New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on Monday granted 33 pardons and three reduced sentences in his first act of clemency nearly seven years after taking office.
“My only regret is that we didn’t get to this day sooner,” Murphy said at a news conference in Trenton, promising that this was just the “first round” of legal assistance, with more to come during his last years as president.
Murphy’s clemency move in New Jersey comes a week after President Joe Biden granted a record 39 pardons and commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 people.
Most pardons in New Jersey involve non-violent crimes, primarily property crimes and drug crimes. Some date back to the early 1970s, with the most recent crime being a 2011 conviction for making a false report to law enforcement.
The three sentence reductions are all for women convicted of murder, the most recent being in 2006.
“Over the course of their lives, each of these women suffered enormous hardships. They are all survivors in one form or another. But when they were originally convicted for the crimes they committed years ago, they received sentences that were too long based on what we know today,” Murphy said.
One of them is Dawn Jackson, a 53-year-old who has so far served 25 years of her 30-year sentence for stabbing her step-grandfather to death in 1999. Jackson, who pleaded guilty, said her public defender never brought up the case has brought. Years of sexual abuse she endured from her step-grandfather and other family members. Jackson’s case attracted national attention when it was featured on Kim Kardashian’s television show “The Justice Project.”
“What this means for my mother is that she can now move on with her life, create memories with her children and her grandchildren, continue the good fight and endure whatever life has to offer,” said Jackson’s daughter, Loreale Wilson, during the press conference. press conference.
Murphy ran as a progressive and introduced several major criminal justice initiatives, including expanding deportation and restoring voting rights to those on probation and parole. That contrasted with his lack of clemency during his seven years in office. Murphy’s recent gubernatorial predecessors from both parties have granted pardons or sentence reductions much earlier in their terms, though most saved the bulk of them for their final year in office.
Murphy in June ordered the creation of a Clemency Advisory Board to consider clemency and commutation applications and make recommendations. The administration has accelerated its focus on those convicted of non-violent crimes who later remained out of the justice system. For commutations, they accelerated applications for those who received an “excessive sentence” or if they were victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or sex trafficking.
The Murphy administration also said it created “a more robust victim services program than in previous administrations” before granting clemency.
In addition to Jackson, Murphy commuted the sentences of two other women convicted of murder.
— Myrne Diaz, who was convicted in 2011 of murder, robbery and several other charges in the 2006 shooting death of her ex-boyfriend, Jose Cabrera, by two other men she drove to his auto body shop under the pretense of looking at a car auto. Diaz alleged that one of her co-defendants, McDonald Williams, with whom she had a sexual relationship, forced her to take them to the store.
– Denise Staples, who was sentenced in 2004 to 60 years in prison for a 2001 stabbing murder that she claimed was in self-defense. Staples appealed unsuccessfully, arguing that she was denied a fair trial.
All three women whose sentences were commuted will be released from prison and begin five years of probation.
Among those who received a full pardon was Abdur Azim, who had served a prison sentence for shoplifting, drug sales and theft – the most recent offense dating from 1990. Azim later became a social worker and now works on prisoner reentry at the State Department of Justice Corrections.
“For me personally, this pardon is an indicator to let me know that I am moving in the right direction: forward,” Azim said at the press conference. “This pardon to me will give me the energy to continue beating the drum of hope for those in need.”
Samera Bishop initially asked for leniency in 2020, hoping to have her criminal record expunged. She was sentenced to prison in 2003 for drug abuse, but in the years since she has educated herself and is a licensed social worker. When she heard about Murphy’s clemency project, she contacted the governor’s office and last week received a call from Murphy congratulating her on receiving a pardon.
“He wanted to thank me for the hard work and perseverance I had,” Bishop, 44, said in an interview. “He said he hoped to punch me in the future.”
Officials did not indicate how many more pardons and commutations would be forthcoming, but did hint that there would be many.
Justin Dews, chairman of the Clemency Advisory Board, said the board considered only merit when reviewing applications and he hopes future governors will keep the system in place. Many of the crimes of those pardoned, he said, were the result of drug addiction and the “folly of youth.”
“Never before has there been a thoughtful, systematic process to review clemency applications in New Jersey,” Dews said. “For the first time in our history, we can say that fairness, not favoritism, is the guiding principle behind the governor’s clemency decisions.”
Read the full list of those who were pardoned or commuted.
Dustin Racioppi contributed to this report.
