Biden grants clemency to man convicted in 1999 killing of mother, son in Bridgeport

A man convicted in the killing of an 8-year-old boy and his mother in Bridgeport in 1999 has been granted clemency by now former president Joe Biden, drawing criticism across party lines.
The case and trial drew huge public interest and even lead to changed laws around witness protection here in the state.
Adrian Peeler, now 48, wasn’t set to be released on federal drug charges until 2033.
He was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder stemming from the double murder of Karen Clarke, and her son, 8-year-old Leyroy, “BJ” Brown. They were shot and killed in their Bridgeport home.
“Peeler, whoever did this to my grandchild and my daughter, there won’t be no lawyers to testify, there will be no one to vindicate them, they will have to vindicate themselves” Pearl Clarke, the victim’s mother and grandmother, said at a memorial back in 1999.
On top of being convicted on the state conspiracy charge, he was also convicted federally on drug charges for the trafficking of cocaine through Bridgeport, according to court documents.
He served his 25-year sentence for the conspiracy charge. It was completed at the end of 2021. He is currently serving the sentence for the federal drug charges at a federal prison in West Virginia. It was supposed to run until 2033.
But former President Joe Biden granted him clemency at the end of his presidency.
“A level of outrage, this is a terrible, terrible miscarriage of justice,” Mayor Joe Ganim said in a morning interview on WICC’s Melissa in the Morning.
He was mayor of Bridgeport at the time of the murders. He noted he was furious with the decision.
Ganim offered us a statement that read, “This miscarriage of justice sends yet another shockwave through the entire Bridgeport community. The brutal murder of an 8-year-old child and his mother in 1999 devastated our community and led to the establishment of Connecticut’s witness protection program. I agree with Senator Blumenthal’s statement that someone dropped the ball with President Biden pardoning this convicted murderer who ruthlessly took the lives of an innocent child and his mother leaving our community to grapple again with this horrific crime.”
Similar sentiments from other former and current officials have been surfacing since the decision.
“Former President Biden’s clemency for Adrian Peeler is a disgusting miscarriage of justice. Peeler’s conviction tied to brutal murders that prompted the creation of Connecticut’s witness protection program makes any leniency—federal or otherwise—utterly indefensible. This reckless act by Joe Biden dismisses the pain of the victims’ families and erodes public trust in the principles of justice. Such a careless decision at the close of his term should generate outrage here and throughout the nation,” State Rep. Vincent Candelora (R-Minority Leader) said in a statement.
Criminal defense attorney James Bergen, of Shipman and Goodwin, was also puzzled by the decision.
“They are only looking at the federal case, and the federal case, 'OK, someone did a lot of time for drugs, alright, he’s done a lot of time, that’s enough,' but in this case, it’s so different, someone didn’t have time to do their homework,” Bergen said.
He noted that once clemency is granted like in this case, it can’t be reversed, but typically it isn’t a split-second decision.
“You hate to have a fluke about something so horrid, and everyone agrees, both sides of the political aisle are really troubled,” Bergen said.
State Sen. Richard Blumenthal was state attorney general at the time of the murders.
In a statement, Blumenthal said, “It seems to me that someone dropped the ball here to let this person get released. This was a vicious murder that changed our laws. It also highlights how we need to take a look at the pardon system to see how it can be improved."
Clemency for a drug kingpen who murdered a mother and child and caused Connecticut to rewrite its witness protection laws in response for no justifiable reason. Biden's justice.
Yup, but I guess the question is was he oppressed?
An accurate summary of the Biden administration.
Lefties appear to have no problem with minority kids and their family members getting killed. Certainly not on NT, where they still are obsessed with J6
Righties appear to love raping kids! They elected an accused child rapist and convicted felon so we can say whatever the fuck we want about them whether true or not! Right? Or at least according to comments like the one I'm replying to prove that truth doesn't fucking matter anymore, at least not to those on the right, so why not?
Yes but he was an Elderly Man with a Poor Memory when he did it so it is ok.
A man convicted in the killing of an 8-year-old boy and his mother in Bridgeport in 1999
He was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder
He served his 25-year sentence for the conspiracy charge.
It didn’t even take half of the article to mine out these three statements that conflict with the premise that is being attempted here, which is to allude to Biden letting a murderer out of jail for his crime. Conspiracy to murder is heinous but it is not murder, and he already served his sentence for said conspiracy conviction. Essentially he was released (clemency, not pardon) over drug charges. Not saying it’s a justifiable situation, but it isn’t about murder or conspiracy to commit murder, it’s about drug charges at this point.
So you DON'T think he's a murderer and you DON'T think he was released by Biden?
Did Biden release him from his conspiracy to commit murder conviction? No. If you are capable of understanding plain English, the man served that sentence. Did the man commit murder? No. If you are capable of understanding plain English, the man was not convicted of murder.
He was a murderer.
He was serving time.
Biden released him.
Enough said.
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He's not a non-violent criminal, like Biden claimed these commutations were for.
Seems like if someone wants to complain about this, they should aim their sites at Connecticut. That’s who sentenced him for the conspiracy charge.
The rationale of this article seems to be that the federal government should punish people for crimes outside their jurisdiction. That’s not how the rule of law works. Conservatives love to say they support law and order, but the reality is often different, and based on politics.
It’s possible that Biden didn’t even know about the state charge. From what I read, it did not appear in the federal indictment. Even so, this country is supposed to believe in the idea that a person serves their time for the crime, and then they go back to the world. Looking for ways to keep them in prison violates that ideal.