Whitmer pardons two former prisoners and commutes the sentences of three others into two parts
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has pardoned two people and commuted the sentences of three others, including two inmates convicted of first-degree murder who would otherwise face the rest of their lives in prison.
Whitmer apparently did not grant clemency to other applicants, including Lawrence DeLisle, a metro Detroit man who killed his four children in 1989 when he drove his station wagon into the Detroit River and is serving a life sentence.
In March, the state parole board held a hearing where DeLisle argued the car plunged into the river because he had a cramp in his leg, and other supporters argued police interrogation tactics led to a false confession. But his ex-wife blamed DeLisle for the tragedy after publicly supporting him for decades. Whitmer’s office and the Michigan Department of Corrections did not immediately respond to questions about whether the governor has officially denied DeLisle’s request or whether it is still under review.
In a statement Wednesday, Whitmer said the pardons were based on recommendations from the Michigan State Parole Board.
“By pardoning five individuals who have taken responsibility for their actions, we are offering them a fair chance to build a good life for themselves in Michigan,” Whitmer said.
Both the governor and Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist said the pardon decisions are part of an effort to give people in the criminal justice system a second chance. They noted that other measures include the recent expansion of “Clean Slate” legislation, which seeks to erase nonviolent offenses from people’s records, and intervention programs in the justice system to provide people with mental health help, drug treatment and job placement.
“We will continue to work with everyone to provide equal opportunities for convicted individuals and help everyone make it in Michigan,” Gilchrist said in a statement.
Each year, hundreds of people apply to the Michigan Parole Board for a pardon or commutation of sentence. The board reviews the applications, sometimes grants hearings, and makes a recommendation to the governor. The governor grants several of these applications each year.
In 2023 alone, 521 people submitted applications for commutation of sentences.
Since becoming governor in 2019, including Wednesday’s figures, Whitmer has reduced the sentences of 35 inmates, including seven for first-degree murder and three for premeditated murder, according to Michigan Department of Corrections records. In 2022, Whitmer also pardoned four people who had already served their sentences for nonviolent offenses.
By comparison, former Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm commuted the sentences of 180 inmates between 2003 and 2011, and former Republican Governor Rick Snyder commuted 32 sentences between 2011 and 2018.
In total, Michigan governors have reduced the sentences of 379 inmates since 1969, 162 of whom were convicted of first-degree murder, according to Michigan Department of Corrections records. Ninety-five inmates have been granted medical pardons.
Suganuma and Hayes pardoned
Aaron Suganuma and Anthony Hayes were pardoned by the governor on Wednesday, meaning their convictions were overturned and expunged from their records.
Suganuma was convicted of drug abuse and possession of a switchblade in 2002 and of armed robbery in 2005, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections. He completed his sentence about 19 years ago and has worked for several years to create support systems for people struggling with substance abuse or re-entry after prison.
Suganuma has worked for the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office for the past five years, most of that time as a reintegration coordinator, according to his LinkedIn page.
“More people need to know what happens to people in prison, but also what conditions lead to people being put in prison,” Suganuma said in a program at the University of Michigan. “I told myself that if I ever had the chance, I would do everything I could to make the prison system more than that: a prison system.”
According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, Hayes was sentenced to probation in 2003 for domestic violence and illegal possession of a car as a minor, and in 2004 for illegal driving in Ionia County. In 2005, he was convicted of attempted theft in Barry County.
All of these crimes occurred when Hayes was not yet 18 years old, Whitmer’s office said. Hayes later founded an e-commerce company and “desires a career in the military or law enforcement.”
These judgments are commuted
The sentences for Charles Malone, Maxie Johnson Jr. and Ricardo Hart were commuted to shorter sentences by Whitmer on Wednesday, meaning their sentences have been reduced and they will be eligible for parole immediately. The commutation does not erase the convictions from their records.
Malone was sentenced in 2007 in Muskegon County for a nonviolent drug offense involving cocaine and was sentenced to 22 to 50 years in prison, according to the MDOC. He has served 18 years so far.
Johnson was convicted of first-degree murder in Wayne County in 1991, the Department of Corrections said. He served 33 years of a life sentence without parole. Whitmer’s office said Johnson’s crime was “committed against a person who abused him.”
According to the Department of Corrections, Hart was convicted of first-degree murder in Washtenaw County in 1984 and served 40 years of a life sentence without parole. Whitmer’s office said Hart’s conviction was based on “an accomplice theory for a murder committed outside of Hart’s presence by an individual who has since been released from prison.”
Hart, then 20, was convicted after his girlfriend, 17-year-old Machelle Pearson, testified that Hart “forced” her to shoot 39-year-old Nancy Faber, who was married to Ann Arbor News editorial writer Don Faber, according to archived Michigan Daily coverage of the trial.
The Ann Arbor News reported at the time that Pearson testified that Hart threatened to hit her if she didn’t ask a woman at Kroger for a ride, then pointed a gun at her and took her purse. That’s exactly what Pearson did at Faber, according to the statement, but she didn’t intentionally fire the gun.
According to a Daily report, Hart was not present when Faber was shot, but he was charged with the same crimes as Pearson.
Editor George Hunter contributed.
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