Parole board denies several clemency requests, grants pardons for a subset of applicants

BATON ROUGE, La. — The Committee on Parole met April 7 and took up a long docket of commutation and pardon requests, denying multiple applications where victims or prosecutors urged refusal and recommending pardons in several cases.

The board denied clemency for several long‑incarcerated applicants after hearing victims’ families, district attorneys and correctional officials. At the same meeting the panel recommended pardons for other applicants who showed post‑conviction rehabilitation and community support; in at least one case the board recommended restoration of firearms rights and in others it recommended pardons without firearms restoration.

Why it matters: decisions by the Committee on Parole affect whether people sentenced to lengthy prison terms can shorten those punishments, return to communities or regain civil rights such as firearm possession. The board balanced competing factors in each case: the seriousness of the original offense, victims’ statements, prosecutor and law‑enforcement objections, and evidence of rehabilitation while incarcerated.

Denied commutation applications. The board denied a series of commutation requests after opposition from victims’ relatives and prosecutors.

- Jerry McLemore, convicted in 1992 of second‑degree murder in Jackson Parish, asked the board to commute his life sentence. Several family members and supporters, including daughters and faith leaders, urged clemency and described decades of steady church ministry, mentoring and art therapy carried out while he has been at Angola. Several siblings of the victim and the Jackson Parish district attorney opposed relief, saying McLemore had not admitted responsibility. The board recorded three votes to deny, one favorable vote and one recusal; the chair announced the application was denied.

- Tracy Walker, serving a life sentence from Tangipahoa Parish, and John Donaldson, serving a life sentence from earlier convictions, both received multiple victim‑family statements urging denial. In Walker’s case the board recorded four votes to deny; Donaldson’s application likewise received four denial votes.

- Other commutation requests were similarly denied after victim testimony and prosecutor opposition. For example, Randall ("Randy") Paterno (life sentence in St. Tammany Parish) drew mixed sympathy for his post‑incarceration work but did not receive enough favorable votes for commutation; the board denied his application.

Pardons and restorations. The board recommended pardons for several applicants with strong written references, employer or community support and documented rehabilitation.

- Kenneth Chaney received a unanimous board recommendation for a pardon with restoration of firearms rights; board members praised his long period of sobriety, educational work and role as a substance‑use counselor and sponsor in recovery programs.

- Anthony Evans received four favorable votes and a recommendation for a pardon without restoration of firearms rights; the board noted his long record of lawful behavior since release in 2009, steady employment and family support, and the district attorney’s office had not objected to earlier relief.

- Brandon Gantt (also reported as Gant in the record) received a board recommendation for a pardon, and the panel’s majority supported restoration of firearms; members cited his steady employment, family support and apparent rehabilitation after the earlier offenses that led to his convictions.

- Additional pardons were recommended without restoration of firearms in some cases where the board found rehabilitation but prosecutors or local law enforcement objected to firearm restoration.

Board process and votes. The Committee on Parole heard each applicant, took public comments from family members, victim representatives and local prosecutors, and questioned applicants about their records, programs completed in custody and post‑release plans. When law enforcement or a district attorney formally opposed relief, several panel members cited that opposition as a decisive factor.

In explaining denials, board members repeatedly cited strong victim opposition and the seriousness of original offenses. In recommending pardons, members highlighted sustained rehabilitation, stable housing and employment plans and strong letters of support from community organizations or employers.

What the board said. Victims’ relatives spoke at length in several cases. For example, Elizabeth Ann Wilder McLemore’s sister Vicky Coulter told the board: “When you lose someone by someone else’s hand, it just seems to resonate differently ... I feel that Jerry should remain in prison and serve out the full term of his life sentence.” Jackson Parish district attorney Danny Newell likewise urged denial in McLemore’s case, saying in part, “He did a terrible, terrible thing in 1991 … I don’t think he’s done anything to deserve to get out.”

By contrast, supporters of other applicants described long records of reentry work. The Louisiana Parole Project told the board it had accepted Randall Paterno into its reentry program and would provide transitional housing and employment services if clemency were granted; the panel nonetheless fell short of a majority vote for commutation in that case.

What’s next. The Committee on Parole issues recommendations to the governor (for pardons) or otherwise records decisions about commutation/clemency. Some recommendations include conditions such as parole terms or immediate eligibility; others are denials that close the board’s review. Applicants who receive a favorable recommendation are forwarded to the governor for final action, and applicants denied by the board may reapply under the board’s published intervals and rules.

Votes at a glance (select cases from the April 7 docket): - Jerry McLemore (life, second‑degree murder, Jackson Parish): application denied; recorded tally cited in the record — 1 favorable / 3 deny / 1 recused. - Tracy Walker (life, Tangipahoa Parish): application denied; recorded 4 denial votes. - John Donaldson (life, Caddo Parish): application denied; recorded 4 denial votes. - Randall Paterno (life, St. Tammany Parish): application denied after mixed votes. - Kenneth Chaney (robbery conviction, Orleans Parish, 1990): board recommended a pardon with restoration of firearms (unanimous board support reported). - Anthony Evans (drug convictions; release and subsequent lawful conduct): board recommended a pardon without restoration of firearms (majority, 4 in favor). - Brandon Gantt/Gant (multiple 2007 drug/methamphetamine convictions): board recommended a pardon with restoration of firearms (majority support reported). - Joseph (Joe) Johnson (armed‑robbery convictions, Terrebonne Parish): board recommended a pardon without restoration of firearms. - Roshanda Dock (vehicular homicide, Caddo Parish, 2004): board recommended a pardon with restoration of firearms. - Trinitria Carey (various convictions from the early 2000s): board recommended a pardon with restoration of firearms. - Shaquita Bryant (domestic‑abuse battery, Caddo Parish): application denied (majority in favor of denial). - Johnny Ray (manslaughter / obstruction, Allen Parish): application denied; chair announced the application was denied.

Ending: The board’s April 7 docket illustrates the wide range of factors it weighs — victim impact, prosecutor and law‑enforcement positions, and the applicants’ post‑conviction conduct. Applicants who received favorable recommendations will be forwarded as required; those denied may seek future review under board rules.