It’s official folks, Joe Biden has done the impossible…just as we reported last week, he has indeed commuted the sentences of nearly all federal death row inmates, leaving only three still on death row.
Here is the statement from Joe Biden himself, from WhiteHouse.gov:
FULL TEXT:
I’ve dedicated my career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system.
Today, I am commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row to life sentences without the possibility of parole. These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my Administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.
Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss.
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 stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level. In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.
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And here is the more detailed Fact Sheet also released by WhiteHouse.gov:
Today, President Biden announced that he is commuting the sentences of 37 individuals on federal death row. Those individuals will have their sentences reclassified from execution to life without the possibility of parole.
President Biden has dedicated his career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system. He believes that America must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level, except in cases of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder – which is why today’s actions apply to all but those cases. When President Biden came into office, his Administration imposed a moratorium on federal executions, and his actions today will prevent the next Administration from carrying out the execution sentences that would not be handed down under current policy and practice.
This historic clemency action builds on the President’s record of criminal justice reform. The President has issued more commutations at this point in his presidency than any of his recent predecessors at the same point in their first terms. Earlier this month, the President announced clemency for approximately 1,500 Americans – the most ever in a single day – who have shown successful rehabilitation and a commitment to making communities safer. This included sentence commutations for nearly 1,500 individuals who were placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic and who have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities, as well as 39 pardons for individuals who were convicted of non-violent crimes. President Biden is also the first President ever to issue categorical pardons to individuals convicted of simple use and possession of marijuana, and to former LGBTQI+ service members convicted of private conduct because of their sexual orientation.
The President’s criminal justice record has transformed individual lives and positively impacted communities, especially historically marginalized communities. In the coming weeks, the President will take additional steps to provide meaningful second chances and continue to review additional pardons and commutations.
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Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is commuting the sentences of the following 37 individuals to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole:
Name Reg. No. SHANNON WAYNE AGOFSKY 06267-045 BILLIE JEROME ALLEN 26901-044 AQUILIA MARCIVICCI BARNETTE 12599-058 BRANDON LEON BASHAM 98940-071 ANTHONY GEORGE BATTLE 11451-056 MEIER JASON BROWN 11364-021 CARLOS DAVID CARO 37786-079 WESLEY PAUL COONCE, JR. 30011-039 BRANDON MICHAEL COUNCIL 63961-056 CHRISTOPHER EMORY CRAMER 10422-081 LEN DAVIS 24325-034 JOSEPH EBRON 08655-007 RICKY ALLEN FACKRELL 12324-081 EDWARD LEON FIELDS, JR. 04136-063 CHADRICK EVAN FULKS 16617-074 MARVIN CHARLES GABRION, II 09184-055 EDGAR BALTAZAR GARCIA 28132-177 THOMAS MOROCCO HAGER 08596-007 CHARLES MICHAEL HALL 03766-036 NORRIS G. HOLDER 26902-044 RICHARD ALLEN JACKSON 16669-058 JURIJUS KADAMOVAS 21050-112 DARYL LAWRENCE 66476-061 IOURI MIKHEL 23675-112 RONALD MIKOS 20716-424 JAMES H. ROANE, JR. 32923-083 JULIUS OMAR ROBINSON 26190-177 DAVID ANTHONY RUNYON 57997-083 RICARDO SANCHEZ, JR. 75820-004 THOMAS STEVEN SANDERS 15967-043 KABONI SAVAGE 58232-066 MARK ISAAC SNARR 11093-081 REJON TAYLOR 41070-074 RICHARD TIPTON 32922-083 JORGE AVILA TORREZ 16054-084 DANIEL TROYA 75817-004 ALEJANDRO ENRIQUE RAMIREZ UMAÑA 23077-058
The only three to not be commuted are:
1. Dylann Roof – Charlestown church shooter 2. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev – Boston bomber 3. Robert Bowers – Tree of Life Synagogue shooter
BREAKING🚨: “Today, I am commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row to life sentences without the possibility of parole.” -President Biden
The three death row Individuals not commuted by POTUS are,
1. Dylann Roof – Charlestown church shooter 2.… pic.twitter.com/prE0Z3kiLy
— Officer Lew (@officer_Lew) December 23, 2024
It should be noted these are commutations, not pardons and that is a big difference.
What this means: Commutation in this context means that these individuals will no longer face the death penalty but instead will spend the rest of their lives in prison. They are not free to go; they will remain incarcerated without the chance for parole.
Life without parole: This is a severe sentence where the prisoners will not be eligible for release. They will stay in prison until they die, but they will not be executed.
Exclusions: The commutations do not apply to three individuals: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Dylann Roof, and Robert Bowers, who are involved in cases of terrorism or hate-fueled mass murder. Their sentences remain unchanged.
This move by Biden reflects his stance on the death penalty, which he has criticized for its moral and ethical implications, its racial biases, and the risk of executing innocent people. It also preempts any potential execution plans by the incoming administration of Donald Trump, who has expressed support for expanding capital punishment.
WLTReport had previously reported the following:
Biden Commutes Sentences For Nearly ALL Death Row Inmates
The White House announced on Monday that Joe Biden will commute the sentences for nearly all federal inmates on death row.
Currently, there are 40 federal inmates on death row, and Biden will commute the sentences for 37 of them.
Not included are “Robert Bowers, who is responsible for the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018, which left 11 people dead; Dylann Roof, a White supremacist who killed nine Black parishioners at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015; and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who worked with his now-dead brother to perpetuate the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people and injured hundreds.”
The 37 men on death row will have their sentences commuted to life in prison, taking the death penalty off the table.
Biden commutes death sentences of child killers and mass murderers 2 days before Christmas https://t.co/NX7Fg292oD pic.twitter.com/HWqe9QK0U6
— New York Post (@nypost) December 23, 2024
BREAKING: Biden commutes the sentences of 37 out of 40 inmates on federal death row pic.twitter.com/dLr9HkThcz
— BNO News (@BNONews) December 23, 2024
Check out what Fox News reported:
President Biden is commuting the sentences of nearly all the inmates on federal death row, a move that comes not even two weeks after he went through with the "largest single-day grant of clemency" in American history, the White House announced Monday.
Of the 40 inmates on federal death row, according to DeathPenaltyInfo.org, Biden is commuting 37 men sentenced to death, reclassifying their sentences to life without the possibility of parole.
The three inmates not included are: Robert Bowers, who is responsible for the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018, which left 11 people dead; Dylann Roof, a White supremacist who killed nine Black parishioners at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015; and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who worked with his now-dead brother to perpetuate the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people and injured hundreds.
The men being resentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole are convicted of various murderous acts against one person or multiple. Among the victims of the 37 men are law enforcement officers, children and other inmates.
A handful of the men on death row were also set to be executed with their co-defendants.
ADVERTISEMENTBiden, who only supports the death penalty at the federal level for "terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder," said this move will prevent President-elect Donald Trump's administration from "carrying out the execution sentences that would not be handed down under current policy and practice," according to the White House statement.
BREAKING: President Joe Biden announced he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment mere weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. https://t.co/6aoz0MJtsw
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 23, 2024
Per AP:
President Joe Biden announced on Monday that he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office.
The move spares the lives of people convicted in killings, including the slayings of police and military officers, people on federal land and those involved in deadly bank robberies or drug deals, as well as the killings of guards or prisoners in federal facilities.
It means just three federal inmates are still facing execution. They are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of life Synagogue in 2018, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history.
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