2026-05-14T12:08:21-04:00 / 福克斯新闻
批评人士称，在有20项前科的嫌疑人因控罪减轻而获释后，佐伊·韦尔奇的死亡本可避免
作者：彼得·皮内多、伊莱恩·马伦 福克斯新闻
发布于2026年5月14日美国东部时间中午12:08
共和党议员指控前民主党州长放走北卡罗来纳州谋杀嫌疑人
北卡罗来纳州共和党众议员马克·哈里斯做客《福克斯新闻直播》，讨论德卡洛斯·布朗 Jr. 尽管有14项前科仍提前出狱，以及前州长罗伊·库珀可能承担的责任。
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【福克斯新闻独家报道】北卡罗来纳州民主党州长罗伊·库珀正面临“对犯罪软弱”的新指控，此前批评人士指出，一名职业罪犯在库珀任命的法官减轻其控罪并允许其重返街头后，于今年1月杀害了一名教师。
库珀正在角逐现任北卡罗来纳州联邦参议员汤姆·提利斯（共和党，北卡）即将空出的席位，提利斯即将退休，这使得本次选举成为本届中期选举竞争最激烈的席位之一。民主党将北卡罗来纳州视为关键的夺旗机会，而库珀的对手是前共和党全国委员会主席迈克尔·沃特利。
自去年夏天一名职业罪犯杀害伊丽娜·扎鲁茨卡以来，库珀和北卡罗来纳州的刑事司法系统就不断面临批评者的审视，他们认为惯犯往往会被再次放回街头。
“罗伊·库珀是个对犯罪软弱的疯子，他把怪物放出监狱，而非努力保护北卡罗来纳州民众的安全，”共和党全国委员会发言人艾玛·霍尔说道。“库珀的记录带来了致命后果，他应该为自己未能将危险罪犯挡在街头之外，向所有受害者及其家属道歉。”
夏洛特列车谋杀案成为2026年关键参议院争夺战的核心议题：‘对犯罪软弱的政策’
2024年9月10日，北卡罗来纳州民主党前州长罗伊·库珀在宾夕法尼亚州费城与记者交谈。（保罗·斯坦豪瑟/福克斯新闻）
在罗利理科教师佐伊·韦尔奇遭残忍杀害后，这些担忧再次浮现，批评人士称这起命案本可避免。
韦尔奇今年1月被发现死于家中，尸检显示她死于头部钝器伤。被控谋杀她的瑞安·卡马乔曾于2025年4月面临四项入室盗窃指控。尽管有20项前科，达勒姆地区法院法官多萝西·黑尔斯顿·米切尔仍将其控罪降为轻罪，卡马乔得以获释。
米切尔于2021年由库珀任命，担任第14地区法院法官。库珀在宣布米切尔任命的新闻稿中称赞她，称她将以“奉献与公平”引领工作。
宽松法官无视危险信号，屈服于对犯罪软弱的压力而释放惯犯：律师
北卡罗来纳州参议院候选人迈克尔·沃特利发表演讲。（伊娃·玛丽·乌兹卡特吉/盖蒂图片社）
米切尔当时是为了接替布莱恩·威尔克斯获得任命，并在2022年11月的选举中成功当选该职位。如今，库珀的竞选团队试图将米切尔的司法判决与库珀切割。
“需要明确的是，这位法官是民选上任的，”库珀竞选团队的一名发言人告诉福克斯新闻数字频道。
该发言人补充道：“罗伊毕生都在将强奸犯和暴力罪犯送进监狱，而迈克尔·沃特利则曾任命一名因多项重罪儿童性犯罪入狱的定罪儿童性侵犯者，担任北卡罗来纳州共和党内部的要职。”
2021年和2024年，时任北卡罗来纳州共和党主席的沃特利，将定罪的儿童性侵犯者哈维·李·韦斯特任命到该州的组织计划委员会。1999年，韦斯特承认对三名女孩犯下法定强奸罪，其中两人14岁，一人16岁。韦斯特称他已向北卡罗来纳州共和党领导层坦诚了自己的犯罪前科。
北卡罗来纳州议员通过‘伊丽娜法案’废除现金保释，此前发生夏洛特列车持刀伤人案
前北卡罗来纳州州长罗伊·库珀与近期刑事案件嫌疑人的 booking照一同亮相，这些案件被批评人士用来质疑该州的公共安全和刑事司法政策。（汉娜·贝尔/彭博社/梅克伦堡县警长办公室/罗恩县警长办公室）
库珀的竞选团队指出，他担任北卡罗来纳州检察长的16年经历，以及他作为州长签署的法案——比如一项让贩卖致命剂量毒品的毒贩更易被起诉的法律——都证明他对执法部门的坚定支持。
但在库珀执政期间，2021年有3500名囚犯在180天内获释，这是根据与民权团体达成的和解协议执行的，这些团体此前因囚犯死于新冠病毒而起诉该州。其中一些获释囚犯曾犯下针对儿童的严重罪行和性侵犯。
【点击此处下载福克斯新闻APP】
在库珀政府时期获释的囚犯中，有560人在获释两年内因新指控被捕。其中包括蒂雷尔·布雷斯，他后来因杀害年轻父亲埃兰特·汤普森而被控一级谋杀。
另一名获释者是吉米·斯佩特，他曾因对儿童实施猥亵行为和未注册为性犯罪者而定罪，提前近九个月获释。2023年，他因二级谋杀罪被判处32年以上监禁。
彼得·皮内多是福克斯新闻数字频道的政治撰稿人。
North Carolina teacher’s killing reignites scrutiny of Roy Cooper’s criminal justice record in Senate race
2026-05-14T12:08:21-04:00 / Fox News
Critics say Zoe Welch’s death was preventable after suspect with 20 prior arrests walked free on reduced charges
By Peter Pinedo, Elaine Mallon Fox News
Published May 14, 2026 12:08pm EDT
Republican lawmaker alleges former Dem governor freed North Carolina murder suspect
Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., joins ‘Fox News Live’ to discuss DeCarlos Brown Jr.’s early release from prison despite having fourteen prior arrests and the possible responsibility of former Gov. Roy Cooper.
