Killer David Gatlin Pardoned By Governor Haley Barbour On The Way Out Of Office

[malq]

given their role, i do not see how the authority can be taken away. that said, i think that it is too easy.

i think that, at a minimum, they should be required to - in person and in advance - explain the pardon to the victim or their family. not just anyone... but whoever is selected from the victim impact statements by the judge who officiated ove the trial and sentencing. i would also go along with the person who pardons having to sit through at least one parole hearing.

if they want to put their time in, pardon away. otherwise, forget it...

Exactly, they are abusing this once coveted and well thought out action. They are handing out pardons like candy without even consulting those who have been harmed. I bet half of the pardoned people don't give a damn, appreciate nothing and would give the governor the bird.

I don't understand why they pardon prisoners . Does it make them feel like God? It is a tradition that must be removed.

[Tonya Douglas]

Please join ranks with my campaign to start a Facebook page to "Stop Pardon of David Gatlin".

[Tonya Douglas]

Stop Pardon of David Gatlin shared a page: Stop Pardon of David Gatlin.
Stop Pardon of David Gatlin
I have started this page not only to stop the pardon of David Gatlin but to get his name and picture forever on Facebook. This man not only shot and killed Tammy, he stalked her while dating, controlled her every move, isolated her, and belittled her. He took the happiest, most creative being and wore her down. He drained her of her previous self. He forever changed her, her friends and family. He is a cold blooded murderer that belongs in prision for life.

[Whisper]

Lawyer: Pardoned murderer 'not going' back to Mississippi for hearing

CNN) -- A Wyoming attorney representing a convicted murderer recently pardoned by Mississippi's outgoing governor says his client will not attend a Mississippi Supreme Court hearing this week on the constitutionality of his and some 200 other pardons.

"He's not going to go," Cheyenne, Wyoming, attorney Robert Moxley said of his client, Joseph Ozment.

"He's not a fugitive and there's no valid order that says he needs to appear," Moxley told CNN.

On Thursday, the Mississippi Supreme Court will hear arguments brought by Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood challenging the legality of scores of pardons issued by outgoing Gov. Haley Barbour.

Ozment was one of four men convicted of murder who were pardoned by Barbour in January and released from state custody. The four had been working as "trusties" at the governor's mansion.

Pardoning 'crimes of passion'
The releases were quickly challenged by Hood, who contends that the pardons are unconstitutional because most of the inmates involved did not fulfill all of the requirements to get a pardon. Specifically, they did not file legal notices in newspapers local to where their crimes were committed for a 30-day period as required by law.

Ozment's whereabouts were unknown after his release until he was located last week in Laramie, Wyoming, and served with papers telling him to appear in court in Mississippi.

Hood's office said last week that if Ozment does not comply, a judge has the authority to hold him in contempt.

But CNN Senior Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin had a different opinion on the case as a civil -- not criminal -- matter at this point.

"He (Ozment) probably safely could ignore that piece of paper," Toobin said last week on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360."

But if the attorney general succeeds in having the pardons declared invalid, "his (Ozment's) pardon is no longer valid. Then, the attorney general can get an arrest warrant and -- if (the attorney general) can find him at that point -- bring him back."

Added Ozment's Wyoming attorney, "He hasn't even been required to file an answer in the civil case. There's no use in him being a spectator. It's just legal arguments."

"The question is if there is any jurisdiction for a court to review a pardon in the first place," Moxley told CNN.

A spokesman for the attorney general told CNN that Hood would not have any comment on the case until after the Thursday hearing.

Ozment was sentenced to life in prison in 1994 after he admitted he was part of a gang that robbed a convenience store in DeSoto County, Mississippi. The store clerk was killed in the robbery.

Ozment entered a plea to avoid the death penalty, admitting that he entered the convenience store and after one of his accomplices shot the clerk, Ricky Montgomery, three times, Ozment walked up to Montgomery, who was crawling from behind the store counter, and shot him twice in the head.

Ozment said that he did that so that the clerk could not later identify him.

The Mississippi Supreme Court is expected to make a ruling on whether the pardons can even be challenged. If the court rules against the pardoned criminals, a lower court would be asked to hold hearings on each individual case.

"If the thing goes back to the trial court and resumes again, we're going to litigate these issues on whether there is extradition -- if it comes to that -- but it's a long way away," said Moxley.

Last week, at a news conference, Attorney General Hood said that if the court finds in his favor, he will have Ozment arrested "as soon as we can lay hands on him."
[...]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/06/us/mis...html?hpt=ju_c2

[malq]

Ozment was one of four men convicted of murder who were pardoned by Barbour in January and released from state custody.

The four had been working as "trusties" at the governor's mansion.

Well there you go. That's how it works folks. The governor wanted to do something nice for his servants so he pardoned them without a flying fuck about the victims. Entitlement has to go. It has ruined our country.

[DamagedGoods]

One of his pardons was a Perverted Justice bust.

http://www.perverted-justice.com/?con=funjxn1

funjxn1 (02:06:05 PM): u really don't mind im 27
Charro (02:06:09 PM): no!
Charro (02:06:19 PM): u dont care taht im 13
Charro (02:06:24 PM): i like u lots
funjxn1 (02:06:30 PM): i like u more baby
Charro (02:06:34 PM): i gotta p
funjxn1 (02:06:41 PM): u horny?

