The Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles (BOPP) in 2021 adopted a policy change that has since resulted in a massive spike in the number of commuted sentences for individuals incarcerated in Connecticut prisons for their crimes, raising concern among victim families and some lawmakers.

Between 2021 and 2022, the BOPP commuted the sentences of 71 individuals in prison on felony charges, including 44 murder convictions. Prior to that, the highest number of commutations in a year had only been three. Republican leaders held a press conference with victim families, calling on Gov. Ned Lamont to put the commutations on hold, but as of the latest hearing, commutations have continued.

During a public hearing on nominations for the BOPP, chairman Carleton Giles and other board members fielded questions from lawmakers and victim families testified to the damage done by the loss of their loved ones. Nevertheless, the board member’s nominations were confirmed and are now awaiting a vote in the General Assembly.

Much of the debate centers on those 44 commuted murder sentences. Victim families say they are concerned that plea deals reached by prosecutors and offenders might be unilaterally changed by the BOPP. Lawmakers like Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, and Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, raised concerns about the BOPP usurping the court system in reducing these sentences and bypassing the legislature in changing their policy, which they are allowed to do under state statute.

Lost in the debate is who actually received those commutations, what their crimes were and whether there were any mitigating circumstances surrounding their cases.

So, Connecticut Inside Investigator (CII) has compiled a list of all murder commutations made in 2021 and 2022, including the crimes each individual was convicted of and both their original sentence and their commuted sentence, so lawmakers and the public can see what exactly is being discussed. We did not include those convicted of felony murder, in which the accused did not have the intent to kill the victim, although in some cases the individual was convicted on both murder and felony murder.

We relied on newspaper reports and court documents to research each case. We have included each inmate’s age at the time of their crime as that issue has been raised by justice reform advocates who say the human brain is not fully developed until age 25 and therefore long or life sentences for young people convicted of crimes might be unfair. In two instances, we were not able to find enough information to give an overview, and these are marked as such.

We have also included appeals and other attempts each inmate has made to overturn their conviction, get a new trial or have their sentence reduced and mitigating factors such as mental health issues, or, in some cases, if there is a reasonable belief that they may be innocent.

In reviewing the information, several data points emerge. First the offenders were mostly young, with the average age being 22 years old at the time of their crime, including some who were 15 or 16 and tried as adults. Second, most were found guilty by trial; there were very few plea deals. Third, nearly every individual, with only several exceptions, has appealed their convictions, sought to have their sentences reduced through the Superior Court’s Sentence Review Division, and filed habeas corpus petitions. To summarize, they’ve spent time and resources trying to get out of prison or have their sentences reduced.

In most cases, these inmates have tried all available avenues with very little success, with the state’s Appellate and Supreme Court reaffirming their convictions, the Sentence Review Division finding the sentences appropriate and the habeas corpus petitions denied. Nevertheless, their commutations were granted following full hearings by the BOPP. This research provides the context of who is receiving the commutations, the crimes that resulted in their incarceration in the first place, and any mitigating factors surrounding them.

Pedro Carrasquillo: Carrasquillo was 15 when he shot and killed Chauncey Robinson, aged 17, in New Haven. Police found Robinson bleeding in his car from multiple gunshot wounds. Carrasquillo maintained his innocence but was found guilty by a trial jury at age 17 and sentenced to 35 years for murder and carrying a pistol without a permit. He was tried as an adult, at the time, despite attempting to have his case moved back onto the juvenile docket. Carrasquillo attempted to appeal his conviction but was the judgement was upheld in 2009. Robinson’s mother disagreed with the commutation.

Original Sentence: 35 years

Commuted to: 30 years

Benito Lugo: Lugo plead guilty to felony murder in the killing Gregory Boykins after attempting to rob him in Hartford in 1995. Boykins was reportedly there to buy drugs and police say Lugo was part of the Bloods street gang. Lugo was 19 at the time and was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 1995. Lugo attempted to appeal, claiming ineffective assistance by his trial counsel. The appeal was denied in 2005. His sentence was commuted by 12 years and, according to the Department of Correction, Lugo’s maximum release date is June 2023. Boykin’s wife was amenable to the commutation.

