ROCKINGHAM — Governor Roy Cooper commuted the sentences of three people who were convicted for crimes committed when they were teenagers, including a prisoner who was convicted on a murder charge in Richmond County.
Joshua McKay, now 37, served 20 years in prison for the murder of Mary Catherine Young in Richmond County which he committed at 17. The incident took place on Dec. 7, 2001.
In August of 2002, McKay pled guilty to second-degree murder, assault inflicting serious injury, larceny of a firearm and multiple felonious breaking and entering charges.
Cooper’s commutation order states that McKay must not commit any felony, Class A1 misdemeanor or impaired driving offense for a full year effective March 24.
McKay cannot leave the state of North Carolina without explicit permission given from a Community Corrections or NC Department of Public Safety official. He cannot own a firearm, assault another person or modify his residence or employment without approval.
“If the Governor, or his successor, finds that Joshua Chase McKay has violated any of the conditions herein provided, then the Governor or his successor may, in his or her discretion, revoke or modify the Commutation granted this day,” reads the order.
While incarcerated, McKay has been consistently employed as a carpenter, according to the Governor’s press release. His projected release would have been in Nov. 2022.
The three commutations are the first recommended by the Juvenile Sentence Review Board which was established last year. This review board is part of a series of recommendations from the Governor’s Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice that works to rectify racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
According to the task force, more than 80% of people committed to North Carolina prisons for crimes they committed as juveniles are people of color.
The creation of the review board followed the change in North Carolina law which raised the age of juvenile jurisdiction to include 16- and 17-year-olds, making North Carolina the last state in the nation to do so.
Others pardoned include April Leigh Barber, 46, who served 30 years in prison for her role at age 15 in the murders of her grandparents in Wilkes County, and Anthony Willis, 42, who served 26 years in prison for the murder at age 16 of Benjamin Franklin Miller in Cumberland County.
“North Carolina law continues to change to recognize that science is even more clear about immature brain development and decision making in younger people,” Cooper said. “As people become adults, they can change, turn their lives around, and engage as productive members of society.”
Records with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety show that McKay has previous convictions for assault, felony breaking and entering, burning a public building and larceny of firearms all committed throughout 2001.
“These commutations should inspire individuals who are incarcerated to use all available resources to better themselves and prepare for a successful return to society,” said Department of Public Safety Secretary Eddie Buffaloe in a press release.
