In a jaw-dropping move just days before Christmas, Joe Biden has commuted the death sentences of 37 out of 40 federal death row inmates. This isn’t just a last-minute policy shift—it’s a gut punch to justice, especially for the families of the victims who suffered at the hands of these violent criminals. Let’s be clear: this isn’t about second chances for reformed offenders. These are child killers, mass murderers, and the worst of the worst.
Among the reprieved are Thomas Sanders, who in 2010 brutally murdered 12-year-old Lexis Roberts after forcing her to watch her mother’s murder. Then there’s Jorge Avila-Torrez, who s*xually assaulted and k*lled two little girls before strangling a naval officer in her barracks. Kaboni Savage, a drug dealer, orchestrated or personally committed the deaths of 12 people, including four children. These names aren’t just stains on our justice system—they’re blights on humanity.
And yet, Biden claims his decision is rooted in “conscience.” In a statement announcing his leniency, he said, “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.” Really, Joe? Condemning murderers while sparing them the ultimate penalty reeks of hypocrisy. He cited his “experience” as a public defender and his personal opposition to the death penalty as justification, but what about the experience of the families whose lives these monsters destroyed?
To add insult to injury, Biden chose to exclude three death row inmates—Robert Bowers (Tree of Life Synagogue shooter), Dylann Roof (Charleston church shooter), and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (Boston Marathon bomber)—perhaps to avoid a total political meltdown. While these three keep their death sentences, the rest of the federal death row population gets to live, courtesy of Biden’s “good conscience.”
This decision is a gift to criminals and a slap in the face to victims and their families. It’s an appalling reminder of just how far left the current administration is willing to go to appease progressive anti-death penalty activists, even at the expense of justice and public safety. Instead of holding the worst offenders accountable, Biden has sent a message that even the most heinous crimes may not warrant the ultimate punishment.
Merry Christmas, America—justice just took a holiday.
Here is a full list of the inmates who were listed on death row prior to the pardons.
Name | Race/Ethnicity | State | Year of Sentence | Offense |
---|---|---|---|---|
Agofsky, Shannon | White | TX | 2004 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the killing of a prisoner in a federal prison. |
Allen, Billie Jerome** | Black | MO | 1998 | Convicted and sentenced to death for his involvement in an armed bank robbery during which a bank guard was killed. (Co-defendant of Norris Holder.) |
Barnette, Marcivicci Aquilia | Black | NC | 1998 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the killing of his ex-girlfriend, as well as another man in a carjacking. |
Basham, Brandon** | White | SC | 2004 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the kidnapping and death of a woman following an escape from prison. (Co-defendant of Chadrick Fulks) |
Battle, Anthony | Black | GA | 1997 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the killing of a prison guard. |
Bowers, Robert | White | PA | 2023 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the mass shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue. |
Brown, Meier Jason | Black | GA | 2003 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the fatal stabbing of a postal worker. |
Caro, Carlos | Latino | VA | 2007 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the killing of a prisoner in a federal prison. |
Coonce, Wesley** | White | MO | 2014 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the killing of a fellow prisoner in the mental health unit of a federal prison. (Co-defendant of Charles Hall) |
Council, Brandon | Black | SC | 2019 | Convicted and sentenced to death for killing two bank employees during the course of a bank robbery. |
Cramer, Christopher** | White | TX | 2018 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the killing of a fellow prisoner in a federal prison. (Co-defendant of Ricky Fackrell) |
Davis, Len+ | Black | LA | 2005 | Police officer convicted and sentenced to death for ordered the killing of a witness for an internal affairs investigation into a police misconduct complaint against him. |
Ebron, Joseph+ | Black | TX | 2009 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the killing of a prisoner in a federal prison. |