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FIRST ON FOX:North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is facing renewed accusations of being “soft on crime” after critics pointed to the January murder of a teacher by a career criminal who had been released after a Cooper-appointed judge reduced his charges and allowed him back on the streets.
Cooper is running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who is retiring, setting up what is expected to be one of the most competitive races this midterm cycle. Democrats view North Carolina as a key pickup opportunity as Cooper faces Republican candidate Michael Whatley, a former Republican National Committee chairman.
Ever since the killing of Iryna Zarutska by a career criminal last summer, Cooper and North Carolina’s criminal justice system have faced mounting scrutiny from critics who argue repeat offenders are too often cycled back onto the streets.
“Roy Cooper is a soft-on-crime lunatic who lets monsters out of prison instead of fighting to keep North Carolinians safe,” Republican National Committee Spokesperson Emma Hall said. “Cooper’s record has deadly consequences, and he owes every victim and their family an apology for his failure to keep dangerous criminals off the streets.”
CHARLOTTE TRAIN MURDER FRONT AND CENTER IN CRUCIAL 2026 SENATE BATTLE: ‘SOFT-ON-CRIME POLICIES’
Then-Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat from North Carolina, speaks with reporters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 10, 2024.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Those concerns are now resurfacing following the brutal killing of Raleigh science teacher Zoe Welch that critics say may have been preventable.
Welch was found dead in her home in January, and an autopsy revealed she died from blunt force trauma to the head. Her accused murderer, Ryan Camacho, was facing four charges of breaking and entering in April 2025. However, despite having 20 prior arrests, Durham District Court Judge Dorothy Hairston Mitchell reduced his charges to a misdemeanor, allowing Camacho to walk free.
Mitchell was appointed by Cooper in 2021 to serve as District Court Judge in District 14. In a press release announcing Mitchell’s appointment, Cooper praised her, stating that she would lead with “dedication and fairness.”
LENIENT JUDGES IGNORE RED FLAGS, CAVE TO SOFT-ON-CRIME PRESSURES AS THEY RELEASE REPEAT OFFENDERS: ATTORNEY
North Carolina Senate candidate Michael Whatley gives an address.(Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images)
At the time, Mitchell was appointed to replace Brian Wilks, but she won election to the position in November 2022. Now, his office is distancing Cooper from Mitchell’s judgeship.
“To be clear, this judge was elected to her position,” a spokesperson for Cooper’s campaign told Fox News Digital.
The spokesperson added that “while Roy spent his career putting rapists and violent criminals behind bars, Michael Whatley spent his appointing a convicted child sex predator who served time in prison for multiple counts of felony child sex crimes to a powerful position within the North Carolina Republican Party.”
In 2021 and 2024, Whatley, then with the North Carolina GOP, appointed convicted child sex offender Harvey Lee West to the state’s Plan of Organization Committee. In 1999, West pleaded guilty to statutory rape of three girls, two 14-year-olds and one 16-year-old. West claimed that he had been open and honest about his criminal past with North Carolina party leadership.
NORTH CAROLINA LAWMAKERS PASS ‘IRYNA’S LAW’ TO ELIMINATE CASHLESS BAIL AFTER CHARLOTTE TRAIN STABBING
Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper appears alongside booking photos of suspects in recent criminal cases cited by critics questioning the state’s public safety and criminal justice policies.(Hannah Beier/Bloomberg/Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office/Rowan County Sheriff’s Office)
Cooper’s campaign points to his 16 years as North Carolina’s attorney general, along with legislation he signed as governor—such as a law making it easier to prosecute drug dealers who sell fatal doses—as evidence of his strong support for law enforcement.
But under Cooper’s watch, 3,500 inmates were released over a 180-day period in 2021 as part of a settlement agreement with civil rights groups who sued the state over inmates dying of Covid-19. Some of the inmates released were convicted of serious offenses against children and sexual assault.
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Five hundred sixty inmates released during the Cooper administration were arrested on new charges within two years of their release. Among those released was Tyrell Brace, who was later charged with first-degree murder in the killing of young father Elante Thompson in Charlotte.
Another individual released was Jimmie Speight, who had been convicted of indecent liberties with a child and failure to register as a sex offender and was released just under nine months early. In 2023, he was sentenced to more than 32 years in prison for second-degree murder.
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
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