President Joe Biden commuted the sentences on Monday of 37 death row inmates, citing his conscience as a force behind the decision. Additionally, he upheld the death sentences for three men accused of terrorism and hate-motivated mass killings.
Biden, who imposed a moratorium on federal executions during his administration, commuted the death sentences to life sentences without the possibility of parole, saying in a statement that he s dedicated his career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system.
To be clear, Biden expressed his condemnation of these killers, his sympathy for the victims of their heinous crimes, and his sorrow for all the families who have experienced unfathomable and irreversible 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. I cannot morally allow a new administration to carry on with the executions I stopped.
Biden left three men on death row Monday: Robert Bowers, sentenced in 2023 for the 2018 shooting that killed 11 worshippers at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue; Dylann Roof, sentenced in 2017 for the 2015 shooting deaths of nine members of Charleston, South Carolina’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church; and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, sentenced in 2015 for the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
The president s commutations Monday come after hecommuted the sentenceson Dec. 12 of 1,500 people who were placed in home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, he pardoned 39 people who had been found guilty of nonviolent offenses.
A Pennsylvania judge found guilty in 2011 of sending children to prison in exchange for millions of dollars in kickbacks from a private jail—a crime known in the Commonwealth as the Cash for Kidsscheme—was among the mass commutations that Biden included, drawing criticism from Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and others.
Ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s entry to the White House, proponents of the death penalty and a few Democrats in the US House had pushed Bidento to commute death penalty convictions. Trump expedited some executions during his first term.
Trump transition spokesperson Steven Cheung criticized the commutations in a statement.
Cheung stated, “These are some of the worst killers in the world, and Joe Biden’s reprehensible decision is a slap in the face to the victims, their families, and their loved ones.” President Trump was elected with a resounding mandate from the American people, and when he returns to the White House, he will uphold the rule of law.
According to the White House, the names of the death row inmates whose sentences were commuted Monday are:
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Agofsky, Shannon Wayne
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Allen, Billie Jerome
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Barnette Aquilia Marcivicci
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Brandon Leon Basham
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Anthony George Battle
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Meier Jason Brown
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Carlos David Caro
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Wesley Paul Coonce, Jr.
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Brandon Michael Council
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Christopher Emory Cramer
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Len Davis
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Joseph Ebron
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Ricky Allen Fackrell
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Edward Leon Fields, Jr.
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Chadrick Evan Fulks
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Marvin Charles Gabrion, II
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Edgar Baltazar Garcia
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Thomas Morocco Hager
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Charles Michael Hall
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Norris G. Holder
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Richard Allen Jackson
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Jurijus Kadamovas
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Daryl Lawrence
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Iouri Mikhel
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Ronald Mikos
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James H. Roane, Jr.
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Julius Omar Robinson
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David Anthony Runyon
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Ricardo Sanchez, Jr.
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Thomas Steven Sanders
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Kaboni Savage
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Mark Isaac Snarr
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Rejon Taylor
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Richard Tipton
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Jorge Avila Torrez
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Daniel Troya
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Alejandro Enrique Ramirez Uma a
Shannon Wayne Agofsky
Billie Jerome Allen
Aquilia Marcivicci Barnette
Brandon Leon Basham
Anthony George Battle
Meier Jason Brown
Carlos David Caro
Wesley Paul Coonce, Jr.
Brandon Michael Council
Christopher Emory Cramer
Len Davis
Joseph Ebron
Ricky Allen Fackrell
Edward Leon Fields, Jr.
Chadrick Evan Fulks
Marvin Charles Gabrion, II
Edgar Baltazar Garcia
Thomas Morocco Hager
Charles Michael Hall
Norris G. Holder
Richard Allen Jackson
Jurijus Kadamovas
Daryl Lawrence
Iouri Mikhel
Ronald Mikos
James H. Roane, Jr.
Julius Omar Robinson
David Anthony Runyon
Ricardo Sanchez, Jr.
Thomas Steven Sanders
Kaboni Savage
Mark Isaac Snarr
Rejon Taylor
Richard Tipton
Jorge Avila Torrez
Daniel Troya
Alejandro Enrique Ramirez Uma a
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