Fackrell, Ricky** | White | TX | 2018 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the killing of a fellow prisoner in a federal prison. (Co-defendant of Christopher Cramer) |
Fields, Edward | White | OK | 2005 | Pled guilty to and sentenced to death for the fatal shootings of two campers on federal land. |
Fulks, Chadrick** | White | SC | 2004 | Pled guilty and sentenced to death for the kidnapping and death of a woman following an escape from prison. (Co-defendant of Brandon Basham.) |
Gabrion, Marvin | White | MI*** | 2002 | Convicted and sentenced to death for klling a woman on federal land. |
Garcia, Edgar** | Latino | TX | 2010 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the fatal stabbing of a fellow prisoner while incarcerated in a federal prison. (Co-defendant of Mark Snarr.) |
Hager, Thomas+ | Black | VA | 2007 | Convicted and sentenced to death for a drug-related killing. |
Hall, Charles** | White | MO | 2014 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the killing of a fellow prisoner in the mental health unit of a federal prison. (Co-defendant of Wesley Coonce.) |
Holder, Norris** | Black | MO | 1998 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the fatal shooting of a security guard during a bank robbery. (Co-defendant of Billie Allen.) |
Jackson, Richard Allen | White | NC | 2001 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the fatal shooting of a woman while on federal property in North Carolina. |
Kadamovas, Jurijus** | White | CA | 2007 | Convicted and sentenced to death for his involvement in the killings and kidnappings-for-ransom of five Russian and Georgian immigrants. (Co-defendant of Iouri Mikhel.) |
Lawrence, Daryl | Black | OH | 2006 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the fatal shooting of a special-duty police officer during an attempted bank robbery. |
Mikhel, Iouri** | White | CA | 2007 | Convicted and sentenced to death for his involvement in the killings and kidnappings-for-ransom of five Russian and Georgian immigrants. (Co-defendant of Jurijus Kadamovas.) |
Mikos, Ronald | White | IL | 2005 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the killing of a federal grand jury witness in a Medicare fraud investigation.+ |
Roane, Jr., James H.** | Black | VA | 1993 | Convicted and sentenced to death for his participation in a series of drug-related killings. (Co-defendant of Corey Johnson & Richard Tipton.) |
Robinson, Julius+ | Black | TX | 2002 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the killing of two men in drug-related incidents in Ft. Worth. |
Roof, Dylann | White | SC | 2017 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the fatal shooting of nine parishioners in a church in South Carolina. |
Runyon, David+ | Asian | VA | 2009 | Convicted and sentenced to death for his involvement in the death of a Naval officer in a murder-for-hire plot in Newport News. |
Sanchez, Jr., Ricardo** | Latino | FL | 2009 | Convicted and sentenced to death for involvement in the drug-related killing of a family, including two children. (Co-defendant of Daniel Troya.) |
Sanders, Thomas | White | LA | 2014 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the kidnapping resulting in death of a 12-year old girl. |
Savage, Kaboni+ | Black | PA | 2013 | Convicted and sentenced to death for his involvement in the killings of 12 people in connection with a drug enterprise. |
Snarr, Mark** | White | TX | 2010 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the fatal stabbing of a fellow prisoner while incarcerated in a federal prison. (Co-defendant of Edgar Garcia.) |
Taylor, Rejon+ | Black | TN | 2008 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the carjacking, kidnapping, and death of a restaurant owner. |
Tipton, Richard** | Black | VA | 1993 | Convicted and sentenced to death for his participation in a series of drug-related killings. (Co-defendant of Corey Johnson & James H. Roane, Jr.) |
Torrez, Jorge | Latino | VA | 2014 | Ex-marine convicted and sentenced to death for the killing of a fellow service member. |
Troya, Daniel** | Latino | FL | 2009 | Convicted and sentenced to death for involvement in the drug-related killings of a family, including two children. (Co-defendant of Ricardo Sanchez, Jr.) |
Tsarnaev, Dzhokhar | White | MA | 2015 | Convicted for offenses committed in the Boston Marathon bombing and sentenced to death for two of the victims killed. |
Umana, Alejandro+ | Latino | NC | 2010 | Convicted and sentenced to death for the fatal shooting of two brothers in a North Carolina restaurant. |
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