Zoe Welsh, a teacher at Ravenscroft school in Raleigh, died on Jan. 3, 2026, after police say Ryan Camacho, 36, broke into her home and assaulted her. 

According to court documents, Camacho has a lengthy criminal history going back more than a decade in both Wake and Durham counties. Court records show Camacho has been arrested more than 20 times.

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Watch: Tap here to watch WRAL's coverage of the murder case involving Zoe Welsh and Ryan Camacho

Timeline of events

Dec. 27, 2025 - WRAL learned a neighbor took photos that appear to show Camacho urinating on their property in Raleigh. 

Dec. 30, 2025 - Police said there was an attempted break-in at St. Mary’s Square North Apartments, which is located next to Zoe Welsh's home.

Jan. 2, 2026 -  Employees of businesses along Peace Street said they saw Camacho on Jan. 2 wandering into shops with a “blank stare on his face.” Some employees even told WRAL News they kicked Camacho out.  

Jan. 3, 2026 

6:33 a.m.  - Raleigh police say a woman, later identified as Zoe Welsh, calls 911 from her home on Clay Street in Raleigh to report that a man was inside her home. While Welsh was on the phone, the suspect began assaulting her.

When officers arrived, they found Welsh with life-threatening injuries. Welsh was taken to a hospital, where she later died.

In investigating the area around Welsh's home, police talked to someone who told them there had been an apparent break-in at St. Mary’s Square North Apartments next door earlier that morning.

That afternoon -  Ryan Camacho, 36, was arrested and charged with murder and felony burglary. 

Upon his arrest, WRAL found that Camacho had a lengthy arrest history. Court records show Camacho has been arrested more than 20 times. In many of those cases, Camacho was either charged with a misdemeanor or the cases were dropped altogether.

Jan. 5, 2026 

Camacho first court appearance 

Ryan Camacho appears in court and is given no bond. 

WRAL asked Wake County District Lorrin Freeman about Camacho's previous criminal record and what goes through her mind knowing Camacho faces charges again.

Mental health challenges

Online court records show Camacho had a history of mental health challenges.

Camacho's mom, Cynthia Camacho, sought and was granted guardianship over him multiple times, citing "incompetency." WRAL News went to her home on this day, but she did not want to talk.

Ravenscroft mourns

Grief counselors are on hand at the school to help students and staff cope with the Welsh's loss. She was a beloved science teacher. 

Jan. 6, 2026 

Records show plea deal let Camacho out of jail before Welsh's murder

WRAL found via public documents that Camacho had four felony charges in 2025 consolidated and lowered to a misdemeanor by reaching a plea agreement.

Given Ryan Camacho’s criminal history dating back 20 years between Wake and Durham counties, a conviction for any one of the four Class H felony charges he faced would have resulted in a sentence between eight and 10 months. Had Camacho been convicted of all four charges, he would have faced a prison sentence between three and four years.

A felony conviction could have seen Camacho behind bars on Jan. 3. 

Why wasn’t Camacho in a mental institution?

Also on Jan. 6, WRAL talked to legal experts about why Camacho wasn't in a mental institution at the time of Welsh's death. On December 2025, just weeks before Welsh's death, Judge Louis Meyer denied a prosecutorial request to commit Camacho to a mental health facility involuntarily. 

Retired Superior Court Judge Carl Fox said he did not see any red flags in terms of how Camacho’s previous cases were handled.

WRAL reached out to Meyer to ask why the request was denied, but has not heard back. 

Unanswered question

Why did Judge Louis Meyer deny a prosecutorial request to commit Camacho to a mental health facility involuntarily in December 2025? 

Security footage shows Camacho hours before Welsh's death

Security footage obtained by WRAL News on this day appeared to show Camacho just two hours before Welsh's death walking down the street. According to one neighbor, he was exhibiting concerning behavior before he was taken into custody.

Fletcher Park

Raleigh police say Camacho may have been sleeping in Fletcher Park before Welsh's death. Police said investigators cannot determine how long he may have been there. WRAL also reported that in the past six months Raleigh police have responded to eight 911 calls at Fletcher Park.

Legislators weigh in Welsh's death

Jan. 7, 2026 

WRAL mapped out the years of criminal and mental health contacts that Camacho had with authorities. 

Also on this date, Michelle Potchak told WRAL about the time Camacho broke into her Durham home twice: In 2021 and in 2024.

WRAL News reached out to the office of Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry with Potchak’s concerns about the handling of Camacho’s 2021 and 2024 cases. It took Deberry's office two days to address those questions. 

Unanswered questions

Why did the Durham district attorney agree to let Camacho plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges instead of the original three felonies charged for break-ins at Michelle Potchak's home in 2021 and 2024?

Why did the Durham district attorney agree to let Camacho plead guilty to a single misdemeanor instead of the original four felony charges he faced for crimes committed in April 2025?

Jan. 8, 2026 

Case review shows attempted break-in near scene of teacher's killing 

WRAL reports that Raleigh police are investigating the attempted break-in at St. Mary’s Square North Apartments on Jan. 3.

On this day, WRAL also reported that radio traffic indicated Welsh might have recognized Camacho.

"Broke into the window,” the radio traffic stated. “She said it was a homeless subject that frequents Fletcher Park.”

Unanswered questions: 

Were Raleigh police aware of neighbors’ concerns about Camacho leading up to Welsh’s death?

Police didn’t answer those questions, only saying that it’s under investigation.

Durham County DA stands by decision to allow plea deal for Camacho

WRAL emailed and visited Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry's office on Jan. 6. After getting no response, WRAL emailed again on Jan. 7. 

On Jan. 8, Deberry responded to some of WRAL News’ questions about her office’s handling of Camacho's case. 

Deberry provided WRAL News with written statements when asked about the disposition of cases against Camacho.

“A review of the cases shows that the evidence in Mr. Camacho’s cases did not support felony conviction,” Deberry wrote in an email to WRAL News. “He was convicted of the misdemeanor breaking and entering because that is what the evidence in the cases supported. He was incarcerated as a result."

Deberry responded to accusations from Durham resident Michelle Potchak told WRAL News that Camacho broke into her home twice: In 2021 and 2024.

“In both the 2021 and 2024 cases, in order for Mr. Camacho to be convicted of a felony, the state needed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he broke into and entered a building with the intent to commit a larceny therein,” Deberry wrote. “There was no evidence of the intent to commit larceny therein.

WRAL News still has several questions for Deberry, including:

Unanswered questions for Deberry

Are you reviewing how Camacho's past cases were handled by your office? If so, what does that entail, and what can we expect as far as an outcome?

How was Camacho's history in Durham and other counties considered in the 2021 plea agreement made for his Durham County case?

Do you still believe downgrading the original felonies to misdemeanors was the right call?

Did your office have any concerns about Camacho's mental health during any of these cases?

If you did not determine he needed a mental health evaluation, why? If so, what did that evaluation determine?

Jan. 26, 2026 

Ryan Camacho is due back in court.