Clemency
List of Clemencies Since 1976
| # | Year | Name | Race | State | Reason for Commutation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1977 | Charles Harris Hill | B | GA | Granted under Gov. George Busbee by Pardons Board. Death sentence was disproportional to the sentence given to his equally or more culpable co-defendant, the actual killer.* |
| 2 | 1979 | Learie Leo Alford | B | FL | Granted by Gov. Bob Graham. Possible innocence.* |
| 3 | 1979 | Clifford Hallman | W | FL | Granted by Gov. Bob Graham. Death sentence was inappropriate for the crime.* |
| 4 | 1980 | Darrell Edwin Hoy | W | FL | Granted by Gov. Bob Graham. Death sentence was disproportional to the sentence given to his equally or more culpable co-defendant, the triggerman.* |
| 5 | 1980 | Richard Henry Gibson | B | FL | Granted by Gov. Bob Graham. Death sentence was disproportional to the sentence given to his equally culpable co-defendants.* |
| 6 | 1981 | Michael Salvatore | W | FL | Granted by Gov. Bob Graham. Disparities in sentences between Salvatore and two others involved in the crime.* |
| 7 | 1983 | Jesse Rutledge | B | FL | Granted by Gov. Bob Graham. Possible innocence.* |
| 8 | 1986 | Eddie Lee Adams | B | NM | Commutations (5) by Gov. Toney Anaya because of his position on the death penalty. |
| 9 | 1986 | Joel Lee Compton | W | NM | See #8 |
| 10 | 1986 | Richard Garcia | H | NM | See #8 |
| 11 | 1986 | William Gilbert | W | NM | See #8 |
| 12 | 1986 | Michael Guzman | H | NM | See #8 |
| 13 | 1987 | Doris Ann Foster | W | MD | Gov. Hughes, a death penalty opponent, commuted the sentence because of doubts about Foster’s guilt.* |
| 14 | 1988 | Freddie Davis | W | GA | Granted under Gov. Joe Frank Harris. Board of Pardons and Paroles found that Davis’ death sentence was disproportional to the life sentence given to his equally or more culpable co-defendant.* |
| 15 | 1988 | David Cameron Keith | W | MT | Granted by Gov. Ted Schwinden. Reasons reportedly included Keith’s partial paralysis and blindness, remorse, religious conversion, and the possibility that he may have shot the victim as a reflex action.* |
| 16 | 1989 | Ronald Monroe | B | LA | Gov. Roemer had doubts about Monroe’s guilt.* |
| 17 | 1990 | William Moore | B | GA | Granted under Gov. Joe Frank Harris. Board of Pardons and Paroles commuted Moore’s sentence citing his exemplary prison record, remorse, religious conversion, and the pleas for clemency from the victim’s family.* |
| 18 | 1991 | Debra Brown | B | OH | Citing a “disturbing racial pattern” in death sentencing, Gov. Richard Celeste granted clemency to 8 death row prisoners as he was leaving office. Celeste stated that he selected cases based on the prisoners’ crimes, the fairness of sentences, mental health and IQ, and length of time served. |
| 19 | 1991 | Rosalie Grant | B | OH | See #18 |
| 20 | 1991 | Elizabeth Green | B | OH | See #18 |
| 21 | 1991 | Leonard Jenkins | B | OH | See #18 |
| 22 | 1991 | Willie Jester | B | OH | See #18 |
| 23 | 1991 | Beatrice Lampkin | B | OH | See #18 |
| 24 | 1991 | Donald Lee Maurer | W | OH | See #18 |
| 25 | 1991 | Lee Seiber | W | OH | See #18 |
| 26 | 1991 | Joseph Giarratano | W | VA | Granted by Gov. Douglas Wilder. Possible innocence.* |
| 27 | 1991 | Harold Williams | W | GA | Granted under Gov. Zell Miller. Board of Pardons and Paroles found that Williams’ death sentence was disproportional to the sentence given to his accomplice, who took full responsibility for the crime.* |
| 28 | 1992 | Herbert Bassette | B | VA | Granted by Gov. Douglas Wilder. Possible innocence. |
| 29 | 1992 | Anson Avery Maynard | N | NC | Granted by Gov. James G. Martin. Possible innocence. |
| 30 | 1993 | Bobbie Shaw | B | MO | Gov. Mel Carnahan said there was “little doubt that Mr. Shaw is mentally retarded and suffers from varying degrees of mental illness.” (Washington Post, June 3, 1993). The jury that sentenced him had not been told of his disabilities. |
| 31 | 1994 | Earl Washington | B | VA | Granted by Gov. Douglas Wilder. Possible innocence.1 |
| 32 | 1996 | Gwen Garcia | W | IL | Granted by Gov. Jim Edgar. Death sentence was inappropriate for the crime. (Garcia had waived her appeals.) |
| 33 | 1996 | Joseph Payne | W | VA | Granted by Gov. George Allen. Possible innocence. |
| 34 | 1996 | Donald Paradis | W | ID | Granted by Gov. Phil Batt. Possible innocence. (In April 2001, Paradis’ murder conviction was overturned and he was released from prison.) |
| 35 | 1997 | William Saunders | B | VA | Granted by Gov. George Allen. Rehabilitation of inmate. Prosecutor and judge from trial recommended clemency. |
