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Biden Commutes Death Sentences of 37 Federal Inmates Before Christmas; Tsarnaev, Roof, Bowers Remain on Death Row

Dec 24, 2024, 01:08 AM

On December 23, President Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 out of 40 federal death row inmates, converting their sentences to life in prison without parole. The inmates included individuals convicted of serious crimes such as child murderers, mass murderers, rapists, and a drug kingpin. Among those whose sentences were commuted were two Florida men convicted of killing a family of four on the Florida Turnpike in 2006. The decision, made just days before Christmas, was described as "despicable" by the father of one victim, who criticized the timing. Biden stated that the commutations are consistent with the moratorium his administration has imposed on federal executions since 2021, aiming to halt the use of the death penalty at the federal level. The three inmates who remain on federal death row are Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, convicted for the Boston Marathon bombing; Dylann Roof, convicted for the Charleston church shooting; and Robert Bowers, convicted for the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.