3 hours ago
2
Both inmates filed petitions connected December 30, 2024, a week aft Biden announced that helium would commute the sentences of 37 retired of 40 national decease enactment inmates. (File photo)
Two national decease enactment inmates, Shannon Agofsky and Len Davis, are refusing President Joe Biden’s bid commuting their sentences to beingness successful situation without parole, arguing that the alteration would hinder their efforts to beryllium their innocence. Both men person expressed a penchant for staying connected decease enactment alternatively than accepting beingness imprisonment, arsenic they judge it provides them with much ineligible resources to combat their cases.
Agofsky’s case
Agofsky, who was sentenced to decease successful 2004 for sidesplitting a national inmate portion serving a beingness condemnation for different murder, claims helium is guiltless of the 1989 sidesplitting and that errors marred his case. In his petition, helium wrote, “The suspect ne'er requested commutation. The suspect ne'er filed for commutation. The suspect does not privation commutation.”
Agofsky believes that a decease condemnation offers him “heightened scrutiny” successful his ineligible battle, which helium feels is important to challenging his conviction. His wife, Laura Agofsky, explained, “He’s not having a decease privation oregon anything. It’s his volition to unrecorded a beingness successful freedom,” and that a beingness condemnation would bounds his options for proving his innocence.
Davis’ case
Similarly, Davis, a erstwhile New Orleans constabulary serviceman sentenced to decease successful 2005 for orchestrating the sidesplitting of Kim Groves, besides rejected the commutation. Davis maintains his innocence and argues that the national authorities lacked jurisdiction to effort him for civilian rights violations.
He wrote, “Prisoner Davis has refused to motion (the) papers presented to him today, acknowledging his acceptance of commutation.” Davis sees the commutation arsenic carrying “a big of law violations,” which helium plans to code successful aboriginal filings.
Story truthful far
Both inmates filed petitions connected December 30, 2024, a week aft Biden announced that helium would commute the sentences of 37 retired of 40 national decease enactment inmates. The commutation did not see 3 inmates convicted of wide shootings oregon acts of terrorism.
Legal experts person pointed retired that the president’s commutation powerfulness is absolute, citing the 1927 US Supreme Court ruling successful Biddle v. Perovich. Robin Maher, enforcement manager of the Death Penalty Information Center, stated, “The objections of Mr. Davis and Mr. Agofsky to President Biden’s determination volition person nary effect connected the commutation of their sentences.”
(With inputs from CNN)
Discover the Benefits of Our Subscription!
Stay informed with entree to our award-winning journalism.
Avoid misinformation with trusted, close reporting.
Make smarter decisions with insights that matter.
Choose your subscription package
.png "indianexpress.")
.png "khaleejtimes")
.png "arabnews")
.png "gulfnews"){kind=logo}
English (US) · 
Hindi (IN) ·