Entries tagged with “Gregory Butler”
Mar 28, 2025
“He Looks a Little Like the Defendant”: A Closer Look at the History of Racial Bias in Jury Selection
As closing arguments of his trial began in Johnston County, North Carolina, Hasson Bacote watched as Assistant District Attorney Gregory Butler urged the jury to sentence him to death. Mr. Bacote, a Black man, had been convicted of fatally shooting 18-year-old Anthony Surles during a robbery when Mr. Bacote was just 21 years old. Mr. Bacote admitted he had fired a single shot out of a trailer, but said he did not know that he hit anyone. “Hasson Bacote is a thug: cold-blooded and without…
Feb 07, 2025
Judge Finds Race Plays a “Significant Role” in Death Sentences in Three North Carolina Counties
On February 7, 2025, Johnston County Superior Court Judge Wayland Sermons ruled “[r]ace was a significant factor” in both jury selection and the decision to impose death in the case of Hasson Bacote and granted relief for Mr. Bacote from his death sentence under the provisions of North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act (RJA). Judge Sermons also found racial discrimination tainted all death sentences in Johnston County and neighboring Harnett and Lee Counties, potentially affecting the outcomes of…