Original Sentence: 40 years

Commuted: 28 years

Juan Maldonado: Maldonado was sentenced to 55 years in prison for murdering grocer Armando Rivera with a sawed-off shotgun because he believed Rivera was having an affair with his girlfriend and, after consulting a Ouija board, decided to kill Rivera. Maldonado was 25 years old when he attacked his girlfriend with a knife and then gunned down Rivera, reloading his weapon to shoot him twice more in the head. He then attempted to flee to New Jersey. Maldonado claimed he suffered from mental illness and two doctors at trial agreed that he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. However, hospital records also showed Maldonado had consumed alcohol and cocaine and that could have contributed to his delusions. Maldonado was convicted on five counts. He appealed the conviction twice claiming ineffective counsel and both were denied.

Original Sentence: 55 years

Commuted Sentence: 41 years and 2 months

Victor Smalls: Smalls was 16 years old when he and an accomplice murdered Edgar Sanchez in Norwalk in 2007. Despite his accomplice pleading guilty, Smalls took his case to trial where he was found guilty in 2009 and sentenced to 45 years for murder and carrying a handgun without a permit. Smalls appealed the decision, claiming insufficient probable cause and evidence, but the appellate court upheld his conviction. Smalls was granted a commutation over the protest of his victim’s sister.

Original Sentence: 45 years with 26 years minimum 

Commuted to: 25 years

Peter Gonda: Gonda conspired with his mother and another individual to murder Edward Kerishian in 1996 when he was 24 years old, including attempting to hire someone to kill him. Kerishian and the Gondas lived together in a condominium and Peter Gonda’s mother was the beneficiary of Kerishian’s estate and would stand to inherit the condo. Eventually, Gonda and others attacked the Kerishian during which Gonda choked his Kerishian with a belt causing him to have a heart attack and die. The crime was apparently driven by money, and he was sentenced in 1996.

Original Sentence: 40 years

Commuted to: 28 years and 3 months

Oscar Melendez: Melendez was 19 years old when an argument between him, his father, James Lindsay and Janette Rodriguez over some dogs, resulted in Melendez gunning down Lindsay in Bridgeport in 1998. Melendez fled to Puerto Rico but was arrested by the FBI and returned to Connecticut in 1999. Melendez claimed at trial that he was not the shooter but was found guilty of murder. He later appealed his conviction arguing the court erred in refusing his request to charge the jury with considering manslaughter in the first degree, which was denied. He was sentenced to 25 years for murder and an additional 5 years for committing a felony with a firearm

Original Sentence: 30 years

Commuted to: 25 years.

Demetrius Miller: Miller was sentenced to 40 years in prison for a murder he committed at age 21. Searchable information on this case is limited and confined to a sentence review request made by Miller’s accomplice who drove the car when Miller fired at a bar he and others had been removed from earlier in the evening in 1995, killing one person.

Original Sentence: 40 years

Commuted to: 30 years

Tracy Shumaker: Shumaker was 29 years old when she shot her husband in the head while he was asleep in their home in Colchester. Shumaker claimed her husband was verbally and emotionally abusive and she wanted to leave the marriage. Her attorney argued she suffered from battered woman syndrome. Shumaker eventually confessed to the killing after giving two different stories but was given a lenient sentence of 25 years after a psychiatrist confirmed she fit the profile of an abused woman. The organization Women Against Mass Incarceration and the Yale Undergraduate Prison Project began a petition two years ago for Gov. Ned Lamont to grant Shumaker clemency. While incarcerated, Shumaker received her GED and an Associate’s degree in General Studies and Science. Her maximum release date is November of 2023.

Original Sentence: 25 years

Commuted to: 19 years and 1 month

Michael Person: Person was 32 years old when he stabbed his former girlfriend Leshea Pouncey to death in front of her 2 year old daughter inside her apartment in 1991. Person turned himself into police. The case made national headlines when Person’s defense psychiatrist claimed he was a “born killer” suffering from an unknown defect. Person was found guilty and convicted of murder but a second trial was ordered by the Connecticut Supreme Court when the court determined the jury should have been instructed on “extreme emotional disturbance.” Person was again found guilty. He appealed his case but the Appellate Court upheld the trial court’s rulings.

