Pardon Board hears multiple clemency and commutation requests; panel grants two pardons and denies several commutation requests

The Pardon Board convened April 21, 2025, to hear clemency, commutation and pardon requests from people serving sentences across the Louisiana Department of Corrections. The board interviewed applicants in person and by remote link from multiple facilities and took final votes on each application during the session.

Why it matters: The board’s decisions change individuals’ legal status and (in the cases of pardons with firearm-restoration) can restore civil rights. Several cases at this meeting raised strong victim opposition or law-enforcement objections that the board cited when denying relief; other cases ended with recommendations to the governor for pardons or commutations where board members said applicants had long records of programming and community support.

What the board decided (votes at a glance): - Kirk Marchand — Application for commutation denied (tally: 4 votes to deny; board announced application denied) — case involved two 1997 second-degree murder convictions in East Baton Rouge Parish; opposition noted from victims and law enforcement. (transcript excerpt: board stated “your application has been denied” and “you received 4 votes so far to deny your application.”) - Michelle Austin — Application for commutation/parole eligibility denied (board announced application denied after 2 favorable and 3 not-favorable votes during roll call; outcome: denied). Austin was serving a 25-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction and presented substantial programming and community support; the district attorney and victims’ representatives opposed relief. - Todd (Todd Ben) — Application for commutation: board voted to recommend commuting the sentence to 99 years with immediate parole eligibility and to release the applicant to transitional services (transcript shows multiple board members stating they would “grant … commute your sentence to 99 years with immediate parole eligibility” and the board made a recommendation to the governor/administration). - Johnson Washington — Application denied (board cited law-enforcement and victim opposition; outcome: denied). Applicant is serving a life sentence for a first-degree murder conviction dating to the 1970s; supporters cited age and disability; sheriff and victim family opposed. - Solomon Birdsong — Application for commutation denied (board recorded split votes: some members voted to grant but the required majority was not reached; final outcome: denied). Birdsong had decades of programming and hospice work but family of the victim strongly opposed relief. - Demetrius Easter — Application denied (board cited victim opposition and DA opposition despite several board members praising COVID-era service and hospice work). - Ray Jones — Board voted to commute sentence to 99 years with immediate parole eligibility (the board announced this recommendation following four favorable votes; supporters emphasized long record of programming and significant rehabilitation since the 1979 conviction). - Eddie Reese — Application denied (board cited the applicant’s criminal history and balance of risk and treatment participation). - Jerry Neighbors — Application denied (board cited plea agreement, victim opposition, and overall record; outcome: denied). - Jeremy Gonzales — Pardon granted with restoration of firearms (board voted to recommend a pardon with firearm restoration to the governor; applicant served 18 months suspended/probation for a 2008 meth possession matter and supporters noted long-term law-abiding conduct since). - Eddie Blanks — Application denied (board cited recent post-conviction conduct and traffic/animal-cruelty citations and denied restoration of firearm rights). - Christopher Carrier — Pardon granted with restoration of firearms (board members noted 24+ years of lawful conduct since a 1999 suspended sentence and supported restoration; board announced a recommendation to the governor).

Discussion highlights and reasoning: Board members repeatedly cited two kinds of factors when explaining votes: (1) the severity of the original offense and continuing harm to victims and their families (including longstanding victim opposition) and (2) the applicant’s conduct while incarcerated (programming, disciplinary record, age, disability, and plans/support for reentry). Law-enforcement opposition and letters from district attorney offices were a decisive factor in several denials; in other cases board members said long-term positive conduct and concrete reentry plans weighed in favor of recommendation.

Supporters and opposition: Several applicants had organized transitional plans and support from the Louisiana Parole Project and faith-based ministries; victims and district attorney representatives frequently appeared by Zoom and in person to oppose relief, often citing long-term trauma and lack of accountability. The board acknowledged the trauma of victims when explaining denials.

Process notes: The board heard each applicant’s statement first, then asked clarifying questions by the assigned board member, heard in-person family and victim testimony and representatives from the district attorney or law enforcement, and then took a roll-call vote. In several interviews members asked about programming, substance-treatment participation, disciplinary history, and detailed plans for housing and employment if released. The board sometimes explicitly referenced sentencing courts and plea agreements when explaining why they would or would not recommend relief.

Ending note: The board announced recommendations and denials at the close of each interview. Pardons with restoration of firearm rights and commutations are advisory recommendations to the governor (or the appropriate executive authority) and take effect only if that executive acts on the board’s recommendation. Several items from the April 21 session will next move to the governor’s office or remain unchanged based on the board’s vote.

Votes at a glance (compact list for newsroom filing): - Marchand, Kirk — Denied — reason: victims, law-enforcement opposition; board announced “denied” after 4 votes to deny. - Austin, Michelle — Denied — reason: DA and victim opposition; board announced denied after split votes. - Ben, Todd (Todd Ben) — Recommendation to commute to 99 years with immediate parole eligibility and release to transition services — reason: programming, reentry plan, community support. - Washington, Johnson — Denied — reason: victim and sheriff opposition. - Birdsong, Solomon — Denied (insufficient votes to secure commutation) — reason: victim opposition. - Easter, Demetrius — Denied — reason: victim and DA opposition despite board praise for pandemic-era service. - Jones, Ray — Recommendation to commute to 99 years with immediate parole eligibility — reason: sustained programming, hospice work, community support. - Reese, Eddie — Denied — reason: criminal history and incomplete treatment program steps. - Neighbors, Jerry — Denied — reason: plea agreement, victim opposition, record. - Gonzales, Jeremy — Recommendation: Pardon granted with restoration of firearms (board voted to recommend pardon and restoration to the governor) — reason: long period without new offenses and employment/stability. - Blanks, Eddie — Denied — reason: post-conviction conduct and traffic/animal cruelty citations. - Carrier, Christopher — Recommendation: Pardon granted with restoration of firearms (board voted to recommend to governor) — reason: long post-conviction law-abiding conduct, local community ties.

Note on sources: This article summarizes the board’s statements, roll-call outcomes and on-the-record testimony from applicants, victim representatives and district attorneys as recorded in the board’s proceedings on April 21, 2025.