Michael Whatley, Republican Senate candidate, said ex-Gov. Roy Cooper’s COVID-era inmate release policies allowed repeat offender DeCarlos Brown to remain free, leading to the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte last summer.
The incident has sparked renewed debate over public safety and criminal justice reform in North Carolina. Whatley directly linked Cooper’s actions to the tragedy, saying, “Roy Cooper released repeat offender DeCarlos Brown Jr., who went on to brutally murder Iryna Zarutska aboard the Charlotte light rail this past summer (…) An innocent woman is dead, and her blood is on his hands (…) Instead of taking responsibility, Cooper is still lying and scrambling to hide the truth (…) Roy Cooper has disqualified himself from holding public office,” according to Whatley’s statements on X.
According to Fox News, Whatley made these comments in multiple posts that connected Brown’s release to a COVID-era settlement agreement known as NAACP v. Cooper. Records matched Brown’s offender identification with the list of 3,500 inmates affected by the agreement. Documents reviewed by Republican officials confirmed this connection despite state corrections noting Brown had completed his prior sentence.
The ACLU detailed that North Carolina’s settlement aimed to address prison overcrowding during the pandemic by reinstating post-release supervision for individuals like Brown. Mecklenburg County court records show Brown had 14 cases ranging from shoplifting to armed robbery, with releases reflecting progressive approaches intended to reduce incarceration rates. These policies have fueled local debates about safety on Charlotte’s transit system.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee reported that under Cooper’s administration, a task force advocated pre-trial releases and cashless bail and revised sentence credit rules. The committee also noted that penalties were commuted for 15 death row convicts during his tenure and highlighted endorsements from organizations supporting police funding reallocations.
USA Today documented that similar inmate release measures during COVID included offenders with felony records such as assault and kidnapping nationwide. The report noted Brown’s history of mental illness and unconfirmed evaluations, which reflects broader trends where prosecutors avoid charging low-level crimes in efforts to address disparities—raising national concerns over recidivism in urban areas.
“Roy Cooper released repeat offender DeCarlos Brown Jr., who went on to brutally murder Iryna Zarutska aboard the Charlotte light rail this past summer,” said Whatley, Republican Candidate. “An innocent woman is dead, and her blood is on his hands. Instead of taking responsibility, Cooper is still lying and scrambling to hide the truth. Roy Cooper has disqualified himself from holding public office.”
