Arkansas: Denial

Gov. Mike Beebe has denied Heath Stocks' application for a commutation of sentence. Stocks, who killed his mother, father and younger sister, was seeking to become eligible for parole. A spokesman for the governor provided no explanation for the decision. See story here.

Virginia: Rejection

The Washington Post is reporting on the clemency request of Robert Stacy Yarbrough, who was executed last night.

Kaine declined yesterday to block Yarbrough's execution, and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to intervene, although Justices John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsburg would have granted a stay, the court said.

In a statement, Kaine said: "The trial, verdict, and sentence have been reviewed in detail by various state and federal courts, including the Supreme Court of Virginia, a United States Magistrate, a United States District Court Judge, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The Supreme Court of the United States also has denied Yarbrough's petition for review."

Kaine continued: "Having carefully reviewed the Petition for Clemency and judicial opinions regarding this case, I find no compelling reason to set aside the sentence that was recommended by the jury, and then imposed and affirmed by the courts. Accordingly, I decline to intervene."

See complete story here.

Oklahoma: Rejection

Terry Lyn Short, 47, is scheduled to die via lethal injection at 6 p.m., Tuesday, for the firebomb killing of a Japanese student 13 years ago. Short threw the device into the apartment of his ex-girlfriend, who lived below the student, who was asleep at the time. Short admitted, for the first time publicly, that he threw the firebomb at a clemency hearing last month, but claimed he did not intend to kill the student, whom he did not know. Nonetheless, the Pardon and Parole Board unanimously rejected his clemency bid. See story here.

Florida: Rejection

68-year old Krishna Maharaj denies that he killed Derrick Moo-Young and his son Duane in a Miami hotel in 1986. No less than five alibi witnesses stepped forward to say that he was 30 miles away from the scene of the murders. But Maharaj, once a millionaire businessman and the second biggest racehorse owner in the UK, was sent to "death row," where he remained 15 years. Then, in 2002, his death sentence was commuted to life in prison. Now, Governor Charlie Crist (R) and the state clemency board have denied a request for additional clemency, and freedom. See story here.

Oklahoma: Rejection

This morning, the five-member state Pardon and Parole Board voted unanimously to deny clemency for death row inmate Terry Lyn Short. Short's scheduled execution is June 17th. In 1995, he threw a homemade firebomb into the apartment of his ex-girlfriend and killed another tenant (a Japanese exchange student) in the process. Short told the Board (by video hookup from the penitentiary) that he did not know the man that he killed and did not intend to kill him. See story here.

Virginia: Rejection

The Washington Post reports:

Convicted killer Kevin Green was scheduled to be put to death at 9 p.m. Earlier tonight, the U.S. Supreme Court turned down his request for a stay of execution and Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) denied a petition for clemency. He said he had carefully reviewed the case but found "no compelling reason to set aside the sentence that was recommended by the jury.''

See story here.

South Dakota: Denial

The South Dakota parole board has denied Debra Jenner parole for the 8th time. It is reported that at least one board member thinks the "grisly nature" of her crime is her biggest obstacle. Governor Bill Janklow commuted Jenner's life sentence without parole to 100-years after she admitted killing her 3-year-old daughter (see other details here). Jenner told members of the parole board she could land a job doing data entry in Pierre if she were to be released early. See 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.

Montana: Rejection (Background)

On March 16, PardonPower posted material here on the case of Barry Beach, who was charged with murder in 1979 and sentenced to 100 years in prison. Tonight, Dateline NBC aired a broadcast on his case as well. The Dateline report can be found here.

Michigan: Rejection

Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) has refused to grant medical parole for a former day care operator who is serving out a 6- to 15-year sentence for inflicting permanent brain damage on an infant. 51-year-old Diane Robinson was diagnosed with lung cancer that has now spread to her brain. She now asks Governor Granholm to release her so she can die at home. The response:

While the governor is indeed sympathetic to your serious medical condition and its impact on you and your loved ones, the governor is also sympathetic to the child victim of your crime and finds compelling the strong opposition expressed by the victim's family to this commutation. Under these circumstances, the governor has determined clemency is not warranted.

The infant's mother also has a lawsuit pending against Robinson. See story here.

Montana: Rejection

On Friday, the Associated Press reported on 45-year old Barry Beach, who was convicted of the 1979 killing of a 17-year old girl on Fort Peck Indian Reservation. The conviction was obtained as a result of a confession he gave to Louisiana authorities while in jail for an unrelated crime. Beach is serving a 100-year prison term without the possiblity of parole, but now argues that the confession was "coerced." As he puts it, "I was so scared I would have said anything to get away from them. I was 20 years old. I just wanted to get out of that interrogation room.” Beach also insists that there is testimony from others that connects a group of girls to the murder. For example, Carl Fourstar testified (at Beach's clemency hearing) that a former co-worker confessed that she had gotten away with the murder. So, Beach is seeking a new trial based on testimony that the Board of Pardons and Parole calls "double and triple hearsay." This was the same body that rejected Beach's petition for executive clemency. See some background on the case here and here and here.

New Mexico: Rejection

Gov. Bill Richardson (D) has rejected a pardon request from one Jimmie Rae Gordon Jr., who was sentenced to 30 years in prison for 11 counts of fraud over $2,500 and four counts of being an unlicensed broker who sold unregistered securities and made fraudulent offers to sell securities. The request was denied because of "strong opposition" by victims of the fraud and after "carefully considering Mr. Gordon's conduct while in prison." See story here.

Pennsylvania: Denial

This report focuses on the story of an individual who cannot vote because of a felony conviction but has done a great deal to mobilize other voters nonetheless. David Sadler is 33 years old but cannot vote because of a conviction when he was 18. Sadler claims he was falsely accused and charged with drug possession, but he accepted a plea bargain because it was the only way to quickly return to school and football without serving jail time. In 2002, he walked from Orlando, Fla., to Harrisburg, Pa. to deliver his request for clemency to the governor and his effort attracted national media attention. But then Gov. Mark Schweiker (R) denied the request. Today, Sadler is the state director for the Alabama Restore the Vote Coalition. "They took my one vote but they added 5,000 more. I'll take those odds," Sadler said, referring to the estimated 5,000 people he's helped through his work with the coalition.