| 36 | 1998 | Henry Lee Lucas | W | TX | Granted by Gov. George W. Bush. Possible innocence. |
| 37 | 1999 | Judith Ann Neelley | W | AL | Gov. Forrest H. James, Jr., as he was leaving office, did not initially give a reason. In a 2002 interview, he said he granted clemency because the jury had recommended a sentence of life in prison, but the judge overrode the jury’s recommendation and sentenced Neelley to death. |
| 38 | 1999 | Darrell Mease | W | MO | Granted by Gov. Mel Carnahan at Pope John Paul II’s request during visit. |
| 39 | 1999 | Bobby Ray Fretwell | W | AR | Granted by Gov. Mike Huckabee. One juror told Gov. he felt pressured to vote for death but didn’t support the sentence. |
| 40 | 1999 | Calvin Swann | B | VA | Gov. James Gilmore noted that prison officials said Swann’s behavior on death row had been “nothing short of bizarre and totally devoid of rationality.” The prosecuting attorney said that he would not have sought the death penalty if life without parole had been available at the time. Gilmore noted that the jury had been misinformed about the degree of Swann’s mental illness. (Washington Post, May 3, 1999) |
| 41 | 1999 | Wendell Flowers | B | NC | Gov. Jim Hunt had doubts about the extent of Flowers’ involvement in the crime. |
| 42 | 2000 | Eugene Colvin-el | B | MD | Gov. Parris Glendening was uncertain of Colvin-el’s guilt. |
| 31a | 2000 | Earl Washington | B | VA | After DNA tests confirmed Washington’s innocence, Gov. Jim Gilmore granted him a pardon. In 1994, former Gov. Douglas Wilder had commuted Washington’s death sentence based on concerns about his innocence. |
| 43 | 2000 | Marcus Carter | B | NC | Gov. Jim Hunt had doubts about the fairness of Carter’s trial. |
| 44 | 2001 | David Ronald Chandler | W | Fed. | President Clinton granted clemency because Chandler’s principal accuser changed his testimony, casting doubt on Chandler’s guilt. |
| 45 | 2001 | Phillip Dewitt Smith | B | OK | Gov. Francis A. Keating had doubts about Smith’s guilt. |
| 46 | 2001 | Robert Bacon, Jr. | B | NC | Gov. Mike Easley stated that life imprisoment was the “appropriate sentence.” (defense raised concerns that defendant was sentenced to death because of his race) |
| 47 | 2002 | Charlie Mason Alston | B | NC | Gov. Mike Easley stated that life imprisoment was the “appropriate sentence.” (defense raised serious doubts about client’s guilt) |
| 48 | 2002 | Alexander Williams | B | GA | Granted under Gov. Roy Barnes. The Board of Pardons and Paroles voted to commute Williams’s sentence to life without parole because he suffered from mental illness and was a juvenile at the time of the crime. |
| 49 | 2002 | Thomas Nevius | B | NV | Granted under Gov. Kenny C. Guinn. The Nevada Pardons Board, chaired by Gov. Guinn, voted unanimously to grant clemency to Thomas Nevius, a mentally retarded prisoner. The commuation to a sentence of life without parole came after the U.S. Supreme Court banned the practice of executing those with “mental retardation”. |
| 50 | 2003 | Aaron Patterson | B | IL | Illinois Gov. George Ryan granted four pardons on January 10, 2003, because he concluded the prisoners were innocent. |
| 51 | 2003 | Madison Hobley | B | IL | See #50 |
| 52 | 2003 | Leroy Orange | B | IL | See #50 |
| 53 | 2003 | Stanley Howard | B | IL | See #50 |
| 54-220 | 2003 | (click here for names) | IL | On January 11, 2003, Illinois Gov. George Ryan commuted the sentences of the 167 death row prisoners, citing the flawed process that led to these sentences. Three prisoners’ sentences were commuted to 40 years in prison with the possibility of parole. The other prisoners’ sentences were commuted to life in prison without parole. Some of the commutations were of prisoners who were awaiting sentencing or resentencing. (Chicago Tribune, January 12, 2003 and Chicago Tribune, January 15, 2003) | |
| 221 | 2003 | Herbert Welcome | B | LA | Gov. Foster concurred with the Pardon and Parole Board recommendation based upon U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on “mental retardation” in Atkins v. Virginia. (Associated Press, May 10, 2003) |
| 222 | 2003 | Jerome Campbell | B | OH | Gov. Taft concurred with the Pardon and Parole Board recommendation based on doubts regarding DNA evidence unavailable at trial. (Associated Press, June 26, 2003) |
