Gov. Cooper grants clemency to 3 who served decades for murder charges
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has granted clemency to three people convicted for crimes committed when they were teenagers.
One man, Anthony Willis, served 26 years in prison for the murder of Benjamin Miller in Cumberland County. Miller, owner of Uncle Ben's Country Store near Fayetteville, was robbed and shot to death in 1996. Willis was one of two teenagers charged.
The state said Willis has maintained employment during his incarceration and has earned five college degrees. The action is first time Gov. Cooper has extended his clemency powers since he took office in 2017.
April Leigh Barber, who served 30 years, and Joshua McKay, after serving 20 years, also had their sentences commuted.
“Today’s clemency order is incredibly important for April, her son, and the many friends and supporters who have called for her release for years,” said Kristie Puckett Williams, Deputy Director for Engagement and Mobilization and Statewide Campaign for Smart Justice Manager for the ACLU of North Carolina.
Barber was given consecutive life sentences for first-degree murder at the age of 15 in 1991. She was charged after her grandparents, Lillie and Aaron Barber, were murdered in Wilkes County. She has been consistently employed and earned her G.E.D.
McKay was charged with the murder of Mary Catherine Young in Richmond County when he was 17. While incarcerated, Mr. McKay has been consistently employed, including having stints as a carpenter and welder.
“North Carolina law continues to change to recognize that science is even more clear about immature brain development and decision making in younger people,” Cooper said. “As people become adults, they can change, turn their lives around, and engage as productive members of society.”
The creation of the Review Board followed the change in North Carolina law which raised the age of juvenile jurisdiction to include 16- and 17-year-olds.
The commutations follow an intensive review of their cases, the length of their sentences, their records in prison, and their readiness to succeed outside of prison.
