Lawmakers want former Ky. Gov. Bevin's pardons investigated

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Bruce Schreiner and Dylan Lovan, Associated Press
Updated 1:04 pm CST, Friday, December 13, 2019

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Outrage over a spree of pardons by former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin spread to the state capitol Friday as two lawmakers asked the incoming attorney general to investigate the orders, including one for a convicted killer whose family contributed to the governor.

Bevin, who lost to Democrat Andy Beshear last month in a close race, has issued more than 400 pardons since the Nov. 5 election, according to the Kentucky Secretary of State's office.

The fallout from Bevin's pardon-granting binge widened as two Democratic lawmakers called on Attorney General-elect Daniel Cameron to appoint a special prosecutor or a bipartisan team to investigate some of the ex-governor's pardons. Cameron takes office next week.

. . .

The two lawmakers said special attention should be given to the pardon issued to Patrick Brian Baker, who was convicted of reckless homicide and other crimes in a fatal 2014 home break-in in Knox County. Prosecutors say Baker and another man posed as police to gain entry to Donald Mills' home and Mills was shot in front of his wife. She tried to drive him to the hospital but he died on arrival.


Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Lawmakers-want-former-Ky-Gov-Bevin-s-pardons-14904808.php

[dewsgirl]

1. I'm happy to hear it's being looked into.

[bitterross]

2. Of course they were favors for campaign $$. Proving a crime will be difficult though.

There is no doubt in my mind that the pardons were in return for campaign dollars.

It sure seems like he violated the KY law:

(1) A person is guilty of bribery of a public servant when:
(a) He offers, confers, or agrees to confer any pecuniary benefit upon a public servant with the intent to influence the public servant's vote, opinion, judgment, exercise of discretion, or other action in his official capacity as a public servant; or
(b) While a public servant, he solicits, accepts, or agrees to accept any pecuniary benefit upon an agreement or understanding that his vote, opinion, judgment, exercise of discretion, or other action as a public servant will thereby be influenced.

Now, proving that in a court of law is a whole other matter. I'm not an attorney, so take my opinion with a grain of a salt. Proving a direct link between Bevin's pardon and the campaign donations will be difficult.

[Mad Lib]

3. Reckless homicide?

How in the world was this reckless homicide and not felony murder? Sounds like he had already been given a break, and now he gets to just walk away from the conviction? Republicans have totally perverted the pardon power. I guess they figure "if you can't sell it for a profit, what good is it?"

[mopinko]

4. he's burying something w the shit shower. who is it?

[okaawhatever]

13. That's what I was thinking. Plus, it will be hard to prove bribery (KY legal definition posted by a

commenter above you) when 400 people were pardoned. Not only will the sheer volume be difficult to investigate, but if 50 of those folks donated to his campaign but the other 350 were similar in circumstance how do you claim he did it because of the donation?

[totodeinhere]

5. What does the law state? Does a governor have the legal power to pardon anyone

he/she wants? If so I'm not sure what can be done about it.

[okaawhatever]

14. I don't think it will reverse the pardon, but if he offered the pardon in xchange for $ the gov. can

be prosecuted for bribery.

[Judi Lynn]

6. Kentucky: outgoing governor pardons killer whose brother hosted fundraiser

Pardons of violent offenders, including a child rapist and a man who beheaded a female victim, provoke widespread backlash

Josh Wood in Louisville, Kentucky
Fri 13 Dec 2019 15.40 EST

Days after leaving office, the former Kentucky governor Matt Bevin is facing widespread backlash and calls for an investigation following a number of controversial pardons of violent offenders on his way out the door.

Pardons are traditional at the end of a governor’s term – and most of the Republican’s more than 400 pardons were for drug offenses. But a number of the pardons were for particularly violent crimes, like a woman who gave birth in a flea market porta-potty and dumped her newborn into the toilet’s septic tank; a man who hired a hitman to murder his business partner in front of his family; a man convicted of beheading a woman and stuffing her body in a 55-gallon drum; a man convicted last year of raping a nine-year-old child; and a man convicted in a home invasion homicide whose brother hosted a fundraiser for the governor last year.

In that last case, Patrick Baker was pardoned just two years into his 19-year sentence for an incident in which he and several others impersonated law enforcement officers to gain entry to a home before shooting and killing a man inside. Two others imprisoned for the crime were not pardoned, despite prosecutors saying that Baker was the one who pulled the trigger.

. . .

Bevin’s conclusion is starkly at odds with the judge who sentenced Baker, David Williams, who according to the Louisville Courier-Journal said: “I’ve never seen a more compelling or complete case … the evidence was just overwhelming.”

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/13/kentucky-matt-bevin-pardons-violent-offenders

[dalton99a]

7. +1

[PupCamo]

8. Bevin is just slime

he'd have to look up to see the pond scum

[keithbvadu2]

9. Sore loser republican judge lets violent offenders go.

Sore loser republican judge lets violent offenders go.

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Promise-not-to-kill-anyone-After-losing-election-13371485.php

[Judi Lynn]

10. So it's all the Democrat's fault for beating him in the election? Bitter guy.

And a woman, at that!

Thanks.

[Historic NY]

11. They all should be invited to Bevins house for a thank you party......

[okaawhatever]

15. Bwah ha ha. Now THAT would be justice. nt

[Evolve Dammit]

12. Ya think??? JHFC.