Original Sentence: 48 years

Commuted to: 47 years, 1 month

Daryl Valentine: Valentine was 25 years old when he was arrested and charged for shooting and killing Andrew Paisley and Hury Poole, and wounding Christopher Roach during an altercation outside a diner in New Haven in 1991. Valentine was found guilty of murder, criminal attempt to commit first-degree assault and carrying a pistol without a permit. However, there was much controversy surrounding this case: Valentine was maintained his innocence and conflicting witness statements, a history of wrongful arrests by the investigating officers and accusations of coercion plagued the state’s case, covered extensively by the New Haven Independent. An Appellate Court ordered a second trial in which Valentine was again found guilty. Valentine also filed petitions of habeas corpus but they were denied. The Board of Pardons and Paroles knocked off more than half Valentine’s sentence and, according to DOC records, he will be released in June.

Original Sentence: 100 years

Commuted Sentence: 42 years, 9 months

Eric Floyd: Floyd was convicted of murder, commission of a felony with a handgun and illegal possession of a handgun by a jury in 1996 after he and an accomplice shot Jose Avellenat multiple times in Bridgeport during a 1994 altercation. Floyd was 25 at the time of the killing. Floyd appealed his conviction on multiple points, and the Connecticut Supreme Court vacated his conviction for committing a felony with a handgun but ultimately reaffirmed the murder conviction. Floyd again claimed ineffective counsel in a habeas corpus petition, essentially arguing that eyewitnesses offered inconsistencies in testimony and no one saw him directly fire the shots into Avellenat. The petition was denied in 2005. Floyd was sentenced to 55 years in prison.

Original Sentence: 55 years

Commuted to: 43 years, 8 months

Luis Mattei: Mattei was 19 years old when he shot and killed 29 year old Jose Pacheco inside Pacheco’s apartment in Waterbury in 2002. Mattei was there to purchase a gun, but instead of paying for gun he used it to shoot Pacheco, reportedly to impress a gang leader, according to the Waterbury Republican-American.

Original Sentence: 30 years

Commuted to: 20 years, 1 month

Hakim Jefferson: Jefferson was convicted by jury in 2004 for the 2002 killing of Edward Gordon. According to court records, Jefferson suspected Gordon was going do something to him and his friend after an encounter at a nightclub in Stamford. Jefferson was intoxicated at the time and chased Gordon up the street shooting him five times in the back, including firing two shots into Gordon after he’d been shot three times and was lying on the ground. Jefferson, who was 21 at the time of the murder, appealed his conviction, claiming the jury should have been instructed on intentional manslaughter charges as he never intended to kill Gordon. The Appellate Court upheld the conviction in 2009. Jefferson also attempted a habeas corpus petition for ineffective counsel but was denied in 2011.

Original Sentence: 50 years

Commuted to: 30 years

Calvin King: King was convicted by jury in 2007 for his role in the 2002 killing of Scott Houle in an apparent drug deal gone bad. King was 15 at the time of the killing and, along with his 16 year old nephew Rondell Bonner, fired 16 bullets at Houle as he attempted to drive away from them, one round striking Houle in the back of the head. King had never been in trouble before, had a troubled family history and maintained that he did not commit the crime. Houle was the father of four. King was tried as an adult and convicted of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and carrying a handgun without a permit. He appealed claiming the evidence was not sufficient for the conspiracy charge, but the Appellate Court upheld the jury’s finding.

Original Sentence: 55 years, execution suspended after 35 years, with 5 years probation

Commuted to: 19 years

Devon Taylor: Taylor was convicted by jury in 1997 for murdering Jay Murray in Hartford in a drug deal gone bad. Taylor was 18 at the time of killing but was not arrested until two years later. Taylor was convicted of murder and criminal possession of a firearm. Taylor appealed his case, arguing the court improperly denied his motion to sever the charges. The verdict was upheld in 1999. Following a habeas corpus lawsuit, Taylor eventually appealed to the Connecticut Supreme Court over a note by jurors that proposed a “compromise verdict,” and alleging ineffective counsel and jury misconduct. The Supreme Court reviewed but did not take up the case.

