Biden Spares 37 From Death Row, But Not 3 Mass Killers: See Full List

WASHINGTON, DC — President Joe Biden on Monday spared the lives of all but three of the people awaiting execution on federal death row.

Biden’s action commutes their sentences to life imprisonment just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office.

Those whose lives were spared were convicted of killings that included slayings of police and military officers, people on federal land and those involved in deadly bank robberies or drug deals, as well as killings of guards and prisoners in federal facilities.

It means just three federal inmates are still facing execution. They are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.

By state, those whose sentences were commuted are:

California

Jurijus Kadamovas: Sentenced in 2007 for his involvement in the killings and kidnappings-for-ransom of five immigrants from Russia and Georgia. He is a co-defendant of Iouri Mikhel.

Iouri Mikhel: Sentenced in 2007 for his involvement in the killings and kidnappings-for-ransom of five Russian and Georgian immigrants. He is a co-defendant of Jurijus Kadamovas.

Forida

Ricardo Sanchez Jr.: Sentenced in 2009 for his involvement in the drug-related killing of a family, including two children. He is a co-defendant of Daniel Troya.
Daniel Troya: Sentenced in 2009 for his involvement in the drug-related killing of a family, including two children. He is a co-defendant of Ricardo Sanchez Jr.

Georgia

Anthony George Battle: Sentenced in 1997 for the killing of a prison guard.
Meier Jason Brown: Sentenced in 2003 for the fatal stabbing of a postal worker.

Illinois

Ronaldo Mikos: Sentenced in 2005 for the killing of a federal grand jury witness in a Medicare fraud investigation.

Louisiana

Len Davis: Police officer sentenced in 2005 for ordering the killing of a witness for an internal investigation into a police misconduct complaint against him.
Thomas Steven Sanders: Sentenced in 2014 for a kidnapping resulting in death of a 12-year-old girl.

Michigan

Marvin Charles Gabrion II: Sentenced in 2002 for killing a woman on federal land.

Missouri

Billie Jerome Allen: Sentenced in 1998 for his involvement in an armed bank robbery during which a bank guard was killed. He is a co-defendant of Norris Holder.
Norris G. Holder: Sentenced in 1998 for the fatal shooting of a security guard during a bank robbery. He is a co-defendant of Billie Allen.
Wesley Paul Coonce Jr.: Sentenced in 2014 for the killing of a fellow prisoner in the mental health unit of a federal prison. He is a co-defendant of Charles Hall.
Charles Michael Hall: Sentenced in 2014 for the killing of a prisoner in the mental health unit of a federal prison. He is a co-defendant of Wesley Coonce.

North Carolina

Aquilia Marcivicci Barnette: Sentenced in 1998 for the killing of his ex-girlfriend and another man in a carjacking.
Richard Allen Jackson: Sentenced in 2001 for the fatal shooting of a woman while on federal property.
Alejandro Enrique Ramirez Umaña: Sentenced in 2010 for the fatal shooting of two brothers in a North Carolina restaurant.

Ohio

Daryl Lawrence: Sentenced in 2006 for the fatal shooting of a special-duty police officer in an attempted bank robbery.

Oklahoma

Edward Leon Fields Jr.: Sentenced in 2005 for the fatal shootings of two campers on federal land.

Pennsylvania

Kaboni Savage: Sentenced in 2013 for his involvement in the killings of 12 people in connection with a drug enterprise.

South Carolina

Brandon Leon Basham: Sentenced in 2004 for the kidnapping and death of a woman following an escape from prison. He is a co-defendant of Chadrick Fulks.
Brandon Michael Council: Sentenced in 2019 for killing two bank employees during the course of a bank robbery.
Chadrick Evan Fulks: Sentenced in 2004 for the kidnapping and death of a woman after an escape from prison. He is a co-defendant of Brandon Basham.

Tennessee

Rejon Taylor: Sentenced in 2008 for the carjacking, kidnapping and death of a restaurant owner.

Texas

Shannon Wayne Agofsky: Sentenced in 2004 in the killing of a prisoner.
Christopher Emery Cramer: Sentenced in 2018 for the killing of a fellow prisoner in a federal facility. He is a co-defendant of Ricky Fackrell.
Joseph Ebron: Sentenced in 2009 for the killing of a prisoner in a federal facility.
Ricky Allen Fackrell: Sentenced in 2018 for the killing of a prisoner in a federal facility. He is a co-defendant of Christopher Cramer.
Edgar Baltazar Garcia: Sentenced in 2010 for the fatal stabbing of a prisoner in a federal facility. He is a co-defendant of Mark Snarr.
Julius Omar Robinson: Sentenced in 2002 for the killing of two men in drug-related incidents.
Mark Isaac Snarr: Sentenced in 2010 for the fatal stabbing of a fellow prisoner while incarcerated in a federal prison. He is a co-defendant of Edgar Garcia.

Virginia

Carlos David Caro: Sentenced in 2007 for the killing of a prisoner in a federal facility.
Thomas Morocco Hager: Sentenced in 2007 for a drug-related killing.
James H. Roane Jr.: Sentenced in 1993 for his participation in a series of drug-related killings. He is a co-defendant of Corey Johnson and Richard Tipton.
David Anthony Runyon: Sentenced in 2009 for his involvement in the death of a Naval officer in a murder-for-hire plot.
Richard Tipton: Sentenced in 1993 for his participation in a series of drug-related killings. He is a co-defendant of Corey Johnson and James H. Roane Jr.
Jorge Avila Torrez: Ex-Marine sentenced in 2014 for the killing of a fellow service member.

“I’ve dedicated my career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system,” Biden said in a statement. “Today, I am commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row to life sentences without the possibility of parole. These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.”

The Biden administration in 2021 announced a moratorium on federal capital punishment to study the protocols used, which suspended executions during Biden's term. But Biden actually had promised to go further on the issue in the past, pledging to end federal executions without the caveats for terrorism and hate-motivated, mass killings.

“Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss,” Biden's statement said. “But guided by my conscience and my experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, vice president, and now president, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.”

He took a political jab at Trump, saying, “In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.”

Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has spoken frequently of expanding executions. In a speech announcing his 2024 campaign, Trump called for those “caught selling drugs to receive the death penalty for their heinous acts.” He later promised to execute drug and human smugglers and even praised China's harsher treatment of drug peddlers. During his first term as president, Trump also advocated for the death penalty for drug dealers.

There were 13 federal executions during Trump's first term, more than under any president in modern history.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.