Career criminal who allegedly killed teacher while she was on phone to 911 was out on sweetheart plea deal

The career criminal who allegedly killed a beloved North Carolina teacher while she was on the phone to 911, begging for help, was cut loose on a sweetheart plea deal just months before he was accused of breaking into her home, public documents show.

Ryan Camacho, 36, had a decade-long criminal history before he was accused of killing Zoe Welsh, a private school teacher, at her home in Raleigh, NC, while she was on the phone with 911 dispatchers.

The long rap sheet included a string of home invasions in April 2025 that were initially charged as Class H felonies — but prosecutors downgraded them as part of a plea deal.

Had he been convicted of any of the four felony charges, he would have faced an eight- to 10-month sentence…

Story continues

TRENDING NOW

LATEST LOCAL NEWS