Ryan Camacho | Man accused of killing of Zoe Welsh, Raleigh teacher, had lengthy criminal history across NC

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Reaction poured in during the weekend after a beloved Ravenscroft School teacher was killed inside her Raleigh home.

Zoe Welsh was killed by an intruder at her home on Clay Street near Wade Avenue and St. Mary’s on Saturday morning.

On Saturday, Welsh called 911 and was on the phone with dispatch as an intruder came into her home and attacked her while she was still on the call.

Officers arrived at the house on Clay Street just after 6:30 a.m. and found Welsh, who had critical injuries. She was given medical aid at the scene and taken to a hospital. Police say she died at the hospital from her injuries.

WATCH: Dispatch audio reveals details of moments before Raleigh teacher attacked

Zoe Welsh called for help in a home burglary attack, but officers were not able to arrive in time to save her life.

ABC11 confirmed that Welsh was a teacher at Ravenscroft School in Raleigh.

Additional officers who responded to the surrounding area found the suspect, identified as Ryan Camacho, 36. He was taken into custody and questioned. Camacho was later charged with murder and felony burglary.

Gov. Josh Stein addressed the case on Monday via social media, saying, in part, “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.”

Questions arise about man with troubled past

One Raleigh man who said he had a series of terrifying run-ins with Camacho a decade ago wondered whether Welsh’s death could have been prevented.

Wes Phillips said his heart sank learning the same man who he says struck fear into his family was now accused of murder.

It’s not some random guy just off the street. It’s someone with a history of red flags.

– Wes Phillips, former neighbor of Camacho’s

“In my mind, having seen and read what has happened in the last few years, it seems like a complete failure of our institutions,” Phillips said.

He said he once lived next door to Camacho and his mother in Five Points. He said he believes Camacho may have been annoyed with Phillips’ 2-year-old being loud — and said he found his car smashed up.

“I said, ‘Did you do this to my car?’ He immediately came out of his house, and it came to me in like a confrontational state, like with his fists cocked, and he like something he wanted to happen,” Phillips said.

He said after that, he would get angry stares — and felt unsafe.

Things got so bad, he said, that his family moved to Mordecai. And he said Camacho still managed to find him. His car was vandalized for a second time, and this time, Phillips decided to follow him in his car.

SEE ALSO | Teacher killed in Raleigh home break-in remembered as a bright light

“And so, I was while, I called the police, I kind of tried to keep my eyes on him in the car, and I was recording video, and he saw me stopped in the middle of the street, returned to my car, and got closer and closer and tried to pull me out of my car,” Phillips recalled.

Ryan Camacho is seen in this image walking through a neighborhood in pouring rain.

He said he got a temporary protective order but wasn’t able to get a permanent one after Camacho couldn’t be tracked for the summons.

Camacho eventually pleaded guilty in a similar case and was ordered not to have contact with Phillips at the time.

“It’s not some random guy just off the street,” Phillips said. “It’s someone with a history of red flags.”

Who is Ryan Camacho?

Camacho has been charged with murder and felony burglary.

According to court records obtained by ABC11, Camacho had been arrested two dozen times and was once found guilty of escaping prison in Salisbury in 2021.

Just last month, a separate case for breaking and entering was dismissed by a Wake County judge after Camacho was found incapable of proceeding. In that case, the assistant district attorney tried to have Camacho involuntarily committed, but the court denied that request.

“You know, this is, I think, what a lot of people in the court system would tell you is that we routinely run into these situations where, you know, the need of somebody from a mental health standpoint outstrips what the system is able to do at that point in time for them,” said Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman. “And so, you know, our position was that he should have been involuntarily committed; that’s not our ultimate decision to make. And so, unfortunately, he was released.”

Camacho made a first court appearance on Monday and was appointed a capital defender. He faces life without parole or the death penalty, and was held with no bond.

Freeman told ABC11 that she has not yet decided whether to pursue the death penalty.

“And they were not taken seriously that through time, they were not taken seriously,” Phillips said. “And here we are.”

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