In one of his final acts in office, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has commuted the death sentences of 15 men convicted of first-degree murder to life in prison without parole

In one of his final acts in office, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper commuted the death sentences of 15 men convicted of first-degree murder to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Tuesday, reducing the state’s death row population by more than 10%.

A Robeson County man whose been on death for decades after being convicted of killing his stepfather had his sentence commuted to life without parole by Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday — his final day in office.