Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders faced criticism last week after she pardoned a Thanksgiving turkey while continuing to refuse clemency to a developmentally disabled Black man who legal advocates claim was wrongly convicted in the murder of an elderly woman three decades ago.
Charlie Vaughn and three other suspects were convicted in 1991 for the 1988 slaying of 81-year-old Fordyce resident Myrtle Holmes, but a different suspect confessed to the crime in 2015 while new evidence has since emerged that appears to support Vaughn’s claim of innocence.
In June, Stuart Chanen, Vaughn’s attorney since 2016, submitted the clemency petition to Sanders, outlining the newly uncovered information in the case, however, the governor’s office went mum on the request for a month, prompting Chanen to reach out for an update in July.
That’s when Sanders’ chief legal counsel sent an email to Chanen, saying Sanders would not be granting clemency in the case, adding that Vaughn would be eligible to reapply for commutation in 2029, six years from now.
At the time, Sanders did not provide any explanation for her decision to deny the petition, while her office since has avoided commenting on the case.
Since taking office in January, Sanders’ administration has prioritized strengthening criminal justice policies, fulfilling campaign pledges that propelled her to victory in the 2022 gubernatorial election.
In April, Sanders signed legislation that eliminated parole for certain crimes, raised the parole criteria for other offenses, and reduced the time prisoners can deduct from their sentences for good behavior. The bill also included funding for the construction of a new state prison with 3,000 beds.
More recently, at a press conference on Nov. 17, Sanders and Arkansas attorney general Tim Griffin expressed dissatisfaction with the state Board of Corrections, which rejected a proposal to add 500 more beds in existing prisons across the…
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