South Raleigh News

Today, Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina announced the commutation of sentences for six individuals and granted pardons of innocence to two others. These decisions followed a comprehensive review by the Office of Executive Clemency, the Office of General Counsel, and the Governor himself.

Governor Cooper emphasized the importance of careful consideration in these matters: “Ensuring careful review of cases while taking executive clemency action is a responsibility I take seriously,” he stated. He further noted that recommendations from the Juvenile Sentence Review Board played a significant role in commuting sentences for crimes committed by minors. "All of these individuals are deserving of clemency and we will continue to work to protect our communities and improve the fairness of our criminal justice system," he added.

The commutations were based on an extensive evaluation process that considered various factors such as crime circumstances, sentence duration, prison records, and readiness for community reintegration. Four commutations resulted from recommendations by the Juvenile Sentence Review Board, established by Governor Cooper to assess petitions from those sentenced as minors. Two additional commutations followed a 25-year review process initiated by the General Assembly in the 1990s for life without parole sentences. This process involved assessment by a resident superior court judge and the North Carolina Post-Release Supervision & Parole Commission.

The two pardons acknowledged that recipients were innocent of their convicted crimes after thorough factual reviews. These pardons enable them to seek compensation under North Carolina law for wrongful felony convictions.

The Juvenile Sentence Review Board recommended commutations for:

- Terence Smith, now 42, who has served nearly 25 years for involvement in a robbery with injuries in Forsyth County at age 17. Smith was not the shooter and has shown remorse while participating in numerous rehabilitation programs.

- George Lesane, now 47, serving over 30 years for murder at age 17 in Robeson County. Lesane maintained a strong prison record and engaged in educational activities.

- Donte Santiago, now 40, incarcerated over 23 years for murder at age 16 in Onslow County. Santiago became a faith leader and pursued education while training service dogs.

- Kirston Angell, now 35, who served 17 years for murder and assault committed at age 16 in Davie County. Angell graduated summa cum laude from college while incarcerated.

Two individuals received commutations under former N.C. Gen. Stat. §15A-1380.5:

- Penny Jarrett, aged 60, who served 27 years for murder with life without parole sentencing recommended for commutation due to her educational pursuits and mentorship roles.

- Jesse Graham, aged 71, serving 26 years also under life without parole sentencing recommended due to his leadership roles within prison programs.

Pardons were granted to:

- Darron Carmon whose robbery conviction was overturned by Pitt County Superior Court in 2022 after serving more than seven years.

- Mark Crotts whose double murder conviction was overturned following multiple retrials resulting ultimately in acquittal.