(José Niño, Headline USA) A new public data tool reveals that more than half of the 4,234 criminals granted early release by former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper in 2021 have been convicted of additional crimes or post release violations, according to a press release published by watchdog organization Cooper Released Him.
The database, now live at cooperreleasedhim.com, provides searchable access to offenders by name, county, and convictions. At least 2,412 of those released have reoffended, representing a 56.97 percent recidivism rate.
The Cooper Released Him Twitter profile describes the project as “exposing the 4,234 criminals released early by North Carolina’s Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper in 2021 at the behest of left-wing activist organizations.”
The data reveals disturbing figures about pre-release convictions among those granted early freedom. The database documents 53 inmates serving life sentences, one of whom has re-offended. It includes 70 individuals convicted of murder, with 9 reoffenders. The data shows 99 people convicted of rape or sexual offense, with 45 reoffenders. Most troubling, 203 individuals convicted of taking indecent liberties with a child were released, and 119 of them have reoffended.
The press release notes that the true reoffense rate is actually higher than the figures indicate. The NC Department of Adult Corrections data omits crimes where charges were never filed, where charges were dropped, or where prosecution is ongoing and has not yet resulted in a conviction.
The release cites DeCarlos Brown Jr. as perhaps the most notorious example. Brown allegedly committed a racially motivated murder of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte last August, as Headline USA previously reported. However, none of Brown’s post-release arrests appear in the data because the Mecklenburg District Attorney declined to prosecute charges related to multiple arrests after his early release in February 2021. The charges for the fatal stabbing remain pending in court.
“You shouldn’t have to be a tech guru to access facts about the rapists, murderers, and child molesters that were granted early release into our communities,” said Stephen Horn, founding editor of the Triangle Trumpet and the independent journalist behind the project.
Horn welcomes collaboration with journalists and citizens interested in investigating the data further. The project maintains a presence on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, with contact available through [email protected].
The releases occurred under a 2021 settlement during Cooper’s tenure as governor. Cooper, a Democrat, served as North Carolina’s governor from 2017 to 2025. The data tool now allows the public to examine the consequences of those early release decisions in granular detail.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
