In Depth with Dan: Answering viewer questions about handling of man suspected in Raleigh teacher's murder

Several WRAL viewers wrote in about the elected judges and district attorneys facing questions after the murder of Raleigh teacher Zoe Welsh.
Posted 1/16/2026, 1:27:51 AM Updated 1/16/2026, 2:00:08 AM

>> IT'S ALMOST OVER.

>> WE HAVE TALKED A LOT ABOUT

SOME OF THE TOPICS YOU'VE SENT

TO THE 07:00PM IN INBOX OVER

THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS.

AND TONIGHT I WANT TO TACKLE A

SUBJECT THAT SEEMS TO REALLY

RESONATE WITH A LOT OF YOU

PARTY POLITICS LAST WEEK.

SOME PEOPLE WROTE IN AFTER OUR

COVERAGE ON THE ELECTED JUDGES

AND DISTRICT ATTORNEYS UNDER

THE MICROSCOPE AFTER THE

MURDER, RALEIGH TEACHER BY A

MAN WITH A LONG CRIMINAL RECORD

AND HISTORY OF MENTAL ILLNESS.

SOME VIEWERS WERE UPSET WITH US

FOR OUTLINING THAT. ALL OF

THOSE LEADERS WERE ELECTED

DEMOCRATS. AND I GOT THIS VOICE

MESSAGE.

>> ONE OF YOU AND THEY WANT

TO BE A BIG PLAYING IN. BUT I

NEVER MEANT FOR THAT. THE PARTY

AND ALLY WITH ANYBODY AND WHO

WOULDN'T DOWN A PATH. ALL THE

PEOPLE THAT ARE INVOLVED THAT

THE PROBLEM, IF A DEMOCRAT.

THAT WE HAVE A PROBLEM IN THIS

COUNTRY BUT THAT HE HAD NUCLEI.

>> SO THIS IT'S REALLY STRUCK

A CHORD WITH ME AND NOT REALLY

BECAUSE IT MISUNDERSTANDS

JOURNALISM AND WHAT WE DO.

BUT BECAUSE IT HIGHLIGHTS

SOMETHING THAT I NOTICE A LOT

IN THE 07:00PM IN INBOX.

THIS POLARIZED ALLEGIANCE TO

PARTY. THIS IDEA THAT THE

COURT, HE COVE OF PARTY

MEMBERS, SOMEHOW A CRITIQUE

OF YOU AS IF EVERY REPUBLICAN

IS UNITED IN ONE FIGHT AND

EVERY DEMOCRAT IS UNITED IN

ANOTHER. AND IT MAKES SENSE

BECAUSE MANY POLITICIANS WANT

YOU TO BELIEVE THAT. BUT THIS

IS NOT TRUE. NOT EVEN CLOSE.

AND I'LL SHOW YOU. THESE ARE

QUOTES FROM A DEBATE IN 2019 ON

THE TOPIC OF CIVIL LIBERTIES,

GOVERNMENT, SURVEILLANCE AND

SECURITY. ONE CANDIDATE SAYS

WE MUST DEREGULATE SURVEILLANCE

POWERS AND PROTECT PRIVACY

RIGHTS FROM GOVERNMENT

OVERREACH. THE OTHER SAID WE

CAN'T LET CIVIL LIBERTIES

IMPEDE OUR EFFORTS TO KEEP

AMERICANS SAFE. SO WHICH PARTY

SAID WHICH 2 VERY DIFFERENT

TAKES ON GOVERNMENT

SURVEILLANCE. ONE FOCUSED ON

FREEDOMS. THE OTHER ON NATIONAL

SECURITY AND BOTH OR FROM

REPUBLICANS. THIS WAS BILL

WELD, FORMER REPUBLICAN

GOVERNOR FROM MASSACHUSETTS

AND JOE WALSH, A FORMER TEA

PARTY CONGRESSMAN IN A

PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY. PUT

YOURSELF IN THEIR SHOES.

YOU CONSIDER THE TOPIC. DO YOU

THINK THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE

ABLE TO TAP OUR PHONES AND

TRACK US? JUST SAYING I VOTE

REPUBLICAN ISN'T AN ANSWER.

HERE'S ANOTHER ON CORPORATE

POWER AND MONOPOLIES. ONE

CANDIDATE SAID A HANDFUL OF

CORPORATIONS CONTROL TOO MUCH

OF OUR ECONOMY AND OUR

POLITICS. THE OTHER SAID BIG

TECH AND CORPORATE MONOPOLIES

ARE STRANGLING COMPETITION AND

WORKERS. BUT THIS USAID AND

THOSE PEOPLE ARE VIRTUALLY

SAYING THE SAME THING THAT THEY

ARE UNITED UNDER THEIR PARTY'S

IDEALS EXCEPT GOTCHA. BECAUSE

THE FIRST ONE WAS FROM DEMOCRAT

BERNIE SANDERS AND THE OTHER

WAS FROM REPUBLICAN JOSH

HAWLEY, 2 RANKING MEMBERS FROM

2 DIFFERENT PARTIES WITH THE

SAME PERSPECTIVE ON MAJOR

COMPANIES AND THEIR INFLUENCE.

IF BOTH PARTIES WERE UNITED

WITH BOTH OF THEM, WE SEE SOME

MAJOR CHANGES. WOULD WE?

