JACKSON, Miss. -- In his final hours as governor Tuesday, Haley Barbour granted clemency to more than 200 convicted criminals -- murderers, rapists, robbers and even a cattle rustler -- even as victims' families, lawmakers and the public have expressed outrage over other pardons in recent days.
"I'm just sick -- I don't know what else to say," said Tonya Simpson of Lucedale, whose father was shot and killed by her stepmother, Patricia L. Simpson, in 2003.
Patricia Simpson had been serving a manslaughter sentence since 2008. Barbour freed her Tuesday with a "conditional indefinite suspension of sentence." Tonya Simpson said her family over Thanksgiving found out Patricia Simpson was seeking clemency. Tonya said she and family and friends had been calling and faxing the Governor's Office since then lobbying against the release, but had gotten no response. She learned of Patricia Simpson's release from the Sun Herald on Tuesday.
It was unclear late Tuesday, after Barbour's clemency records were released, how many convicts were simply having their records cleared after serving time and how many were being released, but many were being sprung. Some on the list are apparently deceased and their families had lobbied the governor to clear their records. But he has granted clemency recently to 30 whose convictions are for murder, homicide or manslaughter, in addition to six convicted murderers to whom he granted clemency in previous years.
Barbour has refused to comment on his recent clemency orders. His office in recent days hasn't returned calls or emails, and after a brief appearance at the Capitol for Gov. Phil Bryant's inauguration, Barbour appeared to dodge the media. Barbour over his eight years in office has freed murderers who worked as trusties at the Governor's Mansion. He has in the past noted that this is a tradition that dates back decades.
But Barbour appears to have been far more generous with his pardons. Secretary of State's Office records show other governors since 1980 have granted few. Barbour's predecessor, Ronnie Musgrove, granted only one pardon, the Secretary of State's Office said, for a possession of marijuana charge, although he did suspend several convicts' sentences.
Bryant, a former deputy sheriff, has said he opposes freeing murderers, but has declined comment on Barbour's pardons, saying he'll address the matter later.
Lawmakers on both side of the aisle appear to be gearing up to make changes in the gubernatorial pardon process. House Democrats on Monday held a press conference, along with some victims' families, calling for an end to the current pardon system.
"This is just shocking," Rep. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, said Tuesday after Barbour's final clemency list was released. Baria has already drafted a bill that would require a governor to hold a hearing with the community and victims' families before pardons are granted. He unsuccessfully pushed similar legislation last year when he was in the Senate.
Others are also calling for an end to having murderers serve as Mansion trusties.
"I'm in favor of not letting convicted murderers be trusties at the Mansion period," said Rep. Richard Bennett, R-Long Beach. "Just take that relationship between them and a governor away completely might help. I know this has been tradition, but it needs to go away."
Rep. Carolyn Crawford, R-Pass Christian, said: "I would never support freeing murderers. This is something that needs to change."
Mississippi governors' clemency powers are absolute, granted by the state Constitution, and can't be appealed. Governors in most other states -- and the president -- have similar powers. But most grant pardons after people have served their time or when there are serious questions over whether justice was served in a conviction, not to release those convicted of violent crimes, a national pardons expert said.
Betty Ellis of Rankin County said her family was devastated by Barbour's release Sunday of David Glenn Gatlin. Gatlin in 1993 murdered his wife, Ellis' daughter, as she held their 2-month old baby and was sentenced to life. But after his work as a trusty at the Governor's Mansion, Barbour freed him.
"We want to see this (pardon power) changed," Ellis said. "It's too late for our family to get anything done, but we don't want to see other families go through this."
"You're going to see me up here (at the Capitol) all the time until something gets done," said Randy Walker, a friend of the family whom Gatlin shot in the head after he murdered his wife.
Copyright 2012 - The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
