Suspect charged with murder of Ravenscroft teacher held without bond
By WRAL Staff
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RALEIGH, North Carolina (WRAL) — Grief counselors were on hand Monday at Ravenscroft School to help students and faculty cope with the loss of a teacher.
Ryan Camacho, 36, is charged with Ravenscroft teacher Zoe Welsh’s murder and felony burglary. He appeared in court on Monday, where he was given no bond.
Camacho is due in court again on Jan. 26.
Welsh, a science teacher at the school and former chair of the science department, was killed after police say a man broke into her home on Saturday.
Zoe Welsh was killed after Raleigh police said a man broke into her home on Saturday.
According to the Raleigh Police Department, Welsh called 911 around 6:33 a.m. Saturday from her home on Clay Street to report that a man was inside her home. While Welsh was on the phone, the suspect began assaulting her.
When officers arrived, they found Welsh with life-threatening injuries. Welsh was taken to a hospital, where she later died.
There is no indication Camacho and Welsh knew each other, police said.
According to court documents, Camacho has a lengthy criminal history going back more than a decade in both Wake and Durham counties. Court records show Camacho has been arrested more than 20 times.
In many of those cases, Camacho was either charged with a misdemeanor or the cases were dropped altogether.
However, Camacho was arrested in 2021 after he tried to escape from state prison in Salisbury. Two years earlier, he pleaded guilty to shooting into occupied property in Wake County.
Online court records show Camacho also faced a larceny charge. Recent incidents state he broke into buildings. He is accused of stealing water bottles and two pillows in one incident.
Wake County District Freeman said Camacho was sent to prison for a minimum of two years, followed by five years of probation. According to Freeman, Camacho had his probation revoked when he came out of prison in 2021 and went back to prison.
WRAL News asked Freeman on Monday what goes through her mind knowing Camacho faces charges again.
“We start to look at what are the various points of interaction, and what happened in those cases?” Freeman said. “What were the opportunities to intervene in those situations, and have we handled those cases appropriately?”
Freeman added, “[Camacho] has spent a lot of time bouncing between the prison system and the local jails over the last few years and has really been in custody all but maybe a total of 12 months within the past six years.”
In December, breaking-and-entering charges against Camacho in a separate case were dismissed following a mental competency examination. During the hearing, prosecutors asked to have Camacho involuntarily committed. However, that request was denied by a judge, according to Freeman.
WRAL News asked Judge Louis Meyer on Monday about the decision to deny involuntary commitment, but we did not immediately hear back.
“Someone can be found not capable to proceed and yet determined that they’re not an imminent threat to themselves or others,” Freeman told WRAL News on Monday.
On Monday, WRAL News saw a boarded-up window at the St. Mary’s Square North Apartments right next to Welsh’s home. A resident said Camacho broke the window, a claim WRAL News has asked Raleigh police to verify. The resident said Camacho had been staying in the nearby woods.
Online court records show Camacho had a history of mental health challenges.
Camacho’s mom, Cynthia Camacho, sought and was granted guardianship over him multiple times, citing “incompetency.” WRAL News went to her home on Monday, but she did not want to talk.
In a social media post, Gov. Josh Stein expressed condolences to Welsh’s family.
“Zoe Welsh, by all accounts, was a special teacher and person. My heart goes out to her family and students, who have suffered a traumatic loss from another senseless act of violence. We must invest in our mental and behavioral health system, which my public safety package would address.
“People need to be safe in their homes and their communities. I will work with anyone who is committed to stopping crimes before they happen and holding violent criminals accountable.”
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