{"id":2387433,"date":"2025-01-07T13:52:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T18:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/2-death-row-inmates-stun-nation-say-they-wont-take-bidens-commutations\/"},"modified":"2025-01-07T13:53:56","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T18:53:56","slug":"2-death-row-inmates-stun-nation-say-they-wont-take-bidens-commutations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/2-death-row-inmates-stun-nation-say-they-wont-take-bidens-commutations\/","title":{"rendered":"2 Death Row Inmates Stun Nation, Say They Won&#8217;t Take Biden&#8217;s Commutations"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F2-death-row-inmates-stun-nation-say-they-wont-take-bidens-commutations%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2387433&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-to-seek-death-penalty-against-man-accused-of-murdering-lyft-driver\/\" title=\"Florida will pursue the death penalty for man accused of killing Lyft driver.\">death row\u2062 inmates<\/a>,\u200b Shannon Agofsky and Len Davis, are seeking \u2064to remain on\u200c death row rather\u2062 than \u200dhave their sentences commuted to life without parole by President Biden. They believe staying on death row will aid their legal \u2063efforts to overturn their\u200b convictions. Both inmates filed legal documents to maintain\u200c their current status. Agofsky,convicted in\u2063 1989 for the murder of a bank president,is also serving time for killing a fellow inmate. Davis,a former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minnesota-ag-keith-ellison-says-there-is-no-evidence-chauvin-factored-in-george-floyds-race-when-he-acted\/\" title=\"Minnesota AG Keith Ellison Says There Is No Evidence Chauvin \u2018Factored In George Floyd\u2019s Race\u2019 When He Acted\">police officer convicted<\/a> in 1996 for ordering a murder related to an abuse complaint,has consistently\u200d maintained his innocence. Legal experts note that commutation does not require the consent of the convicts,as established by a 1927 Supreme Court ruling. \u2062The inmates argue \u2062that \u200dchanging their sentences could \u200dhinder their legal protections and \u200bongoing appeals.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>In a legal gambit, two death row inmates are trying to avoid the commutation of their sentences by President Joe Biden.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/one-bidens-non-violent-pardons-turns-voodoo-practicing-triple-murderer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Biden<\/a> sprinkled commutations on a number of federal inmates who had been sentenced to death. The commutations did not mean that the inmates involved were free, only that their sentences would be changed to life without the possibility of parole.<\/p>\n<p>However, two inmates want to cling to their death row status because they think it might help in their efforts to have their sentences overturned, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/two-death-row-inmates-reject-bidens-commutation-life-sentences-rcna186235\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>On Dec. 30, Shannon Agofsky and Len Davis, who are both locked up at the&nbsp;U.S. Penitentiary in&nbsp;Terre Haute, Indiana, filed paperwork to avoid the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-huge-biden-pardons-thousands-drug-convicts-calls-governors-act\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">change<\/a> in their status.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Shannon Agofsky drowned a bank manager alive, received life in prison, and in prison, kept talking about how he was itching to beat up other prisoners.<\/p>\n<p>Then he killed a fellow prisoner by stomping his neck in and causing him to drown in his own blood.<\/p>\n<p>On camera. Guilty. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/H3qZD5IQaG\">pic.twitter.com\/H3qZD5IQaG<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Cr&eacute;mieux (@cremieuxrecueil) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cremieuxrecueil\/status\/1873137390463926718?\">December 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The legal standard for <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">reviewing death penalty cases<\/a>, called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-flack-for-gop-russia-stooge-finds-redemption-as-lincoln-project-damage-control-adviser\/\" title=\"Former Flack for GOP Russia Stooge Finds Redemption as Lincoln Project Damage Control Adviser\">heightened scrutiny<\/a>, calls for a close examination of an inmate&rsquo;s trials for possible errors.<\/p>\n<p>Agofsky wants that on his side.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;To commute his sentence now, while the defendant has active litigation in court, is to strip him of the protection of heightened scrutiny. This constitutes an undue burden, and leaves the defendant in a position of fundamental unfairness, which would decimate his pending appellate procedures,&rdquo; Agofsky&rsquo;s filing read.<\/p>\n<p>Davis&rsquo;s filing said, he &ldquo;has always maintained that having a death sentence would draw attention to the overwhelming misconduct&rdquo; taking place in the Justice Department.<\/p>\n<p>Dan Kobil, a professor of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-impeachment-political-theater-ignores-us-history-constitutional-lawyer\/\" title=\"Trump Impeachment \u2018Political Theater,\u2019 Ignores US History: Constitutional Lawyer\">constitutional law<\/a> at Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio, said the two inmates have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/leftist-congresswoman-says-death-penalty-racist-cheers-bidens-commutations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">serious challenge<\/a> on their hands. A 1927 U.S. Supreme Court ruling established that &ldquo;the convict&rsquo;s consent is not required&rdquo; when a president issues a commutation, NBC reported.<\/p>\n<p>Kobil said just as &ldquo;we impose sentences for the public welfare, the president and governors in states commute sentences for the public welfare.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Len Davis was a rotten cop. He dealt crack, he arrested innocents, he stole cars, and the Feds were onto him, so he had a wiretap going.<\/p>\n<p>One day, he killed a witness to him assaulting someone, and the feds caught him on tape, gleeful about it.<\/p>\n<p>Terribly guilty of so many crimes. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vJL12jh59S\">pic.twitter.com\/vJL12jh59S<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Cr&eacute;mieux (@cremieuxrecueil) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cremieuxrecueil\/status\/1873137412282708048?\">December 28, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Agofsky was convicted in 1989 for the murder and robbery of an Oklahoma bank president. While he was behind bars, he was convicted of stomping another prisoner to death, which sent him to death row, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/jan\/07\/death-row-inmates-reject-biden-presidential-commutation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Guardian<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Davis is a former New Orleans police officer who was sentenced to death in 1996 after he was convicted of ordering the killing of a woman who filed a brutality complaint against him, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2025\/01\/07\/death-row-inmate-biden-commutation-life-sentence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Washington Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-apitype=\"text\" data-contentid=\"USEMURYSSFHPLHU7V6EWAVYHBI\" data-el=\"text\" data-scroll-pos=\"7\" data-scroll-measured=\"true\">Davis&rsquo;s death sentence was overturned in 1999, but after a retrial, he was sentenced to death in 2005.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Prisoner Davis has always maintained his innocence and argued that the federal court had no jurisdiction to try him for civil rights offenses,&rdquo; Davis wrote in his filing to avoid having his sentence commuted.<\/p>\n<p>Agofsky&rsquo;s filing said, he &ldquo;merely wishes for his case to play out in court as it was meant to, within the protection of heightened scrutiny, and without the interference of partisan politics.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a legal maneuver, two death row inmates are attempting to prevent President Joe Biden from commuting their sentences. Recently, Biden granted commutations to several federal death row inmates, changing their sentences to life without parole rather than granting freedom. However, the two inmates wish to maintain their death row status in hopes it may aid in overturning their sentences. Shannon Agofsky and Len Davis filed documents on December 30 at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, seeking to avoid this change<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2387434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Joe-Biden-6.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3620,41272,5390],"class_list":["post-2387433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-biden","tag-death-row","tag-inmates"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Joe-Biden-6.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2387433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2387433"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2387433\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2387437,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2387433\/revisions\/2387437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2387434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2387433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2387433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2387433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}