| 223 | 2003 | Kevin Stanford | B | KY | Gov. Paul Patton, declaring that the justice system “perpetuated an injustice,” based his decision upon Stanford’s age (17) at the time of the crime. The pardon, which reduced Stanford’s sentence to Life Without Parole, was made official by Gov. Patton on December 8, 2003. |
| 224 | 2004 | Willie James Hall | B | GA | Granted under Gov. Sonny Perdue. The state parole board of Georgia commuted Hall’s death sentence to life without parole on January 26, 2004, after six jurors testified that they would have chosen life without parole were it offered at trial. Hall’s excellent behavior in prison and no criminal record prior to the murder was also a factor in the board’s decision. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, January 26, 2004) |
| 225 | 2004 | Osvaldo Torres | L | OK | Gov. Brad Henry commuted the death sentence of Osvaldo Torres to Life without Parole on May 13, 2004. Henry said that it was “important to remember that the actual shooter in these horrific murders was also sentenced to death and faces execution.” Henry also stated that he “concluded that there is a possibility a significant miscarriage of justice occurred… specifically that the violation of his Vienna Convention Rights contributed to trial counsel’s ineffectiveness, that the jury did not hear significant evidence, and that the result of the trial is unreliable.” (The Oklahoman, May 14, 2004) Henry’s decision followed a recommendation for clemency by the Pardon and Parole Board and stay granted by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals following the International Court of Justice ruling that the rights of Torres and 50 other Mexican nationals on America’s death rows under the Vienna Convention were violated. |
| 226 | 2004 | Darnell Williams | B | IN | Gov. Joe Kernan commuted the death sentence of Williams to life in prison without parole on the basis that Williams’ co-defendant initially received a life sentence and thus executing Williams would be unfair. (AP, July 2, 2004) |
| 227 | 2005 | Michael Daniels | B | IN | Gov. Joe Kernan commuted the death sentence of Daniels to life imprisonment without parole because of doubts about Daniels’ personal responsibility for the crime and the quality of legal process leading to his death sentence. Evidence had emerged about Daniels’ mental status and about whether he was the triggerman in the underlying murder. [More] (Indianapolis Star, January 8, 2005) |
| 228 | 2005 | Arthur P. Baird II | W | IN | Gov. Mitch Daniels commuted the death sentence of Baird, who is severely mentally ill to life without parole because that sentence was not available at the time of Baird’s sentencing but is available now and many of the jurors in the trial and the family of the victims believe that Baird deserved life without parole due to his mental illness. (Indianapolis Star, August 29, 2005) |
| 229 | 2005 | Robin Lovitt | B | VA | Gov. Mark Warner commuted the death sentence of Lovitt to life without parole because a state court clerk had illegally destroyed evidence from Lovitt’s trial that could have been used in his appeals. The governor believed a clemency was necessary to maintain the public’s trust in the justice system. (Office of the Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia, November 29, 2005) |
| 31b | 2007 | Earl Washington | B | VA | Gov. Tim Kaine granted Washington a second pardon explicitly stating that Washington had been completely exonerated. Former Gov. Douglas Wilder had commuted Washington’s death sentence to life without parole in 1994 and former Gov. Jim Gilmore had granted a pardon from his murder conviction in 2000. |
| 230 | 2007 | Kenneth Foster | B | TX | Gov. Rick Perry2 concurred with the 6-1 recommendation from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute Foster’s death sentence, stating: “I am concerned about Texas law that allowed capital murder defendants to be tried simultaneously and it is an issue I think the Legislature should examine.” Foster did not kill the victim but drove the car carrying the shooter. He was tried at the same time as the actual shooter, who also received a death sentence. (Associated Press, August 30, 2007) |
| 231 | 2007 | Michael Boyd | B | TN | Gov. Phil Bredesen commuted the death sentence of Michael Joe Boyd, who had been sentenced to die on Oct. 24, 2007, to life in prison without parole Friday, citing ineffective legal counsel at his sentencing and procedural limitations on his appeals. (Nashville Post, September 14, 2007) |
