Official White House press releases or public statements from President Biden

Biden Commutes Brandon Council's Death Sentence, Outraging Donna Major's Family; Part of 37 Inmates' Commutations

Dec 24, 2024, 06:00 PM

The family of 59-year-old Donna Major, a South Carolina bank teller murdered during a 2017 robbery at CresCom Bank in Conway, South Carolina, has expressed outrage after President Joe Biden commuted the death sentence of her killer, Brandon Council, just days before Christmas. Brandon Council, a career criminal who also killed 36-year-old Kathryn Skeen during the same robbery by shooting Major three times, was among 37 federal death row inmates whose sentences were commuted to life in prison without parole. The family, including Major's husband Danny Jenkins and daughters Heather Turner and Katie Jenkins, criticized Biden for making the decision without consulting the victims' families. They described feeling hurt, frustrated, and angry, particularly during the holiday season. Biden's action was part of a broader move to commute the sentences of 37 out of 40 federal death row inmates, aligning with his administration's moratorium on federal executions, except in cases of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.