Amidst significant political backlash, President Joe Biden recently commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates. This controversial move has turned heads across the nation.
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin voiced strong disapproval, particularly for the commutation of sentences for the killers involved in a high-profile murder case.
Fox News reported that initially, these 37 prisoners had been sentenced to death but under the new pardons, all sentences were converted to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
The decision has been notably criticized by Sen. Joe Manchin, an independent formerly identified with the Democrats from West Virginia.
He specifically condemned the commutation for Chadrick Fulks and Brandon Basham, responsible for the gruesome murder of 19-year-old Samantha Burns in 2002.
Concerns have also been brought forth concerning the reaction of the victim's family to this executive decision. Fulks and Basham had escaped from a Kentucky detention facility and embarked on a multi-state crime spree that culminated in their carjacking and killing of Burns.
The tragic event unfolded when both men, Fulks and Basham, broke out of a detention center on November 4, 2002. They then traveled across states, committing a series of crimes, with the most heinous being the murder of Burns.
The duo was later captured and pleaded guilty in the Southern District of West Virginia for carjacking resulting in death, ensuring their conviction and sentencing to death, until this recent commutation changed their fate to life behind bars.
Senator Manchin, referencing letters from Burns’ parents directed to President Biden and the Department of Justice, expressed his dismay, underscoring that the family's pleas went unacknowledged. Instead, their holiday season was marred by renewed grief and unanswered concerns.
Manchin fervently spoke on behalf of Burns' parents: "After speaking to Samantha Burns’ parents, I believe I must speak on their behalf and say President Biden’s decision to commute the death sentences for the two men convicted in her brutal murder is misguided and insulting."
This stance was underlined further by prominent political figures, including President-elect Trump, who harshly addressed the commuted inmates in his Christmas message with a blunt directive: "Go to hell!"
In contrast, President Biden justified these commutations by pointing out their consistency with his administration's policies. "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. These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my Administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder," explained President Biden.
This episode opens further discourse on the abolition of the death penalty at the federal level—a topic that President Biden and his administration have explicitly supported.
The shift from death sentences to life sentences without parole is viewed by some as a step toward more humane justice, despite the outrage from specific sectors.
Advocates for the death penalty argue that certain deeds warrant the ultimate penalty, such as the case of Fulks and Basham, to serve as a deterrent to heinous crimes.
This perspective fuels ongoing debates over the appropriateness and efficacy of capital punishment.