| 232 | 2007 | Jeffrey Leonard | B | KY | Gov. Ernie Fletcher commuted Leonard’s death sentence to a life sentence without parole in December 2007. Fletcher said Leonard was not provided adequate representation by his attorney, Fred Radolovich, who has admitted he didn’t even know Leonard’s name during the trial. (Lexington Herald-Leader, December 11, 2007) |
| 233 | 2007 | Marko Bey | B | NJ | On December 16, Gov. Jon Corzine commuted the sentences of everyone (8) on death row to life without parole. On December 17, he signed the bill abolishing the death penalty in New Jersey. (CNN, December 17, 2007) |
| 234 | 2007 | David Cooper | B | NJ | See #233 |
| 235 | 2007 | Ambrose Harris | B | NJ | See #233 |
| 236 | 2007 | 236. Nathaniel Harvey | B | NJ | See #233 |
| 237 | 2007 | Sean Kenney | W | NJ | See #233 |
| 238 | 2007 | John Martini | W | NJ | See #233 |
| 239 | 2007 | Jessie Timmendequas | W | NJ | See #233 |
| 240 | 2007 | Brian Wakefield | B | NJ | See #233 |
| 241 | 2008 | John Spirko | W | OH | Gov. Ted Strickland reduced Spirko’s death sentence to life without parole. In his statement granting clemency, the governor cited “the lack of physical evidence linking him to the murder, as well as the slim residual doubt about his responsibility for the murder that arises from careful scrutiny of the case record.” (Warrant of Commutation, Governor of Ohio, January 9, 2008) |
| 242 | 2008 | Samuel David Crowe | W | GA | Granted under Gov. Sonny Perdue. The Board of Pardons and Paroles did not provide a reason for commuting Crowe’s sentence to life without parole. However, considerable testimony from friends, pastors and even a former corrections officer was presented to the board emphasizing his exemplary behavior and deep remorse while on death row. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 23, 2008) |
| 243 | 2008 | Percy Walton | B | VA | Gov. Timothy Kaine commuted Percy Walton’s death sentence to life in prison without parole, citing his serious mental illness that rendered him incompetent to be executed. The governor said that Walton was not aware of his impending execution and the reason for it. Gov. Kaine had twice previously stayed Walton’s execution to permit evaluation of Walton’s mental condition and competency. The governor said that he also considered other factors such as Walton’s age at the time of the crime and evidence of “mental retardation.” (Washington Post, June 10, 2008; Governor Kaine’s statement of clemency, June 9, 2008) |
| 244 | 2008 | Kevin Young | B | OK | Following the recommendation of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, Gov. Brad Henry granted clemency to Kevin Young, commuting his death sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Board’s recommendation of clemency was based on several factors, including the disproportionality of the punishment, questionable witnesses, and a decision during the original trial to turn down a plea bargain that would have resulted in a life sentence. (The Oklahoman, July 24, 2008) |
| 245 | 2009 | Jeffrey Hill | B | OH | Gov. Ted Strickland commuted Hill’s death sentence to 25 years to life, following the Ohio Parole Board’s unanimous recommendation that Hill not be put to death. In granting clemency, Gov. Strickland expressed his agreement with the board’s findings: “the views of the victim’s family, the lack of adequate representation by counsel at Mr. Hill’s sentencing, the remorse demonstrated by Mr. Hill regarding his actions, the lack of proportionality of the sentence of death in this case when compared with similar murder cases, and the expressed views of two justices of the Ohio Supreme Court which reviewed this case on appeal.” (Governor’s Statement Regarding Clemency Application of Jeffrey D. Hill, February 12, 2009) |
| 246 | 2010 | Richard Tandy Smith | W | OK | Gov. Brad Henry commuted sentence to life without the possibility of parole as recommended by the State Pardon and Parole Board. (Office of the Governor, May 19, 2010, and Associated Press). LWOP was not available at the time of Smith’s sentencing. The governor believed LWOP would be the more appropriate sentence. |
| 247 | 2010 | Richard Nields | W | OH | Gov. Ted Strickland commuted the sentence of Richard Nields, granting clemency on June 4, based on a recommendation by the board questioning the validity of medical evidence used at Nields’ trial that helped support a death sentence. (Columbus Dispatch, June 4, 2010) |
| 248 | 2010 | Gaile Owens | W | TN | Gov. Phil Bredesen commuted the sentence of Gaile Owens to life in prison based partly on a plea bargain offer that was later rescinded, and partly to make the sentence consistent with verdicts delivered in similar cases in Tennessee. (The Tennessean, July 14, 2010) |