Original Sentence: 60 years

Commuted to: 41 years, 3 months

Raymond Aponte: Aponte was 23 years old in 1996 when he and two other men approached Aldrich Mitchell in Bridgeport and instructed Mitchell to come with them. When Mitchell attempted to flee all three men opened fire, killing him. Aponte was found guilty by a jury of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Aponte appealed the verdict, claiming there was insufficient evidence for the court to charge the jury with murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The verdict was upheld by the Appellate Court in 2001. The Connecticut Supreme Court eventually looked at the case and affirmed the Appellate Court’s decision in 2002.

Original Sentence: 45 years

Commuted to: 25 years

Norman Gaines: Gaines was 17 years old in 1996 when he and an accomplice shot and killed Gary Louis-Jeune and Marsha Larose in Bridgeport. Gains was found guilty by a jury on two counts of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Gaines appealed the verdict claiming his counsel had a conflict of interest and improper charging for conspiracy to commit murder. The Connecticut Supreme Court eventually upheld the verdict in 2001. Although initially sentenced to life without parole, a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision determined juveniles could not receive life sentences without parole. Gaines then agreed to a plea deal for 30 years in prison in 2014. Gaines, who is out of prison and working as a program coordinator for the Second Chance Reentry Initiative program, testified before the Judiciary Committee during the nomination hearing.

Original Sentence: Life, changed to 30 years.

Commuted to: 26 years, 8 months.

Matthew Robinson: Robinson was 18 years old in 1997 when he shot and killed Raymond Felix during an argument in Bridgeport. The two reportedly had prior encounters involving weapons, with Felix allegedly having shot Robinson. Robinson was convicted of murder by a jury but appealed his case on several issues including the admission of an out-of-court witness statement. The Appellate Court upheld the verdict in 2000. 

Original Sentence: 35 years

Commuted to: 25 years

Daniel Carter: Carter was one of four boys charged in the shooting death of a 13-year old girl in New Haven in 2006. He was 19 years old at the time. Jajuana Cole was an innocent bystander caught by one of the bullets in an apparent gang-related shooting which wounded two other girls. Carter had no prior criminal history, but it was determined the fatal shot came from his gun. Carter plead guilty to the murder charge.

Original Sentence: 40 years

Commuted to: 20 years

Carvaughn Johnson: Johnson was convicted of murder by a jury in the 2001 killing of 16 year old Markeith Strong after a series of disputes between the two. Johnson was 19 years old at the time of Strong’s death. Johnson’s first trial ended in a mistrial when jurors couldn’t reach a verdict. The second trial saw him convicted of murder and carrying a pistol without a permit. Johnson has maintained his innocence and appealed his case, alleging, among other things, that he was denied the right to a fair trial by an impartial jury. Johnson moved for a new trial but it was denied by the Connecticut Supreme Court, which upheld the original verdict and sentence.

Original Sentence: 43 years

Commuted to: 27 years

William McLeese: McLeese was 17 years old in 2001 when he and his half-brother shot and killed Daniel Moorer outside his home; they continued to shoot him after he had fallen to the ground. McLeese plead innocent to the charges but was found guilty of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and assault in the first degree by a jury in 2003. McLeese appealed the conviction, but the Appellate Court upheld it. However, following the U.S. Supreme Court decision, it was determined McLeese’s sentence was effectively a life sentence, and his eligibility for parole was reduced to 30 years, making him eligible for parole in 2033.

