President Joe Biden’s decision to commute the death sentences of 37 federal inmates has sparked intense backlash, with critics calling attention to the crimes of those spared and the three individuals whose sentences were not commuted. The move, consistent with Biden’s moratorium on federal executions, has reignited the debate on the death penalty in the United States.
I am commuting the sentences of 37 individuals on federal death row to life sentences without the possibility of parole.
This action is consistent with my Administration's moratorium on federal executions, except for cases involving terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder. pic.twitter.com/Obxfytxxbb
While commuting the sentences of the majority on federal death row, President Biden declined to commute the death penalties for three individuals. These exceptions, according to his administration, were based on the nature of their crimes, which involved terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder—the only categories exempt from Biden’s moratorium on federal executions.
1. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev: The surviving Boston Marathon bomber was convicted of killing three people and injuring hundreds in the 2013 attack. Tsarnaev’s case is one of the most high-profile examples of domestic terrorism, and Biden’s decision to exclude him from commutation underscores the administration’s stance on cases of large-scale terrorism.
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2. Dylann Roof: Roof was convicted of the racially motivated mass shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015. He murdered nine Black worshippers in an act of white supremacist hatred. Roof remains the first person sentenced to death for a federal hate crime.
3. Sayfullo Saipov: The perpetrator of the 2017 New York City truck attack, Saipov killed eight people in an ISIS-inspired act of terrorism. His case also falls under the terrorism exemption, highlighting the administration’s prioritization of these crimes for the federal death penalty.
Some of the Most Heinous Crimes Among Those Commuted
Among the 37 individuals whose sentences were commuted to life without parole, many committed crimes of shocking brutality. Critics of Biden’s decision argue that sparing their lives is an affront to the victims and their families. Here are some of the most egregious cases:
1. Alfred Bourgeois: Bourgeois was convicted of torturing and murdering his two-year-old daughter at a Texas naval air station. The crime involved prolonged abuse and unimaginable cruelty, making his case a lightning rod for critics of Biden’s commutations.
2. Wesley Ira Purkey: Purkey was convicted of kidnapping, raping, and murdering a 16-year-old girl, and later dismembering and burning her body. He also murdered an 80-year-old woman in a separate crime. Purkey’s acts of violence have been cited as examples of cases that many believe merit the ultimate punishment.
3. Dustin Lee Honken: A convicted drug kingpin, Honken was found guilty of five murders, including two young girls, as part of his efforts to silence witnesses in a drug-related case. The calculated and ruthless nature of these killings stands out among the commuted sentences.
4. Lisa Montgomery: Montgomery was convicted of strangling a pregnant woman to death and cutting the baby from her womb. The child survived, but the shocking brutality of the crime made her one of the most infamous cases on federal death row.
5. Daniel Lewis Lee: Lee was part of a white supremacist group and convicted of murdering an entire family, including an eight-year-old girl, in an effort to further his hate-fueled ideology. His case has been repeatedly cited as one of the most heinous crimes among the commutations.
Criticism and Justifications
Critics, including former President Donald Trump, have lambasted the commutations as a betrayal of justice. Trump stated, “Joe Biden just commuted the Death Sentence on 37 of the worst killers in our Country. When you hear the acts of each, you won’t believe that he did this. Makes no sense.”
Family members of victims have expressed their outrage, arguing that the punishment no longer fits the crimes. Many feel that sparing these individuals from the death penalty disregards the suffering of victims and diminishes the justice initially delivered.
However, Biden defended his decision, citing his moral opposition to the death penalty and his belief in a fairer justice system. The commutations align with his career-long efforts to reduce systemic bias in capital punishment, which disproportionately affects racial minorities and economically disadvantaged defendants.
Balancing Morality and Justice
While Biden spared 37 inmates, his decision to exclude Tsarnaev, Roof, and Saipov reflects an acknowledgment of public sentiment and the unique gravity of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder. This nuanced approach, however, has left him open to criticism from both abolitionists, who argue for a complete end to the death penalty, and supporters of capital punishment, who view the commutations as unjust.
The president’s decision exposes the complexities of addressing capital punishment in a deeply divided nation. While some see it as a step toward abolition, others view it as a controversial and inconsistent application of justice.