| 249 | 2010 | Kevin Keith | B | OH | Gov. Ted Strickland commuted the death sentence of Kevin Keith to life without parole on September 2. Strickland granted clemency based on legitimate questions that have been raised regarding the evidence that led to his conviction as well as concerns regarding the investigation of his case. (Governor’s Statement, September 2, 2010) |
| 250 | 2010 | Sidney Cornwell | B | OH | Gov. Ted Strickland granted clemency based on attorney arguments that Cornwell grew up in an abusive environment and that he suffered from a genetic condition that contributed to his violent tendencies. The attorneys also said that Cornwell’s death sentence was disproportionate to sentences handed out for similar killings in Mahoning County, and that the jury did not have the option of giving him a life sentence without the possibility of parole. (The Vindicator, November 15, 2010) |
| 251 | 2011 | Richard Clay | W | MO | Gov. Jay Nixon commuted Clay’s sentence to life in prison without parole. The governor did not give a reason, but supporters presented evidence of possible innocence. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 11, 2011) |
| 252 | 2011 | Jerome Harbison | B | TN | Gov. Phil Bredesen commuted sentence to life in prison without parole to bring sentence in line with others in the state. (Associated Press, January 12, 2011) |
| 253 | 2011 | Rodney Adkins | B | IL | On March 9th, Gov. Pat Quinn commuted the sentences of everyone (15) on death row to life without parole and signed the bill abolishing the death penalty in Illinois. (ABC News, March 9, 2011) |
| 254 | 2011 | Teodoro Baez | L | IL | See #253 |
| 255 | 2011 | Dion Banks | B | IL | See #253 |
| 256 | 2011 | Joseph Bannister | B | IL | See #253 |
| 257 | 2011 | David Damm | W | IL | See #253 |
| 258 | 2011 | Brian Dugan | W | IL | See #253 |
| 259 | 2011 | Eric Hanson | W | IL | See #253 |
| 260 | 2011 | Ricardo Harris | B | IL | See #253 |
| 261 | 2011 | Anthony Mertz | W | IL | See #253 |
| 262 | 2011 | Gary Pate | W | IL | See #253 |
| 263 | 2011 | Daniel Ramsey | W | IL | See #253 |
| 264 | 2011 | Paul Runge | L | IL | See #253 |
| 265 | 2011 | Cecil Sutherland | W | IL | See #253 |
| 266 | 2011 | Edward Tenney | W | IL | See #253 |
| 267 | 2011 | Andrew Urdiales | W | IL | See #253 |
| 268 | 2011 | Shawn Hawkins | B | OH | Gov. Kasich commuted his sentence to life in prison without parole because doubts had arisen about the degree of Hawkins’ involvement in the drug-related murder. Ohio’s Parole Board unanimously recommended clemency. (Washington Post, June 8, 2011) |
| 269 | 2011 | Joseph Murphy | W | OH | Gov. Kasich commuted his sentence to life in prison without parole following the unanimous recommendation of clemency by the Ohio Parole Board. The governor said, “Considering Joseph Murphy’s brutally abusive upbringing and the relatively young age at which he committed this terrible crime, the death penalty is not appropriate in this case.” (CBS News, September 26, 2011) |
| 270 | 2012 | Robert Gattis | B | DE | Gov. Jack Markell cited the “unusual and perhaps historic” recommendation of the Delaware Board of Pardons, in a 4-1 vote, to commute Gattis’ sentence after considering disturbing accounts of physical and sexual abuse that Gattis claims to have suffered as a child and which his attorneys argued have never been properly considered by the courts. (The Republic, January 17, 2012) |
| 271 | 2012 | Daniel Greene | B | GA | Greene’s sentence was commuted to a sentence of life without parole by the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles. Evidence presented to the board included testimony from the prosecutor that that he would have sought life without parole rather than the death penalty if life without parole had existed at the time Greene was sentenced, testimony from community members and prison officials that the crime was an outlier of the otherwise peaceful and upstanding life and that Greene was intoxicated at the time of the crime. (Savannah Morning News, April 20, 2012) |
| 272 | 2012 | John Eley | B | OH | Gov. John R. Kasich commuted the death sentence of John Jeffrey Eley to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Kasich stated that Eley, who is of limited mental capacity, acted under the direction of another man who was later acquitted. Without those factors it is doubtful that Eley would have committed this crime. Additionally, the former Mahoning County prosecutor who tried Eley’s case regretted the way the case was handled and its outcome, and had called for clemency. (Washington Post, July 10, 2012) |