Original Sentence: 85 years, 30 without parole

Commuted to: 22 years

Jeffrey Perry: Perry was 29 years old when he shot and killed Kenneth Hazard outside a nightclub in New Haven. Perry, a purported drug dealer, then fled New Haven. He later assaulted a federal officer during a drug arrest and escaped; gave a fake name and was released on bond related to another drug offense; attempted to shoot his girlfriend in Pennsylvania and was finally arrested in New York on a weapons charge before he was sent back to Connecticut. Perry was convicted by a jury for murder and carrying a pistol without a permit and sentenced to 60 years. Perry appealed the conviction, and the Appellate Court reversed the weapons charge for carrying without a permit, but maintained the murder charge. Perry attempted to have his sentence reduced by 20 years, but the Sentence Review Division agreed with the court’s sentence.

Original Sentence: 60 years

Commuted to: 40 years and 9 months

Brian Niblack: Niblack was 24 years old when he shot and killed James Allen in New Haven in 1987 during an altercation. Niblack was subsequently charged with murder and then escape from custody and kidnapping based on substitute information. The kidnapping charge was nolled, and Niblack plead guilty to murder, escape from custody and two counts of first-degree robbery. Despite accepting a plea deal, Niblack filed an appeal claiming his plea was not made knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily. The Appellate Court upheld the trial court’s decision in 1991.

Original Sentence: 50 years.

Commuted to: 48 years, 6 months.

Mack Young: Young was 34 years old with an extensive criminal background history when he beat and stabbed Reggie Lee in Hartford over a ten-dollar debt and was later apprehended in Minnesota. Young was convicted of murder by a jury. He appealed the conviction on multiple points, including failing to show he intended to kill Lee, but the Appellate Court affirmed the judgment of the trial court. According to reports, while in prison Young received his GED and paralegal certification and began to mentor young prisoners. Young is currently in a halfway house and is reportedly working.

Original Sentence: 55 years.

Commuted to: 27 years, 10 months.

Dion Bush: Bush was 17 years old when he gunned down Norman Jones in Bridgeport in 1993, the apparent result of a gang dispute. Bush was arrested and found guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit murder by a jury. Bush appealed his conviction saying the trial court improperly denied his motion to sever from his co-defendant, admitted evidence of his gang involvement and admitted evidence of verbal threats made to eyewitnesses. The Connecticut Supreme Court affirmed the trial court’s conviction. Bush also sought a resentencing in 2016, following the U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Original Sentence: 60 years

Commuted to: 40 years

Raul Cardona: Cardona at age 19 was part of a trio who robbed a KFC in Bridgeport where they were employed in 1999. They also kidnapped and stabbed to death the restaurant’s night manager Joseph Ferreone, whose body was found wrapped in plastic in the trunk of his car. Cardona and his accomplices were arrested shortly thereafter on charges of murder, felony murder, and conspiracy to commit murder.

Original Sentence: UNK

Commuted to: 32 years, 6 months

Jermaine Young: Young was 23 years old in 1997 when he fired into a group of people from a car in New Haven, killing Dennis Carr, Jr. Young was later arrested in Massachusetts where he gave a false name. He was charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder by a jury in 1999. Young claimed innocence saying it was a case of mistaken identity. Young attempted to appeal his conviction, but the Appellate Court affirmed the trial court’s ruling in 2002.

Original Sentence: 50 years

Commuted to: 30 years

Robert Hair: Hair was 24 years old in 1999 when he shot and killed Shawn Jefferies during an altercation in a parking lot. Hair subsequently fled the scene but was arrested several days later. Following a trial, a jury found him guilty of murder and criminal possession of a firearm. Hair appealed the conviction, and in 2002 the Appellate Court ordered a new trial for the weapons charge. Hair also filed a habeas corpus petition in 2008 claiming his innocence, but it failed as there was no new evidence to present.

Original Sentence: 45 years

Commuted to: 25 years, 2 months

Bryan Lindo: Lindo was 30 years old when he murdered the mother of his children in Waterbury in 1998 following a series of domestic disputes, some of which involved physical violence. Lindo chased Nadine Davis from her apartment and stabbed her to death, including slashing her throat, in a parking lot. Lindo admitted his guilt and, according to court records, was remorseful. Lindo was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to 45 years in prison. Lindo appealed his conviction but was unsuccessful. He sought in 2006 to have that sentence reviewed, but it was upheld.

