Arizona: Request

Last year, Kimu Parker was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the role she played in the slow starvation of her three children. Now, her husband, Blair, is in court. The couple forced their home-schooled kids on a low-calorie Vegan diet and didn't reverse course even as the kids' bodies began wasting away. They were arrested in April 2005 when one of their daughters began having seizures. The Phoenix New Times reports that only one of Blair's jurors is black and "half are overweight." In the opening statement, his attorney said the Parkers made "serious mistakes" but that they were not "criminals."

Following Kimu Parker's sentencing, Superior Court Judge Thomas O'Toole moved to have the sentence reduced, arguing it was "clearly excessive." A motion was then filed with the state Board of Executive Clemency to recommend a pardon or sentence reduction to Governor Janet Napolitano. O'Toole argues that Kimu has taken parenting classes and has seen the error of her ways. CPS has decided that she was "a good, proper parent who would be able to raise healthy children." See the New Times story here.

Arizona: Rejection

On May 1, PardonPower reported on the clemency request of 78-year-old Max Dunlap, who was convicted of the 1976 car-bomb murder of Don Bolles, an Arizona Republic reporter. The Arizona Board of Executive Clemency has since denied Dunlap's commutation request despite the fact that he claims to be innocent. Dunlap is not eligible for parole until 2014. His family members said he should be released from prison because of his poor health, but Bolles' daughter said he should remain in prison.

Arizona: Request

The Arizona Republic reports that a state panel will soon consider clemency for 78-year old Max Dunlap who was convicted for the 1976 murder of Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles. Bolles died 11 days after a bomb exploded beneath his white Datsun (now enshrined in a museum dedicated to journalism) and Dunlap was believed to have hired two men to do "the job." In his clemency application, Dunlap says that he does not expect to live long, that he is "truly sorry" for his involvement with the other suspects in the crime and that he is "sorry for the newspaperman."See story here.

Arizona: Request

The Tuscon Weekly is reporting on Carl Maynard who participated in three armed robberies in 1976. No one was hurt in the process, except Carl, who was shot during the third. Today, the 75-year old says, "It was wrong, what I did ... It was stupid. Stupid. Stupid." Maynard's co-defendants took pleas and received sentences of one year, one year of probation and five years and a day respectively. But Maynard received three 30- to 50- year terms (under sentencing guidelines that have since been revised) and, as a result, he will not be eligible for parole until 2039. The article pointedly notes, "people who are killing people are getting parole after 25 years." Maynard's original lawyer promised to file an appeal, but never did.

The Weekly also emphasizes that the biggest hurdle between Maynard and clemency is Gov. Janet Napolitano (D), who has not granted a single clemency application since taking office in 2003. Napolitano was a former U.S. attorney and state attorney general. In fact, the past three governors granted very few applications for commutations. Alex Heveri, a public defense attorney says applications to that go to Governor Napolitano are "meaningless." He says he has also been told that the Board of Executive Clemency has even resorted to sending her the "three most important" applications, so as to "get her to look at more serious cases" but all to "no avail." See complete story here.