Just two days before Christmas, President Joe Biden decided to commute the sentences of dozens of murderers — including child killers, child rapists, and cop killers.
On Monday, Biden announced that the death sentences of 37 out of the 40 prisoners on death row would be commuted, despite these criminals having committed shockingly violent crimes. The only individuals that Biden left on death row are the Boston Marathon bomber, the Tree of Life Synagogue Shooter, and the man who murdered nine people at the Emanuel AME Church located in Charleston, South Carolina.
The outgoing president issued a statement about these shocking commutations where he desperately tried to defend his decision.
“I’ve dedicated my career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system,” the statement read. “Today, I am commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row to life sentences without the possibility of parole. These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my Administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.”
“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 added.
One of the criminals who had their death sentence commuted is Thomas Sanders, who kidnapped and murdered 12-year-old Lexis Roberts after shooting her mother in the head and was convicted in 2014. He reportedly held the child captive for multiple days before shooting her four times, slitting her throat, and hiding her body in the woods.
Thomas Roberts kidnapped a young girl and her mother. He m*rdered the mother in front of her then shot 12-year-old Lexis before slitting her throat and dumping her body.
Biden just commuted his death sentence. pic.twitter.com/UFQ3F4C9Q3
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) December 23, 2024
Biden also commuted the sentence of Jorge Avila-Torrez, who murdered and sexually assaulted two young girls — eight-year-old Laura Hobbs and nine-year-old Krystal Tobias — and later strangled 20-year-old Navy officer Amanda Snell in her barracks.
Jorge Avila-Torrez s*xually assaulted then m*rdered these 2 little girls. He also k*lled this Naval officer in her barrack.
Biden just commuted his death sentence. pic.twitter.com/Iki1fcTsPO
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) December 23, 2024
Another person who escaped justice thanks to Biden was cop killer Daryl Lawrence, who murdered 33-year-old Ohio police officer Bryan Hurst while robbing a bank in Columbus in 2005.
The other killers whose sentences were commuted by Biden included a carjacker who murdered two people, a man who murdered a postal worker, and several criminals who murdered their fellow prisoners or prison guards — including Anthony Battle, who killed a prison guard with a hammer while he was serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of his U.S. Marine wife.
These commutations were not the first in his lame duck period, as Biden announced earlier this month that he had commuted the sentences of roughly 1,500 people, and issued a blanket pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, for any federal crimes that he may have committed between 2014 and December 1, 2024.