Original Sentence: 45 years

Commuted to: 25 years, 9 months

Marcos Mercado Jr.: Mercado was 21 years old when he shot Thomas Szadkowski in the face and set him on fire on Christmas Eve 2007 following a sexual encounter that had been arranged online. While Mercado initially confessed, he then recanted and maintained his innocence throughout the trial. He was found guilty by a jury of murder, felony murder and robbery. Mercado attempted to appeal his conviction but was unsuccessful. He also sought to reduce his sentence based on ineffective counsel, but this, too, was rejected.

Original Sentence: 70 years

Commuted to: 26 years

Jeffrey Gibson: Gibson was 25 years old when he shot Andre Barnes in New Haven in 1995. Gibson subsequently threw his gun into a river and fled to South Carolina. He was apprehended two months later but claimed he fired in self-defense. A jury trial found him guilty of murder and carrying a pistol without a permit. Gibson filed an appeal but it was dismissed; he also filed several habeas corpus actions.

Original Sentence: 45 years

Commuted to: 28 years, 6 months

Lonnie Owen: Owen was 22 years old when he shot and killed Jikki Bruce in Brigdeport in 2003. Although Owen claimed innocence and stated he was at a nightclub at the time of the shooting, a jury found him guilty of murder. Owen appealed his conviction but was unsuccessful. Owen later admitted to killing Bruce “for no apparent reason,” when he petitioned to have his sentence reduced, claiming the 60-year sentence was inappropriate and disproportionate, and that he was a young man at the time, but his effort was unsuccessful. 

Original Sentence: 60 years

Commuted to: 25 years

Manuel Barboza: No information can be found on Barboza at this time. If you have additional information, please email tips@insideinvestigator.org.

Original Sentence: Unknown

Commuted Sentence: 25 years, 8 months

Abdol Mukhtaar: Mukhtaar was 20 years old in 1996 when he gunned down Terri Horeglad in Bridgeport. The motive is unclear, based on available court records, however Mukhtaar was found guilty of murder by a jury and sentenced to 50 years. Mukhtaar tried to appeal the conviction but was unsuccessful. He also moved to have an illegal sentence corrected but his original sentence was upheld. Mukhtaar also filed habeas corpus petitions that were dismissed.

Original Sentence: 50 years

Commuted to: 35 years

Terry Collins: Collins was 18 years old when he stabbed Kenneth Bugbee to death outside a Thompson elementary school in 2003 during a dispute. There is little else available regarding this case and it doesn’t appear that Collins sought to appeal his conviction or sentence.

Original Sentence: Unknown

Commuted to: 25 years

William Morales: Morales was 16 years old when he and his brother killed alleged drug dealer Andrew Scott in Waterbury in 1994 over fears that Scott would turn them into the police. Morales shot Scott seven times and left his body in Scott’s apartment with his two-year old daughter. Morales was convicted of murder following a jury trial. Morales appealed the conviction but was unsuccessful. Morales’ sentence was reviewed by Sentence Review Division and determined to the sentence to be appropriate. Morales also filed a habeas corpus petition with the federal government but was denied.

Original Sentence: 52.5 years

Commuted to: 46 years

Michael Cox: Cox was 19 years old in 1991 when he killed two people in New Haven and injured another during a crime spree. Cox was arrested and plead guilty to murder, felony murder, second-degree assault with a firearm and aiding first-degree manslaughter. Cox sought in 2001 to have his sentence reviewed by the Sentence Review Division, which determined “the petitioner’s long-term imprisonment is neither inappropriate nor disproportionate, but rather mandated by reason, logic and common sense.” Cox had also filed a habeas corpus petition but was denied, appealed, and was denied again. Following the Board of Pardons and Paroles commuting his sentence, Cox was granted compassionate release due to his deteriorating health. However, during public hearing testimony before the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, testified that since being released, Cox was arrested again during a domestic incident for strangling his girlfriend.

Original Sentence: 75 years

Commuted to: 45 years, released on compassionate release after 31 years.