BUT WE DON'T. THOSE HUGE

COMPANY STILL REIGNS SUPREME,

PERHAPS BECAUSE NOT EVERYONE IN

EACH PARTY SHARES THE SAME

IDEAS OR GOALS. ONE MORE THIS

ONE'S ON AFFORDABLE COLLEGE.

ONE CANDIDATE SAID PUBLIC

EDUCATION SHOULD BE TUITION

FREE, JUST LIKE PUBLIC HIGH

SCHOOL. THE OTHER SAID, I DON'T

THINK TAXPAYERS SHOULD

SUBSIDIZE COLLEGE FOR FAMILIES

WHO COULD AFFORD TO PAY ONE

WANTS TAXPAYERS TO PAY FOR

EVERYBODY TO GO TO COLLEGE.

THE OTHER DOESN'T. AND BOTH

ARE DEMOCRATS. THAT WAS

ELIZABETH WARREN AND PETE

BUTTIGIEG AND THE 2020

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY. NOW YOU CAN

BE A DEMOCRAT, BUT YOU CAN

AGREE WITH BOTH OF THEM ON HOW

TO MAKE COLLEGE MORE

AFFORDABLE.

THIS RESONATED WITH A VIEWER

NAMED ANGELA. SHE SAID I AGREE

THAT SOMETIMES YOU COULD BE

CRITICAL WITHIN YOUR OWN PARTY.

THAT IS EXACTLY HOW I FEEL.

I HAVE ISSUES WITH THE PARTY.

I AM IN AN HONEST ABOUT THE

GLARING PROBLEMS WE HAVE.

YOU SEE THE PARTY, YOU MOST

ALIGNED WITH ISN'T A SINGLE

THING. IT'S MANY THINGS.

IT'S FLUID IS MADE UP OF

DIFFERENT IDEAS AND PRIORITIES

AND PERSPECTIVES. AND THOSE EBB

AND FLOW IN AND OUT OF

SIGNIFICANCE BASED ON YOU AND

HOW YOU VOTE. I MEAN, THINK OF

IT LIKE THIS. DEMOCRATS ONCE

RAN ON TOUGH ON CRIME POLICIES,

RIGHT? BILL CLINTON SIGNED THE

1994 CRIME BILL. BUT TODAY MANY

DEMOCRATS ARGUE THAT MASS

INCARCERATION ITSELF IS A

PROBLEM. MANY TRIED TO DEFUND

THE POLICE. DEMOCRATS ALSO ONCE

OPPOSED SAME MARRIAGE,

INCLUDING BARACK OBAMA AND

HILLARY CLINTON UNTIL VOTERS

AND ACTIVISTS INSIDE THE PARTY

PUSHED FOR CHANGE. REPUBLICANS.

MEANWHILE, HAVE SPENT DECADES

ARGUING THAT POWER SHOULD STAY

WITH THE STATES. THAT WAS THE

RALLYING CRY BEHIND OVERTURNING

ROE VERSUS WADE. BUT MANY OF

THOSE SAME LEADERS NOW SUPPORTS

STRONG FEDERAL ACTION WHEN IT

COMES TO IMMIGRATION

ENFORCEMENT. EVEN IN STATES

THAT DISAGREE, YOU CAN'T JUST

SAY I'M A DEMOCRAT OR I'M A

REPUBLICAN AND THEN CALL IT

A DAY. YOU ALSO CAN'T BE SO

FOCUSED ON THE OTHER PARTY THAT

YOU FORGET TO CARE ABOUT YOUR

OWN.

AND NOW IS A REALLY GOOD TIME

TO EXPRESS THAT BECAUSE IT IS

PRIMARY SEASON HERE IN NORTH

CAROLINA. WE HAVE IT ALL

OUTLINE FOR YOU ON OUR WEBSITE.

WE HAVE SPECIAL RIGHTS HERE IN

OUR STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA.

IF YOU ARE AN UNAFFILIATED

VOTER, YOU CAN PICK WHICH

PRIMARY YOU VOTED, NOT EVERY

STATE. WHAT YOU DO THAT IT'S

UNCERTAIN PARTIES REALLY DON'T

STAND A CHANCE IN THE GENERAL

ELECTION IN SOME AREAS. IT IS

OFTEN THE PRIMARY THAT DECIDE

TO YOUR LEADERS ARE. SO IF YOU

LEAN RIGHT AND YOU LIVE IN A

HEAVILY DEMOCRATIC AREA, YOU

CAN VOTE IN THE DEMOCRATIC

PRIMARY. IF YOU LEAN LEFT IN

YOUR IN A HEAVILY REPUBLICAN

ONE SAME DEAL, YOU HAVE A SAY,

BUT YOU HAVE TO USE YOUR VOICE.

IT REMEMBER IN THE PART IS

IMPORTANT. PARTIES AREN'T

TEAMS. I KNOW A LOT OF

POLITICIANS WANT YOU TO THINK

THAT WAY BECAUSE IT HELPS THEM

THEIR TOOLS. YOU GET WHAT I

MEAN THAT THE PARTIES ARE TOOLS

AND TOOLS ONLY WORK IF YOU PICK

THEM UP AND USE THEM. KEEP

SENDING THOSE EMAILS. 07:00PM

AT WRAL DOT COM. YOUR VOICE HAS

POWER HERE. IT IS A TOOL THAT

WILL WORK FOR YOU. WE ARE

LISTENING. TELL US WHAT'S ON

YOUR MIND AND WE WILL DISCUSS

IT HERE AT 7 O'CLOCK 07:00PM