Democrat Roy Cooper Commutes Death Row Sentence for Rapist Who Killed Elderly Woman
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper commutes death sentence of man convicted of raping and killing 72-year-old woman.
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North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has commuted the death sentence of Christopher Roseboro, a man convicted of raping and killing a 72-year-old woman in 1994. The commutation came during the final days of Cooper’s second term as governor, marking a significant shift in the state’s approach to capital punishment.
A Heinous Crime and Conviction
On March 13, 1992, Roseboro broke into the home of Martha “Gertie” Edwards, a 72-year-old woman living in Gastonia with her husband. During his trial, Roseboro admitted to the break-in and testified that Edwards had been dead for at least an hour before he raped her. An autopsy revealed recent bruises on her arms, nose, and lips, a dislocated shoulder, and fluid in her lungs, with the pathologist concluding the cause of death was consistent with smothering.
Edwards was found lying in bed in her nightgown, with her covers pulled up to her chest, according to the Gaston Gazette. In 1994, a jury convicted Roseboro of first-degree murder, first-degree burglary, first-degree rape, felonious larceny, and possession of stolen property. He was sentenced to death, and in 1997, a second jury upheld the death sentence.
Clemency and Public Reaction
Cooper announced the commutation in a press release, stating that the decision followed a “thorough review, reflection, and prayer.” The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) praised the move, calling it a step toward a “new era of justice” in North Carolina, where they have long criticized the death penalty as racially biased, unjust, and immoral.
The far-left group also noted that Cooper had “commuted more death sentences than any governor in North Carolina’s history,” a claim backed by the Death Penalty Information Center, which called it the “largest grant of capital clemency in state history.”
Broader Implications
This commutation is separate from Cooper’s 2021 mass prison release deal, which saw 4,200 convicted criminals released, with nearly half reoffending. President Trump recently criticized that deal, comparing Cooper to former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis.
Cooper now faces Republican Michael Whatley in North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race, with early in-person voting beginning on October 15.
Source: Breitbart
