Gov. Brown commutes sentences for all 17 on Oregon's death row to life in prison
Gov. Kate Brown, in her final weeks in office, commuted the sentences of all 17 people on Oregon’s death row to now serve life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Brown’s office said the governor used her executive clemency powers to commute the sentences of the 17 people under a death sentence in Oregon.
The order will take effect Wednesday.
Brown called the death penalty immoral.
“I have long believed that justice is not advanced by taking a life, and the state should not be in the business of executing people—even if a terrible crime placed them in prison,” the governor said Tuesday.
The last execution took place in Oregon in 1997.
Former Gov. John Kitzhaber issued a moratorium on executions in 2011, which Gov. Brown continued when she took office in 2015. Three years ago, Brown signed a bill into law that significantly narrows the use of the death penalty.
The governor’s office said Brown is the seventh American governor in the last 50 years to commute everyone under a death sentence in their state.
Republicans in Oregon denounced the governor's move.
“Did the people of Oregon vote to end the death penalty? I don’t recall that happening," said state Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp, of Bend, in a news release. "This is another example of the Governor and the Democrats not abiding by the wishes of Oregonians. Even in the final days of her term, Brown continues to disrespect victims of the most violent crimes.”
House Republican Leader Vikki Breese-Iverson, of Prineville, also decried the governor's action, saying it was made with no input from Oregonians or the Legislature.
“Her decisions do not consider the impact the victims and families will suffer in the months and years to come. Democrats have consistently chosen criminals over victims," she said in a news release.
Bobbin Singh, the executive director of the Oregon Justice Resource Center, praised the governor's action, calling the death penalty failed policy.
“Governor Brown has made the right choice for Oregon in commuting these death sentences. The facts point toward one conclusion: it’s past time for Oregon to end the use of capital punishment," Singh said in a news release.
Here is the list of people whose death sentences were commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
- Jesse Caleb Compton
- Clinton Wendell Cunningham
- Randy Lee Guzek
- Gary Dwayne Haugen
- Michael James Hayward
- Robert Paul Langley Jr.
- Christian Michael Longo
- Ernest Noland Lotches
- Michael Martin McDonnell
- Marco Antonio Montez
- Horacio Alberto Reyes-Camarena
- Ricardo Pineda Serrano
- Matthew Dwight Thompson
- Bruce Aldon Turnidge
- Joshua Abraham Turnidge
- Mike Spencer Washington Jr.
- Tara Ellyssia Zyst
You can read Gov. Brown’s full statement below:
“I have long believed that justice is not advanced by taking a life, and the state should not be in the business of executing people—even if a terrible crime placed them in prison.
“Since taking office in 2015, I have continued Oregon’s moratorium on executions because the death penalty is both dysfunctional and immoral. Today I am commuting Oregon’s death row so that we will no longer have anyone serving a sentence of death and facing execution in this state. This is a value that many Oregonians share.
“Unlike previous commutations I’ve granted to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary growth and rehabilitation, this commutation is not based on any rehabilitative efforts by the individuals on death row. Instead, it reflects the recognition that the death penalty is immoral. It is an irreversible punishment that does not allow for correction; is wasteful of taxpayer dollars; does not make communities safer; and cannot be and never has been administered fairly and equitably. My action today is consistent with the near abolition of the death penalty that has been achieved through SB 1013.
“I also recognize the pain and uncertainty victims experience as they wait for decades while individuals sit on death row—especially in states with moratoriums on executions—without resolution. My hope is that this commutation will bring us a significant step closer to finality in these cases.”