Governor Commutes Killer’s Death Sentence

Gov. Mike Easley commuted the death sentence of an inmate who had argued that Easley should not hear clemency pleas because he had advocated capital punishment when he was a prosecutor.

Robert Bacon Jr.’s sentence was reduced to life in prison. He had been scheduled to die by injection Friday for the 1987 stabbing death of his lover’s husband.

“I am satisfied that the prosecutors and judges acted fairly and professionally in this case,” Easley said in a statement in Raleigh. “However, as governor, my review of this matter in its totality causes me to conclude that the appropriate sentence for the defendant is life without parole.”

State and county prosecutors who handled the case did not return phone calls for comment.