Parole panel denies commutation for inmate who served 28 years in Ivey killing

The Committee on Parole denied a commutation request from Thaddeus Webb, who has served about 28 years and 8 months of a life sentence for a 1998 first‑degree murder conviction in Caddo Parish. The panel voted to deny Webb’s application by four votes, ending his hearing before the board on May 12, 2025.

Why it matters: Webb sought a shortened sentence after nearly three decades in custody and testimony about rehabilitation from prison staff and reentry advocates. Prosecutors and family members of the victim urged the board to leave the original sentence intact, saying the brutality of the killing and the jury’s life sentence should be respected.

At the hearing in Baton Rouge, Webb described his institutional rehabilitation and expressed remorse. "For this heinous crime I have committed against Carl Ivy and his family, I beg their forgiveness," Webb said in a prepared statement read to the panel. State police Captain Pat Washington told the board Webb had reliable work assignments and “no problems” while at the barracks. Gerald Jackson, a former Angola chaplain who worked with Webb, and the Louisiana Parole Project’s representative, Betty (Betty Baker/Blake in the transcript), urged a favorable recommendation and offered reentry support if the board granted clemency.

Opposition was strong and explicit. A family member who identified herself as Caroline told the board, "This man stabbed my husband 14 times," and asked the board to refuse release. Leon Fitzgerald of the Caddo Parish district attorney’s office, director of victim assistance, summarized his office’s review: "Carl Ivey really did, he died a torturous death," he said, citing the autopsy and the nature of the wounds and arguing the life sentence should remain.

Board members said they were persuaded by the severity of the crime and victim impact. The board recorded a denial and closed the matter; the clerk announced Webb “received four votes to deny your application today.” No formal direction to staff for further follow-up or conditional steps was recorded.

Context: Webb’s file shows a lengthy period of institutional programming and a claim of sustained sobriety; the board noted those accomplishments but concluded they did not outweigh the gravity of the underlying offense. Webb was classified in the record as a "first felony offender" for the Parole Board paperwork and reported 12 disciplinary write‑ups in the record, with the most recent in February 2014.

The decision ends this round of consideration; Webb may seek future review if he re‑applies under the board’s rules and timelines.