Three federal inmates with connections to South Carolina are among the numerous individuals on death row whose sentences will be commuted by President Joe Biden on Monday.
In a recent announcement, Biden made a decision to commute the sentences of 37 individuals on federal death row, granting them life in prison instead. It is important to note that three individuals, including Dylann Roof, who was responsible for the tragic and racially motivated shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston in 2015, were not included in this decision.
The decision will save the lives of individuals who have been found guilty of various crimes, including the murder of law enforcement officers, military personnel, and civilians on federal property. It also applies to those involved in fatal bank robberies or drug transactions, as well as individuals responsible for the killing of guards or inmates within federal facilities.
Branden Basham and Chad Fulks, the co-defendants, received death row sentences in 2004 for the murder of Alice Donovan. In 2002, the pair managed to escape from a Kentucky prison and proceeded to abduct Donovan from a Walmart parking lot in Conway. It wasn’t until 2009 that her body was discovered, as reported by Nexstar affiliate WBTW.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Brandon Council was sentenced to death in 2019 for the murder of two bank employees during a robbery.
The three men will remain in prison for the rest of their lives, without any chance of parole.
“I’ve dedicated my career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system,” Biden said in a statement. “These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.”
In 2021, the Biden administration made a significant announcement regarding federal capital punishment. They implemented a moratorium to thoroughly examine the protocols associated with executions, effectively halting all executions throughout Biden’s term. However, it is worth noting that Biden had previously expressed a more ambitious stance on the matter. He had promised to completely abolish federal executions, without any exceptions for cases involving terrorism or hate-motivated mass killings.
“Make no mistake: 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,” Biden’s statement said. “But guided by my conscience and my experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, vice president, and now president, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.”
Monday’s announcement comes at a critical time, as President-elect Donald Trump, a vocal advocate for the expansion of capital punishment, is set to assume office in a matter of weeks.
Roof, along with 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018, is one of three federal inmates still facing execution.
On the night of June 17, 2015, a group of worshipers was gathered for a bible study at the historic downtown Charleston church. Among them was a young man named Roof, who had been welcomed to attend the study. However, to their shock and horror, Roof pulled out a gun and opened fire, tragically taking the lives of nine innocent people.
Nine people lost their lives in the tragic incident, including S.C. Senator Reverend Clementa C. Pinckney, who served as the pastor of the church. The other victims were Cynthia Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, Depayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Rev. Daniel Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and Myra Thompson.
Felecia Sanders, Tywanza Sanders’s mother, along with her granddaughter Ka’mya Manigault and Polly Sheppard, managed to survive the shooting that took place in the room.
Jennifer Pinckney, the wife of Rev. Pinckney, and their six-year-old daughter, Malana, were in a separate room just across the hall when the shooting occurred, and thankfully, they both managed to survive the tragic incident.
According to former Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, the day of June 17, 2015, marked the saddest day of his life. However, he goes on to say that the days following this tragic event turned out to be some of the proudest moments in his 40-year tenure as mayor.
“The way the community responded to this most unspeakable act was beyond anything, and I’m a positive-minded person, that I could ever have imagined. People, the morning after, right there on Calhoun Street, white people and black people together, hugging each other, wiping away each other’s tears.”
In memory of the victims, the church requested members of the community to carry out random acts of kindness during the ninth anniversary of the shooting in June.
Local and state lawmakers are once again urging South Carolina to pass a law that would increase penalties for hate-motivated crimes. Despite this effort, the proposed legislation has faced numerous roadblocks in the state Senate.
