Biden has recently commuted the sentences of 1,500 inmates and granted pardons to 39 others in what is being hailed as the “largest single-day grant of clemency.” Among those who have been spared by this move is Daryl Lawrence, an inmate convicted of the killing of Columbus Police Officer Bryan Hurst in 2005.
The Justice Department, which posthumously awarded Officer Hurst the Medal of Valor, detailed the events leading to his tragic death. Officer Hurst was working uniformed special duty at a bank when a masked gunman entered the premises. A harrowing exchange of gunfire ensued between the two, resulting in Officer Hurst receiving a mortal wound. Despite his injuries, Officer Hurst bravely maneuvered around the counter and managed to fire at the suspect before collapsing. The gunman was later apprehended several days after seeking medical attention at a hospital in Washington, D.C. The Justice Department lauded Officer Hurst’s quick action, exceptional courage, and unwavering persistence, which ultimately protected the lives of many individuals present at the bank.
Another inmate, Thomas Sanders, will also no longer face the federal death penalty following his conviction for the “brutal kidnapping and murder” of 12-year-old Lexis Roberts in 2010. Sanders, who was romantically involved with Lexis Roberts’ mother Suellen Roberts, fatally shot her near Interstate 40 in Arizona during a trip to a wildlife park near the Grand Canyon over Labor Day weekend. Sanders then abducted Lexis and held her captive as he traveled across the country. Tragically, he ended her life in a wooded area in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, where her body was discovered by a hunter on October 8, 2010. Prosecutors presented evidence at trial indicating that Sanders had shot Lexis Roberts four times, cut her throat, and callously left her in the woods.
Among the inmates formerly on federal death row is Alejandro Umana, an MS-13 gang member who fatally shot brothers Ruben and Manuel Garcia Salinas at a restaurant in Greensboro, North Carolina, in December 2007. The shooting reportedly occurred after the brothers allegedly “disrespected” Umana’s gang signs by calling them ‘fake.’ Additionally, Anthony Battle, who murdered prison guard D’Antonio Andrew Washington with a ball-peen hammer inside a maximum-security unit at an Atlanta facility in 1994, has also been spared from the death penalty.
Amnesty International USA has expressed approval of President Biden’s decision, emphasizing that the death penalty constitutes the ultimate cruel, inhuman, and degrading form of punishment. They view Biden’s action as a significant step forward for human rights. Anthony Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, praised the President for his stance on racial justice, humanity, and morality, characterizing this move as a defining achievement of the Biden presidency.
