RALEIGH — A searchable database of prisoners released by former Gov. Roy Cooper during the COVID-19 pandemic was published yesterday. The name of the website hosting the database is “CooperReleasedHim.com.”
Cooper is currently running for the state’s U.S. Senate seat against Republican Michael Whatley, whose campaign has featured attacks on Cooper over the prisoner list, as well as Cooper’s “soft on crime” policies while governor.
Under the prisoner release settlement agreement, violent offenders were not supposed to be released, yet the data now confirms violent and repeat offenders were released.
According to a press release, “At least 2,412 of the 4,234 criminals granted early release under a 2021 settlement by then-Governor Roy Cooper have been convicted of an additional crime or post-release violation since being let out,” according to records the site compiled.
The database website was set up by right-leaning independent journalist Stephen Horn, founding editor of the Triangle Trumpet on Substack.
“You shouldn’t have to be a tech guru to access facts about the rapists, murderers, and child molesters that were granted early release into our communities,” said Horn.
The database lets users search for offenders by name, county and convictions, as well as offering detailed profiles of each individual, which includes a mugshot if available and if the person reoffended.
Searching the database by county showed Wake County had the largest release figure with 562, followed by Guilford (431) and Mecklenburg (395). Other high triple-digit counties include Cumberland (289), Forsyth (285), New Hanover (277), Buncombe (254) and Johnston (238).
Data points drawn from the analysis of the prisoner list include:
- 53 serving life sentences — 1 reoffender
- 70 convicted of murder — 9 reoffenders
- 99 convicted of rape or sexual offense — 45 reoffenders
- 203 convicted of taking indecent liberties with a child — 119 reoffenders
Notably, an initial look at Cooper’s prisoner release list yielded at 51 inmates with life sentences, whereas the new database appears to have found two more. According to the database, 19 of the 53 identified were convicted of murder in the first degree.
“The true reoffense rate for these offenders is even higher than the 56.97% indicated,” the press release states. “The NC Department of Adult Corrections data omits crimes where charges were never filed, where charges were dropped, or where the prosecution is in progress and has yet to result in a conviction.”
An example given for charges that went unfiled is that of Decarlos Brown Jr., the man accused in the stabbing murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail system last August. Prison officials and the Cooper campaign have denied Brown was part of the COVID release agreement and was scheduled to be released anyway.
Last month, a legislative subcommittee was announced to investigate Cooper’s prisoner list agreement and to examine the circumstances of those released under it.
North State Journal sent requests for comment from both the Cooper and Whatley campaigns.
Whatley released the following statement to North State Journal on the database:
“Every day we learn more about the horrific consequences of Roy Cooper’s decision to release thousands of convicted felons during COVID. His reckless actions put violent criminals back on North Carolina streets, and innocent people paid with their lives. At least 18 people were murdered by criminals who never should have been released. Roy Cooper failed and every night he goes to bed knowing he has blood on his hands.”
A Cooper campaign spokesperson responded to our email with the following statement:
“This site was created by a convicted January 6th rioter. After Roy fought against these releases in court, North Carolina law enforcement officials and parole officers looked to similar criteria President Trump used a year prior when Trump’s administration released thousands of federal prisoners due to COVID-19. While Roy spent his career putting rapists and violent criminals behind bars, Michael Whatley spent his appointing a convicted child sex predator who served time in prison for multiple counts of felony child sex crimes to a powerful position within the North Carolina Republican Party.”
Horn was at the Capitol protest on January 6, and did receive charges. In September 2023, a D.C. court found Horn guilty of Entering or Remaining in a Restricted Area, Disorderly or Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Area, Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building, and Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in the Capitol Building. One of the charges was linked to a photo of Horn elevating himself above the crowd by climbing onto a nearby statue, per a statement of facts document submitted by an FBI agent whose name was redacted in the filing.
Horn himself posted on X about the sentencing, which he called “lenient” for a J6 verdict. He was given 12 months probation, a $2,000 fine, and 90 hours community service. Horn went to the Capitol that day with video equipment to document the events that day, turning that footage into a documentary called “79 minutes: The breach of the Capitol.”
North State Journal reached back out to Horn on the Cooper campaign statement and he said the data speaks for itself.
“The data exposed by the Cooper Released Him tool remains clear: the criteria used by Gov. Roy Cooper’s subordinates resulted in the release of over 700 more criminals than the 3,500 minimum in the settlement signed by Cooper,” Horn said. “Among the 4,234 released were 70 murderers, 99 rapists, and 203 predators convicted of the very same ‘felony child sex crimes’ as Harvey Lee West Jr., whom conservative grassroots activists had been attempting to excise from the GOP for years.”
“The people of North Carolina must decide if they will allow the former governor to escape responsibility for the fact that over 56% of the offenders released under these criteria have since reoffended, including fourteen convicted of murder since their early release,” said Horn.
With regard to the Cooper campaign labeling him a J6 rioter, Horn said he did the database to “atone” for the crime of covering the riot that day.
“As a ‘person with justice involvement,’ I can only begin to atone for the magnitude of the crime of covering the January 6th riot as an independent journalist by doing small acts of public service, such as making these records from the NC Department of Adult Corrections more accessible to my fellow citizens,” said Horn.
