Biden Pardon: Joe Biden Commutes Death Sentences of 37 Inmates, Including Child Killers and Mass Murderers

In a landmark decision, President Joe Biden has commuted the death sentences of 37 federal inmates, including those convicted of heinous crimes such as child murder and mass murder. The move, announced just two days before Christmas, highlights Biden's steadfast opposition to the federal death penalty, despite the seriousness of the crimes committed by these individuals.

Biden's Remarks on the Choice

In a statement about the commutation of the death sentence, Biden made it clear that his choice did not support the convicted killers' behaviour.

"Never be misled: I denounce these killers, mourn the victims of their heinous deeds, and weep for all the families who have endured unspeakable and irreversible loss," Biden stated.

His years of expertise as a public defender, Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, vice president, and now president, the president added, had an impact on the choice. He made it clear that, in his opinion, the death penalty ought to be outlawed nationally.

"I am now more certain than ever that the federal death penalty must be abolished. In all honesty, I can't stand by and allow a new administration to carry on with the executions I stopped," Biden continued.

Both praise and criticism have been levelled at the 37 inmates whose sentences were commuted, who will now serve life in jail without the prospect of parole.

Full List of 37 People Biden Pardoned

The individuals whose death sentences were commuted as part of Biden’s pardon include:

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, Rickey 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, and Alejandro Enrique Ramies Umana.

Abhorrent Offences of Biden's Pardon Murderers

One of the murderers that Biden pardoned was Thomas Sanders, who was found guilty of abducting and killing a 12-year-old girl in 2010. Another was Anthony Battle, who was convicted of killing a prison guard in 1994 while serving a life sentence for the 1987 rape and killing of his wife, a U.S. Marine.

People Not Covered by the Biden Pardon

Three infamous federal prisoners, however, were not included in this clemency:

The 2013 Boston Marathon bomber who killed three people was Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

In 2018, Robert Bowers murdered eleven people at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

Dylann Roof, the 2015 Charleston murderer of nine Black churchgoers.

Biden Issues a Death Sentence in an Attempt to End the Death Penalty

This commuting of the death sentence is a component of Biden's larger campaign to abolish the death penalty on a federal level. His administration has worked to overhaul the criminal justice system, including commuting roughly 1,500 sentences for people released during the COVID-19 outbreak, and has stopped federal executions.

Biden's decision to pardon individuals convicted of heinous crimes is still controversial. While some say that pardoning convicted murderers compromises justice for victims and their families, others contend that it is an essential step towards criminal justice reform.

An important turning point in the current national discussion on the future of the death sentence in the United States is the Biden pardon.