| 273 | 2012 | Ronald Post | W | OH | Gov. John R. Kasich commuted the death sentence of Ronald Post to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Kasich followed a recommendation of mercy by the state parole board, which said there were too many problems with how he was represented 30 years ago. (Associated Press, December 17, 2012) |
| 274 | 2014 | Arthur Tyler | B | OH | Gov. John R. Kasich commuted the death sentence of Arthur Tyler to life in prison without the possibility of parole, following a recommendation of the Ohio Parole Board, due to questions surrounding his conviction. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 30, 2014) |
| 275 | 2014 | Tommy Waldrip | W | GA | Granted under Gov. Nathan Deal. Sentence commuted to life without parole by the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles. Although the Board did not state a reason for clemency, one issue raised before the board was that the sentences for Waldrip and his accomplices were not proportional, as the other two people convicted for the same murder both received life sentences. (Atlanta Journal Constitution, July 9, 2014) |
| 276 | 2015 | Vernon Evans | B | MD | Granted under Gov. Martin O’Malley. Sentence commuted to life without parole. Maryland abolished the death penalty in 2013, but the legislation was not made retroactive. As a result, prisoners on death row remained condemned even though the state did not have the legal means to carry out their sentences. Maryland had not carried out an execution since 2005 due to its lethal injection protocol being found illegal. (Washington Post, January 20, 2015) |
| 277 | 2015 | Anthony Grandison | B | MD | See #276 |
| 278 | 2015 | Heath Burch | B | MD | See #276 |
| 279 | 2015 | Jody Miles | W | MD | See #276 |
| 280 | 2015 | Kimber Edwards | B | MO | Gov. Jay Nixon commuted the death sentence of Kimber Edwards to life without parole. Although Gov. Nixon said he believed Edwards was guilty of arranging for the killing of his ex-wife, the killer, who had received a life sentence, recanted his testimony that Edwards had been involved in the killing. |
| 281 | 2017 | Abelardo Arboleda Ortiz | B/L | Fed. | President Barack Obama granted clemency on January 17, 2017 for Ortiz, a Colombian national with claims of intellectual disability. Ortiz was not in the room when the victim was killed, and his more culpable co-defendant received a life sentence. His attorneys never investigated his intellectual disability. Ortiz was also not granted access to assistance from the Colombian consulate, as required under the Vienna Convention on Consular Rights. |
| 282 | 2017 | Dwight Loving | B | Mil. | President Barack Obama granted clemency to Loving on January 17, 2017. |
| 283 | 2017 | Ivan Teleguz | W | VA | Gov. Terry McAuliffe commuted the death sentence to life in prison, with no chance for parole on April 20, 2017. |
| 284 | 2017 | Jason McGehee | W | AR | On August 25, 2017, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced his intent to grant clemency by commuting the death sentence to life without possibility of parole. In announcing his decision, Hutchinson said he had considered “many factors,” including a 6-1 recommendation for clemency by the Arkansas Parole Board, a meeting with members of the victim’s family, and “he disparity in sentence given to Mr. McGehee compared to the sentences of his co-defendants.” On September 29, 2017, Gov. Hutchinson issued a proclamation granting clemency to Mr. McGehee. |
| 285 | 2017 | William Joseph Burns | W | VA | On December 29, 2017, Gov. Terry McAuliffe commuted the death sentence to life without possibility of parole. The state courts had found that Burns was mentally incompetent and mental health experts had testified he was unlikely to regain competence. |
| 286 | 2018 | Thomas Whitaker | W | TX | On February 22, 2018, less than an hour before Thomas “Bart” Whitaker was scheduled to be executed, Gov. Greg Abbott commuted Whitaker’s death sentence to life without parole. Following a plea by Whitaker’s father Kent—the sole survivor of an attack in which his wife and only other son were murdered—to spare Bart Whitaker’s life, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on February 20 unanimously recommended that Abbott grant clemency. Abbott said his decision to commute Whitaker’s death sentence was based upon several factors, including the unanimous board recommendation, the fact that the triggerperson who killed the victims did not receive the death penalty, the surviving victim’s opposition to execution, and the fact that Whitaker waived all future claims to parole in exchange for life in prison. |
