Ryan Camacho and Zoe Welsh had completely different life paths. Welsh, a Raleigh, North Carolina native, became a science teacher, beloved at the private Ravenscroft School in North Raleigh, where she chaired the science department. By age 36, Camacho had been arrested more than 20 times, including for discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling/vehicle and for a prison escape in Salisbury. Their paths crossed early Saturday morning, when Camacho broke into Welsh's home in what had been a gentrified area of Raleigh off St. Mary's Street.
Welsh called 911 around 6:30 AM to report the burglary in progress. By the time police arrived, Welsh was dead.
Raleigh's News & Observer reported:
“The complainant was screaming, but I am silent now,” a Raleigh police dispatcher said at 6:34 a.m. Saturday, according to a call simulcast database. Four minutes later, an officer reported seeing a smashed window at the scene. Then at 6:40 a.m., another officer reported, “I have a female down. She’s got a severe hemorrhage to the left side of her head.” Welsh was taken to a local hospital, where she died.
Camacho was found a short time later, apprehended, and charged with first degree murder and felony burglary.
The N&O found that Camacho's criminal history goes back to 2005, and while many of his convictions are misdemeanors it's unclear at this time what the original charges were or the facts of those cases (but we will be investigating that). He was convicted in 2019 of the discharging a firearm charge and spent two years in prison (the minimum) for that, then had his probation revoked and was incarcerated in Salisbury. He escaped from there a few months later, and was in prison until January 2024.
Just a few days after being released from prison he was committing crimes in Durham County. In November 2024 Camacho was convicted of seven misdemeanors related to the January breaking and entering and an April breaking and entering.
Camacho was being supervised by Wake County probation officers on those charges, and he went back to jail for three months in 2025, from April to July, for violating that probation.
Just last month Camacho was in court on separate breaking or entering charges, which Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman told WRAL were dismissed following a mental competency examination. During the hearing, Freeman said her prosecutors asked to have Camacho involuntarily committed but that request was denied by a District Court judge.
That judge is reportedly Louis B. Meyer III, a Democrat who was appointed to the bench in 2012 after District Court Judge Kristin Ruth pled guilty to a misdemeanor for "improperly sign[ing] dozens of orders put before her by attorney James Crouch without reading them." Those documents allowed some of his clients convicted of drunk driving to forgo license suspensions or have those suspensions shortened.
SAY HER NAME: Zoe Welsh (57)
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 4, 2026
She was kiIIed in her home in Raleigh, NC by Ryan Camacho, a felon with OVER 20 prior arrests
1 month ago, he was ruled "unfit for trial" pic.twitter.com/60NPn8TZwI
Investigative journalist AP Dillon has more on Camacho's record, including what one of the original charges was before being reduced in a plea deal (emphasis added):
In August of this year, Camacho had been arrested for breaking and entering, injury to real property, and misdemeanor larceny in the 600 block of Washington Street in Raleigh. The location of that arrest is around a mile away from Welsh’s home.
Near the end of July 2025, Camacho took a plea deal in Durham District Court on breaking and entering, larceny and parole violation charges filed in early April last year. The breaking and entering charge was reduced from the original charge filed of “break/enter terrorize/injure,” and records show a sentence imposed of 120 days with 113 days credited for time served.
And, Dillon reports, two of Camacho's Wake County arrests were on felon warrants out of California, where he was charged with grand theft auto.
Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce said:
"I am deeply heartbroken for this mother, friend, and mentor to many in our community, and for the unimaginable trauma her family must endure. We extend our deepest sympathy to Ms. Welsh's family during this incredibly difficult time.
"Whenever there is a loss of life in our community, it affects us all. As a department, we share in the sadness of this loss. The arrest of the suspect sends a strong message that criminal acts will not be tolerated in the City of Raleigh."
Hopefully Boyce will advocate for repeat criminals, especially those who are violent and mentally ill, to receive the help they need - in a facility. Knowing Camacho's record of violence and penchant for committing additional crimes immediately after being released from jail/prison, he should have been involuntarily committed.
Fortunately, likely due to the implementation Iryna's Law, no bond has been set for Camacho. He is due in court Monday morning.
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