Who needs ipecac when you've got this shit? I won't post any of the rest because I feel sick just reading it myself, suffice it to say, this is incredibly tame in comparison.

[Whisper]

Controversial pardons issued by Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour before he left office are valid, the state's Supreme Court ruled.

Mississippi's Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the pardons of more than 200 convicts issued by Gov. Haley Barbour on his way out of office, rejecting a challenge by the state's attorney general.

Attorney General Jim Hood had argued in court last month that Barbour failed to follow state law by filing proper notice in newspapers where the inmates' crimes had been committed.

But in its opinion Thursday, the high court wrote that the pardons "may not be set aside or voided by the judicial branch" on those grounds.

[...]http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/08/court-barbours-mississippi-pardons-are-valid/?hpt=ju_c2

[Whisper]

Last 5 Inmates In Miss. Pardons Controversy Freed
State Attorney General Challenged Governor's Pardons

(CNN) -- All five remaining inmates held in the Mississippi pardons controversy have now been released from prison.
Mississippi's Supreme Court last week upheld the controversial pardons of more than 200 convicts that former Gov. Haley Barbour granted on his way out of office, rejecting a challenge by the state's attorney general.
In a 77-page, 6-3 ruling Thursday afternoon, the court found the pardons "may not be set aside or voided by the judicial branch."
Attorney General Jim Hood argued that no proper notice had been posted in newspapers, but the court found the final decision rested "solely with the governor."
"We are mindful that the victims and their families are entitled to be interested in the subject matter of this case, and they are undoubtedly -- and understandably -- concerned with its outcome," Justice Jess Dickinson wrote for the majority.
But in the cases before them, it was up to the governor to " decide whether the Constitution's publication requirement was met."
In a statement after the court ruling, Barbour said it "reaffirmed more than a century of settled law in our state," but acknowledged that his decision has been difficult for many of the inmates' victims.
But in a dissenting opinion, Justice Michael Randolph called the decision "a stunning victory for some lawless convicted felons, and an immeasurable loss for the law-abiding citizens of our state."
Hood argued that the state Constitution required that for a pardon to be valid, notices be filed, each day, for 30 days in newspapers where their crimes were committed.
But during a February Supreme Court hearing, Barbour's lawyers argued that previous state court rulings had found the 30-day notice rule was "an unconstitutional encroachment" on the governor's power.
Thursday's ruling is the final word on the case, but Hood said he would seek to get the notice requirement restored to the state charter.
"We do respect the decision of the Court, but feel deeply for how it must weigh on the victims and their families. It is these victims and family members who have lost today and the criminals who have won," he said in a statement, echoing Randolph's dissent.
Among the 214 inmates Barbour pardoned before he left office in January were four convicted murderers who had worked as "trusties" at the governor's mansion. Critics argued that the governor failed to consider the families of their victims before freeing them.
All four and an armed robber also pardoned by Barbour had remained free while the issue worked its way through the courts, and were freed under Thursday's decision. Five other inmates who had remained behind bars awaiting a ruling have been released.
[...]

Read more: http://www.wtae.com/news/30654318/de...#ixzz1opRguWa5

[LadyCygnet]

If they commit any crimes after being released, the state should be held liable.

[malq]

E-mails show Mississippi governor's office urged not to pardon DUI offender

Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has said he didn't know that retired IRS investigator Harry Bostick had been arrested for a DUI months after the state's parole board recommended that Barbour grant him a full pardon. (Police have determined that while Bostick was driving under the influence, he was not at fault for the accident)

But e-mails recently obtained by CNN show that Barbour's office was aware of Bostick's October DUI arrest months before Barbour pardoned him along with more than 200 other convicted felons during his last days in office in January.

"They knew it, and they didn't stop it," said Smith, referring to the pardon. "Why didn't they do something?"

Bostick's case offers a close look into the pardon process and the friendships and ties that often intersect with the political world. High-profile friends of the former federal investigator's, including lawyers and former U.S. attorneys, wrote letters to Barbour touting what they called Bostick's genuine lifestyle change.

Whitwell, an attorney in the firm that has represented Bostick in his DUI cases, said he called Hosemann, his old law school friend, to help with the pardon, even though the secretary of state's office has no official authority to issue pardons. After the October crash that killed Charity Smith, Whitwell reached out to Hosemann in an October 11 e-mail, asking him to back off on the pardon.

"You asked me if he was straight and I gave you my word yes. For this I give you my sincere apology. I had no idea he had messed up. Therefore. Hold up on helping him. All of us are in shock. Sorry," Whitwell wrote.

He signed the letter, "Your friend bob."

Hosemann forwarded this e-mail to Barbour's chief counsel, Amanda Jones.

Her e-mail reply: "ok will do."

It's not known whether Jones spoke to Barbour about this before he issued Bostick's pardon. She did not return calls seeking comment. A spokeswoman for Hosemann said he never discussed the matter directly with Barbour.

Jones no longer works in the governor's office and is currently employed by the Mississippi law firm Butler Snow, the same firm that employs the former governor.

Whitwell said the October e-mail was the last communication he had about Bostick's pardon.

"I told Delbert that I wanted him to pull back that pardon. It must not have gotten to the governor if he got pardoned," he said.

Barbour has repeatedly said that as a Christian, he believes in forgiveness and second chances.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/13/justic...html?hpt=ju_c2

[SqueezeBoxx]

I wonder how much it costs for a pardon? Or is that the kind of thing you have to buy with blackmail?