| 287 | 2018 | William Montgomery | B | OH | On March 26, 2018, Ohio Gov. John Kasich commuted William Montgomery’s death sentence to life without the possibility of parole after the Ohio Parole Board recommended clemency by a 6-4 vote. |
| 288 | 2018 | Raymond Tibbetts | W | OH | On July 20, 2018, Ohio Gov. John Kasich commuted Raymond Tibbetts’ death sentence after a juror had indicated he would have voted for life had the defense presented critical mitigating evidence relating to Tibbetts’ upbringing and the prosecution not falsely argued that Tibbetts’ siblings had adjusted normally. Kasich said the commutation was being granted “as a result of fundamental flaws in sentencing phase of his trial.” The Governor said the factors mentioned by the juror “essentially prevented the jury from making an informed decision about whether Tibbetts deserved the death penalty.” The Ohio Parole Board had recommended denying clemency. |
| 289 | 2019 | Gregory Wilson | B | KY | On December 6, 2019, outgoing Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin commuted Gregory Wilson’s death sentence to life with the possibility of parole after 30 years. Wilson, who was convicted in 1988 in a trial one federal judge has described as “one of the worst examples I have ever seen of the unfairness and abysmal lawyering that pervade capital trials,” became immediately available for parole. In his statement accompanying the commutation, Bevin wrote that “Justice should be served on all sides. It was not.” The Governor wrote that, while Wilson had been involved in a “brutal murder,” “to say his legal defense was inadequate would be the understatement of the year.” Wilson was represented by a lawyer who took the case for free after other lawyers refused to accept appointment for the $2,500 maximum fee then available in the state. The lawyer reportedly had no office and no law books, and the phone number on his business card was the phone number of a local tavern. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, counsel “cross-examined virtually no witnesses and presented no evidence to support a lesser penalty than death.” Noting that Wilson’s white co-defendant was given a term of years and Wilson, who is black, was sentenced to die, Gov. Bevin wrote that the fact that the “actual admitted killer is now out of prison and his co-defendant is on death row would indicate that Mr. Wilson got the short end of the justice stick.” |
| 290 | 2019 | Leif Halvorsen | W | KY | On December 9, 2019, on his last day in office, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin commuted Leif Halvorsen’s two death sentences to life with the possibility of parole. Halvorsen admitted his involvement in the murders and, as the letter accompanying his clemency petition explained, had turned his life and the lives of others around. In the order granting clemency, Gov. Bevin wrote simply, “Leif has a powerful voice that needs to be heard by more people.” |
| 291 | 2020 | Jimmy Meders | W | GA | On January 16, 2020, the day Meders was scheduled to be executed, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles granted clemency. The board cited several reasons for the commutation, including “his lack of a criminal record prior to committing this offense, his commission of only one minor infraction in over 30 years on death row, the jury’s explicit desire during deliberations to impose a life without parole sentence which was legally unavailable at the time, and every living, able juror’s continued support for such a sentence.” |
| 292 | 2020 | Nathan Dunlap | B | CO | On March 23, 2020, in conjunction with signing legislation to abolish the state’s death penalty, Gov. Jared Polis commuted the death sentences of the three prisoners then on Colorado’s death row to imprisonment for life without possibility of parole. Gov. Polis refused to identify the the prisoners by name in the clemency orders, referring to them only by their Colorado Department of Corrections offender numbers. |
| 293 | 2020 | Sir Mario Owens | B | CO | See #292 |
| 294 | 2020 | Robert Ray | B | CO | See #292 |
