Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares excoriated President Biden after he granted clemency to the “Waverly Two,” who they said admitted to being responsible for the 1998 murder of a Sussex County police officer.
“I am beyond outraged and in disbelief President Biden would announce this clemency for Ferrone Claiborne and Terence Richardson – two men who have admitted responsibility for the brutal murder of Officer Allen Gibson, a hero and dedicated servant of our community,” Youngkin said in a statement.
“What makes this even more unconscionable is that Biden’s U.S. attorney has advised the White House not to commute these sentences as they are violent offenders.”
Youngkin said, “The pain and grief this clemency causes the Gibson family is unimaginable.”
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Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (left) and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares both released statements criticizing President Biden for granting clemency to the ‘Waverly Two,’ two men who were acquitted in 1998 of the murder of a Sussex County police officer, but on drug trafficking charges. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images | MANDEL NGAN/Pool via REUTERS)
“To know that the men who took Officer Gibson’s life will walk free is not only a grave injustice – it is a heartbreaking blow to those who continue to mourn his sacrifice. This is despicable; a grim day for justice and for the families I trust our system will hold the guilty accountable,” Youngkin said.
Youngkin’s office said Claiborne and Richardson entered Sussex County Circuit Court responsible for Gibson’s brutal murder.
“The evidence presented and details surrounding Officer Gibson’s death are deeply disturbing and tragic,” Youngkin said.
Youngkin’s office said then-President Obama refused to grant clemency to Claiborne and Richardson.
Under current conditions, both men will be released in July.
“This is despicable. I am beyond outraged and in disbelief that President Biden would announce clemency for these two violent criminals,” Youngkin wrote in a post on X.
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Miyares echoed Youngkin’s disgust and said his office would continue to seek justice for Gibson’s family.
“I am outraged that Biden is granting clemency to cop killers, forcing the fallen officer’s child, Crissana, to relive this trauma. Shame on you, Joe Biden and your support staff. May the memory of Officer Allen Gibson and his family haunt each and every one of them. forever,” Miyares wrote in a post on X.
Miyares also shared a statement from Crissana Gibson, who was outraged by Biden’s decision.
“I am absolutely outraged by what happened. My heart is broken knowing that the men who killed my father will be released from prison and walk the streets freely. This is a colossal miscarriage of justice and I am completely disgusted by the outgoing administration,” she wrote. “The Virginia Attorney General’s office has worked tirelessly to keep these killers behind bars, and I am forever grateful for their dedication and hard work. I am so disappointed that the disgraceful Biden administration has failed my family, my father, and all of law enforcement. Neither my family nor I have ever supported the release of Richardson or Claiborne, and we condemn this decision due to the outgoing, failed presidency of Joe Biden and the Democratic Party’s abuse of the justice system.”
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Miyares said Allen Gibson, 25, woke up on April 25, 1998, and went to work as a Waverly police officer and never returned home after being shot with his own service weapon in the woods behind an apartment complex.
He put on his bulletproof vest and said goodbye to his 8-year-old daughter Crissana. Officer Gibson found Terence Richardson and Ferrone Claiborne conducting a drug deal behind an apartment building. “The men attacked Officer Gibson, and Richardson disarmed Officer Gibson and fatally shot him in the stomach just below his body armor,” Miyares described.
Officials said both Claiborne and Richardson were named suspects and arrested for Gibson’s murder shortly after his death.
Both men are still serving life sentences for a remaining drug trafficking charge, but were acquitted of murder and firearm charges by a federal jury.
On Friday morning, Biden announced that he would commute the sentences almost 2,500 prisoners as his presidency came to an end.
The commutations are intended for people convicted of non-violent drug offenses “who are serving disproportionately long sentences” compared to what they would receive if convicted under current law.
However, Biden has come under bipartisan fire for those he has decided to pardon or commute sentences.
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In late December, he opted to commute the sentences of 37 of the 40 men on federal death row, helping them escape execution and instead sending them to prison for life without parole.
Biden also boasted about completing the “largest pardon in one day” on December 12, when he commuted sentences for 1,500 people and pardoned 39 others, most of whom were already under house arrest due to decisions made during the COVID-19 era.
Elizabeth Pritchett of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected]