Angelina Jamele: Jamele was 17 years old in 2009 when she beat her grandmother to death in Naugatuck. Jamele admitted to killing his grandmother to police and blamed her drug habit for causing her to snap during an argument. Witnesses, including clinicians, indicated that Jamele was experiencing hallucinations and delusions at the time of the killing and after her arrest. Jamele was charged with murder and agreed to a plea deal. Jamele was reportedly remorseful over her actions.

Original Sentence: 27 years.

Commuted to: 23 years, 7 months

Billie Lemon: Lemon was 26 years old in 1996 when she stabbed Gray Copeland to death inside her mother’s apartment. Lemon was not supposed to be in the apartment and appeared intoxicated at the time. Lemon was convicted of murder following a jury trial. She appealed claiming the prosecutor improperly commented on her failure to testify, but the State Supreme Court affirmed the trial court’s judgement.

Original Sentence: 30 years

Commuted to: 27 years, 11 months

Maurice Blackwell: Blackwell was 19 years old when he killed Alonta Gaymon with a shotgun blast to the back of the head in Waterbury in 2000. Blackwell was arrested based on eyewitness testimony and DNA evidence taken from his clothing and convicted following a jury trial. Blackwell appealed claiming prosecutorial misconduct and denying his motion to suppress evidence of eyewitness identification. The Appellate Court upheld the trial court’s verdict. Blackwell also had his sentence reviewed by the Sentence Review Division, but his sentence was found to be appropriate. Blackwell maintains his innocence and was referenced in an article focusing on wrongful convictions.

Original Sentence: 60 years

Commuted to: 25 years

Robert Kennibrew: Kennibrew was 24 years old when he shot and killed 16 year old Omar Irving near a playground in Hartford in 1997. Kennibrew plead guilty to murder, felony murder and first degree robbery but did not admit guilt under the Alfred doctrine, which acknowledges the state has enough evidence to convict. However, as recently as 2016 Kennibrew successfully appealed his sentence claiming he received multiple punishments for the same offense. The Appellate Court agreed, remanding the case to trial court to vacate the felony murder conviction which ran concurrently with the murder conviction, so the appeal did not actually change the length of his sentence. 

Original Sentence: 45 years

Commuted to: 25 years

Marion Miller: Miller was 34 years old in 1991 when he attempted to rob a convenience store in New Haven where the owner, 80-year-old Joseph Licari was working with a friend, Nicholas Cordianni. Miller pulled a fake gun following an argument over a lottery ticket and a struggle ensued between Miller and Cordianni. Licari pulled a real gun, fired and missed Miller. During the struggle, Miller gained control of the weapon and wounded Cordianni and then shot and killed Licari, before retrieving a $50 bill from the floor. Miller was arrested and found guilty of murder, felony murder and first-degree assault by jury trial. However, Licari appealed arguing that trial court improperly instructed the jury on the law of self-defense and that he was improperly sentenced for intentional murder and felony murder. The Appellate Court agreed and instructed one of the sentences to be vacated, but otherwise upheld the sentence.

Original Sentence: 65 years

Commuted to: 55 years

Wilfredo Gonzalez: Gonzalez was 21 years old in 2002 when he shot 26-year-old Bobby James twice during an argument over drug money and a woman. Gonzalez plead guilty and received a 30 year sentence under the plea deal.

Original Sentence: 30 years

Commuted to: 26 years, 6 months

Michael Ouellette: Ouellette was 32 years old in 1999 when he beat Rev. Robert J. Lysz to death inside his church in Bristol. Ouellette was a drifter at the time, having previously served in the Marines, but also having stabbed his girlfriend in Southington while on leave in 1987. Ouellette was reportedly experiencing mental health problems, including paranoid delusions, and he was held at the Whiting Forensic Institute before his sentencing. However, a three-judge panel disagreed and sentenced him to 60 years for murder. Ouellette appealed on a number of counts, including that the court denied him a presentence psychiatric examination, but those claims were rejected in 2004. Oueltte also took his case before the Sentence Review Division, but the Division held that his sentence was appropriate in 2007.

Original Sentence: 60 years

Commuted to: 40 years

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