| 54-220a | 2020 | Renaldo Hudson | B | IL | Renaldo Hudson was one of 167 prisoners whose death sentences were commuted to life without parole by Gov. George Ryan in January 2003. On September 2, 2020, in a series of commutations granted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. J.B. Pritzker granted Hudson a second commutation, reducing his sentence to time served. Gov. Pritzer citing Hudson’s exemplary conduct and personal transformation in prison as grounds for the commutation. |
| 295 | 2021 | Julius Jones | B | OK | On November 18, 2021, four hours before Julius Jones was scheduled to be executed, Gov. Kevin Stitt commuted his death sentence to life without possibility of parole. Stitt issued the clemency grant “on the condition that [Jones] shall never again be eligible to apply for, be considered for, or receive any additional commutation, pardon, or parole.” Based on concerns about Jones’ age at the time of the offense and serious doubts as to his guilt, the Oklahoma Board of Pardon and Parole had twice recommended by 3-1 votes that Gov. Stitt commute Jones’ sentence to life with the possibility of parole. |
| 296 | 2022 | Jesse Compton | W | OR | On December 13, 2022, Gov. Kate Brown announced that she was commuting the sentences of all 17 prisoners on Oregon’s death row to life without parole, effective December 14, 2022. |
| 297 | 2022 | Clinton Cunningham | W | OR | See #296 |
| 298 | 2022 | Randy Guzek | W | OR | See #296 |
| 299 | 2022 | Gary Haugen | W | OR | See #296 |
| 300 | 2022 | Michael Hayward | W | OR | See #296 |
| 301 | 2022 | Robert Langley, Jr. | W | OR | See #296 |
| 302 | 2022 | Christian Longo | W | OR | See #296 |
| 303 | 2022 | Ernest Lotches | NA | OR | See #296 |
| 304 | 2022 | Michael McDonnell | W | OR | See #296 |
| 305 | 2022 | Marco Montez | L | OR | See #296 |
| 306 | 2022 | Horacio Reyes-Camarena | L | OR | See #296 |
| 307 | 2022 | Ricardo Serrano | L | OR | See #296 |
| 308 | 2022 | Matthew Thompson | W | OR | See #296 |
| 309 | 2022 | Bruce Turnidge | W | OR | See #296 |
| 310 | 2022 | Joshua Turnidge | W | OR | See #296 |
| 311 | 2022 | Michael Washington, Jr. | B | OR | See #296 |
| 312 | 2022 | Tara Zyst | W | OR | See #296 |
| 313 | 2023 | John Huffington | W | MD | Maryland Governor Larry Hogan granted John Huffington a full pardon on January 13, 2023, stating that evidence conclusively showed that his “convictions were in error.” |
* Information on these cases from Michael L. Radelet and Barbara A. Zsembik, “Executive Clemency in Post-Furman Capital Cases,” 27 University of Richmond Law Review 289-314 (1993) (with subsequent revisions from Prof. Radelet and updates by DPIC).
Additional reasons for clemency are from news accounts on file with DPIC.
1. In 1994, Earl Washington’s death sentence was commuted to life with the possibility of parole by then-Governor Douglas Wilder. On October 2, 2000, DNA tests confirmed Washington’s innocence, and he was granted an absolute pardon by Governor Jim Gilmore. In July 2007, Governor Tim Kaine signed a second pardon granting Washington an unconditional exoneration.
2. Gov. Rick Perry commuted the death sentence of Doil Lane on March 9, 2007. Lane had intellectual disabilities and the state did not challenge this finding. Hence, the governor’s commutation was the result of the Supreme Court’s decision in Atkins v. Virginia (2002) forbidding the execution of such prisoners and not necessarily for humanitarian reasons.
NOTE: There have also been a number of reductions of sentence granted for judicial expediency, rather than for humanitarian reasons. (See Radelet & Zsembik, above.) Judicial expediency includes cases in which a person’s death sentence is overturned by the courts and state law requires that the entire trial, including guilt or innocence, be done over again if a death sentence is being sought. Rather than go through a complete re-trial, the state sometimes asks that the death sentence be reduced to a life sentence. In other instances, Governors have issued commutations to resentence former death-row prisoners to life following court declarations that the state’s death-penalty statute is unconstitutional or to comply with U.S. Supreme Court rulings barring the execution of juveniles or defendants with “intellectual disability.” Grants of clemency on these grounds are not included in the list above. In addition, judicial reductions in a death sentence are sometimes described in lay terms as “commutations,” but they are not acts of clemency. Clemency as described on this page refers solely to an action of the executive branch that either commutes a prisoner’s death sentence on humanitarian grounds or pardons the prisoner for the murder charges that led to his or her death sentence.