Perdue Assails Release of Inmates While Administration Frees Others Convicted of Same Crimes

Raleigh, N.C. – Governor Perdue released a statement today announcing that Department of Correction had recalculated the release dates of a select group of inmates affected by the decision in State v. Bowden and that the earliest unconditional release date would now be 2054.

What the Governor did not mention in her release was that just this month, the Department of Correction has released twelve convicted murderers and rapists.  The Governor’s release made no mention of Jasper Raynor of Bertie County convicted of second degree murder in 1986 sentenced to life in prison and released on November 9.  It made no mention of William Davis of Carteret County convicted of first degree murder in 1989 sentenced to life in prison and released on November 12.  It failed to mention Vivian Hicks of Johnston County convicted of first degree murder in 1988 sentenced to life in prison and released on November 2.  The Governor did not mention Bland Hill of Madison County convicted of first degree murder in 1978 sentenced to life in prison and released on November 2.  The release also did not mention Ray Isler of New Hanover County convicted of second degree murder in 1994 sentenced to life in prison and released on November 9.  The Governor’s release also neglected to mention Cassius Brown, Schuyler Camp, Michael Bullabough, James Sumter, Robert Moss, Terrell Watson, and Ron Mayner, all previously convicted of rape or murder and all released within the last nineteen days.

Governor Perdue also failed to mention that during the last legislative session she signed two bills, S488 and S489, which will lead to even earlier releases for murderers and rapists.  Under the Governor’s bills, a convicted rapist would be eligible to be released more than two years earlier and a convicted murderer could be released more a year earlier.
Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) made the following statement:
 
“Despite all of Governor Perdue’s grandstanding over the issue of the release of this specific group of inmates, her administration has released twelve people convicted of the same crimes in just the last nineteen days.  Under her own legislation, inmates convicted of the same crimes as these twenty will be released years earlier than before.  It is time for Governor Perdue to cut the act and truly get tough on crime.”

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