President Joe Biden has dramatically changed the fate of numerous federal death row inmates.
On Monday, the President converted the death sentences of 37 federal inmates, including Brandon Council, to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, New York Post reported.
Brandon Council was sentenced to death on October 3, 2019, after a federal jury found him guilty. His crimes included the murder of two women during a bank robbery in South Carolina in 2017.
The violent crime took place at CresCom Bank in Conway, where Council shot Donna Major, 59, and Kathryn Skeen, 36, multiple times. He also stole more than $15,000, along with the victims' car keys and bank cards.
Derek Shoemake, the former federal prosecutor in the case against Council, expressed significant distress over the President's decision.
Shoemake described the extensive efforts of a South Carolina jury that concluded that death was a just punishment for Council after lengthy deliberations.
The disappointment felt by the legal team was palpable as Shoemake recalled the impact of their year of work. Here's what he shared:
It is difficult to see a sentence wiped away from 400 miles away after it was legally imposed by a jury of men and women from South Carolina who spent weeks listening to evidence, deliberating, and carefully deciding the appropriate punishment. It hurts that the victims’ families will celebrate yet another Christmas without their loved ones, while [Council] is among the 37 federally convicted murderers celebrating a political victory.
Despite the broader political discussions regarding the President's decision, Shoemake chose to focus on the human aspects of the case. He praised Donna Major and Kathryn Skeen as significant figures in their community.
The commutation by President Biden has left only three inmates on federal death row: Robert Bowers, Dylann Roof, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, making it a historically significant reduction.
This action continues the administration's initial suspension of federal executions and mirrors President Biden's stance against capital punishment.
President Biden explained his decision, though he lamented the pain it brings to the victims' families. He stated:
I condemn these murderers and their despicable acts, and while I grieve for the unimaginable and irreparable loss of the victims' families, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.
In light of these events, Shoemake reminisced about the lost lives of Major and Skeen, emphasizing their roles as mothers and community beacons. Moreover, she underscored the lasting impact these women had on their families and the community.
Today, the nation watches as the landscape of federal capital punishment is reshaped, notably impacting the lives associated with the 37 commuted inmates. This decision, intended to reflect a shift in policy regarding the death penalty, leaves a divided opinion among the public and those personally affected by the crimes of those who were on death row.
As a result, the legal implications and moral discussions triggered by this sizable commutation will likely continue to provoke national discourse. Shoemake and others connected to the cases cope with their personal and professional reactions to a decision that permanently alters the course of federal capital punishment.
