“Why would you release somebody like that?” Debra Thompson told The Post. “They’re already showing they’re a gangster to society. You’re going to release a menace on the street?”
Thompson left behind a young daughter, who is now 6.
Now, Republican lawmakers are finally holding the accountable.
North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall and Senate President Phil Berger have launched a joint legislative subcommittee to investigate the disastrous COVID-era prisoner releases, demanding answers on how these high-risk individuals were selected for freedom over public safety.
One lawmaker called the findings “worse than we thought.”
