The president of the United States, Joe Bidenannounced on Monday the commutation of the sentences of 37 out of 40 inmates sentenced to death a federal levelreplacing his punishment with life sentence without the possibility of parole. The measure occurs a few weeks after the president-elect, Donald Trumptakes office on January 20.
This decision leaves only three federal prisoners with the possibility of execution: Dylann Roofconvicted of the 2015 racist murders of nine African-American parishioners at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston; Dzhokhar Tsarnaevauthor of the attack boston marathon in 2013; and Robert Bowersresponsible for the murder of 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018, according to reports from The Associated Press (AP).
“I have dedicated my career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system,” Biden declared in an official statement.
The president emphasized that he condemns “these murderers” and mourns the victims of their “despicable acts,” “but guided by my conscience and my experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, vice president and now president, I am more convinced than ever that we must end the use of the death penalty at the federal level,” he added.
Biden stressed that his decision seeks to prevent the next Government from resuming executions. “I cannot in good conscience stand by and allow a new administration to resume the executions I stopped,” he declared.
The US president’s move also comes shortly after commuting the sentences of approximately 1,500 people released during the COVID-19 pandemic and 39 others convicted of non-violent crimes.
The White House reported that the sentences of the following 37 people were commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole:
Shannon Wayne Agofsky: As reported The New York Timeswas convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of an inmate inside a federal prison.
Billie Jerome Allen y Norris G. Holder: Both co-defendants were convicted and sentenced in 1998 for armed bank robbery. Holder shot and killed a guard.
Aquilia Marcivicci Barnette: She was convicted of the murder of her ex-girlfriend and a man in a carjacking.
Brandon Leon Basham y Chadrick Evan Fulks: Both were sentenced in 2004 in South Carolina. Basham was found guilty and sentenced to death for the kidnapping and death of a woman. Fulks admitted guilt to the same crime.
Anthony George Battle: Sentenced to death for murdering a prison guard.
Meier Jason Brown: He faced capital punishment for stabbing a postal worker to death, according to information from the NYT.
Carlos David Caro: He was sentenced to death for having murdered an inmate inside a federal prison.
Wesley Paul Coonce Jr. y Charles Michael Hall: Both were sentenced to death for taking the life of a colleague in the mental health unit of a federal prison.
Brandon Michael Council: Killed two bank workers during a robbery.
Christopher Emory Cramer y Ricky Allen Fackrell: They were sentenced in 2018 in Texas. Both were sentenced to death for murdering a prisoner inside a federal prison.
Just Davis: Police officer sentenced to death for ordering the murder of a witness in an internal affairs investigation into misconduct.
Joseph Ebron: Sentenced to death for the murder of an inmate in a federal prison.
Edward Leon Fields Jr.: Pleaded guilty and was sentenced to death for murdering two campers on federal land.
Marvin Charles Gabrion II: Sentenced to death for murdering a woman on federal lands.
Edgar Baltazar García and Mark Isaac Snarr: Sentenced to death for the fatal stabbing of a fellow inmate in a federal prison.
Thomas Morocco Hager: Sentenced to death for a drug-related murder.
Richard Allen Jackson: Sentenced to death for shooting a woman on federal property.
Jurijus Kadamovas and Iouri Mikhel: Sentenced to death for the murders and kidnappings of five Russian and Georgian immigrants during extortion.
Daryl Lawrence: Sentenced to death for shooting a police officer on special duty during an attempted bank robbery.
Ronald Mikos: Sentenced to death for the murder of a federal grand jury witness in a Medicare fraud investigation.
James H. Roane Jr. y Richard Tipton: Sentenced to death for drug-related murders. Corey Johnson, a third co-defendant, was executed in 2021.
Julius Omar Robinson: Sentenced to death for the murder of two men in drug-related incidents.
David Anthony Runyon: Sentenced to death for his role in the murder of a naval officer in a murder-for-hire plot.
Ricardo Sánchez Jr. and Daniel Troya: Sentenced to death for the murder of a family, including two children, in a drug-related case.
Thomas Steven Sanders: Sentenced to death for kidnapping and murdering a 12-year-old girl.
Carbon Savage: Sentenced to death for murdering 12 people in connection with drug trafficking activities.
Taylor area: Sentenced to death for vehicle theft, kidnapping and murder of a restaurant owner.
Jorge Avila Torrez: Ex-Marine sentenced to death for murdering a fellow serviceman.
Alejandro Enrique Ramírez Umaña: Sentenced to death for shooting two brothers to death in a restaurant.
Robert D. Bowers: Convicted in 2023 in Pennsylvania for murdering 11 worshipers during a shooting at the synagogue of the Tree of Life not Pittsburgh not 2018.
Dylann Roof: Convicted in 2017 in South Carolina for murdering nine people in the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston in 2015.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev: Convicted in 2015 in Massachusetts for the attack on the boston marathon in 2013, causing three deaths and more than 200 injuries.
