(Photo: Caspar Benson/Getty Images)
When former Governor Roy Cooper issued a final round of pardons and criminal sentencing commutations on New Year’s Eve, his last day in office, I learned that he hadn’t commuted the life without parole sentence I’ve been serving for nearly 23 years. To comfort me, a friend said I’m entitled to feel sad or angry, but I don’t. I’m actually overjoyed.
During his eight years in office, Cooper issued 34 pardons and 43 commutations, including commuting 15 death sentences to life without parole. In contrast, the three previous governors pardoned just 21 people and commuted only six sentences over 16 years. By North Carolina’s standards, Cooper was extremely generous with clemency.
It’s unfortunate that I remain incarcerated, but at least Cooper found promise in those he deemed fit for relief. Some clemencies he issued give me reason to celebrate, even if I can’t celebrate for myself.
Among the 77 people Cooper helped, he granted clemency to Anthony Willis, Darnell Cherry, Kirstin Angell, Tony King, Joseph Bromfield, and Marquise McKenzie, all men I pulled time with. We ate together, shared laughter, and endured hardships. Now I revel in their second chances as if I had one, too.
Only Cooper knows why some deserved clemency while hundreds of others did not. Clemency is his sole discretion. No reason for denial is given. Petitioners apply by listing their accomplishments and how they may have been wronged in court. The governor grants clemency or he does not.
My prison record is not much different from those whom Cooper helped. I haven’t been cited for an infraction in 16 years. I have to complete three classes to finish an associate’s degree through correspondence courses. I earned an apprenticeship for graphic design in 2015. For three years, I worked as editor of The Nash News, North Carolina’s longest running prison publication. I teach creative writing and journalism to other prisoners. In 2020, I co-authored criminal justice reform legislation with another prisoner – it was sponsored by state House Representatives in 2021 and 2023. I have not just found a way to live in prison. I have learned to thrive.
But clemency from a life sentence is not an entitlement. It is a mercy.
Like most of the people Cooper helped, I was convicted of killing someone. No accomplishment will ever overshadow that fact. His name was Rico Waters. While awaiting trial, I learned that he was a new father, a loving son, a brother, and a friend to many. For his loved ones, Rico’s loss must have been immeasurable.
If given the chance, Rico had the potential to become a better man than I will ever be. I can’t desire love, prosperity, or happiness without realizing how he will never experience those things either. This grief will burden me for the rest of my life, whether I am in prison or not. Regret of my actions as a foolish young man is the reason I strive to be better and why I have accomplished so much. It is also the compass guiding me toward morality in all present and future decisions. I have experienced how my choices affect the lives of others.
I imagine many petitioners are upset because they weren’t granted clemency, for whatever reason, but not me. I view denial as an opportunity to accomplish more while I am in prison.
On a larger scale, I applaud Governor Cooper’s clemency accomplishment. Could he have issued more? Yes. But he could have issued less, too. Because of his compassion, many will reenter society after earning a second chance. I only hope North Carolina’s new governor, Josh Stein, follows in Cooper’s footsteps by extending mercy to those who deserve it.