State Pardon Board issues mixed rulings Oct. 29, recommends commutation for one 99‑year sentence and grants several pardons

The Committee on Parole met Oct. 29, 2025, by videoconference from multiple correctional sites to consider a lengthy docket of clemency and pardon requests. The board continued one hearing, denied multiple commutation requests after victim testimony and concerns about programming, and voted to recommend several pardons and one commutation to the governor.

Several of the meeting—s most consequential outcomes were: a unanimous board recommendation to commute Panayotis ("Penaotis") Condylis—s 99‑year sentence to 30 years with immediate parole eligibility; a recommendation to the governor to grant pardons (with restoration of firearms rights) for Tyrone Matthew, Calum Gertz, Gregory Jefferson and Elizabeth Thomas; and denials or continuances in cases where victims or prosecutors urged no relief or where the board wanted applicants to complete additional victim‑awareness or literacy programming.

Why it matters: The commutation recommendation for Condylis reverses decades of extreme exposure to imprisonment for a drug distribution conviction and directs immediate parole eligibility if the governor grants the board—s recommendation. Pardon decisions remove collateral barriers for returning citizens, including employment and firearm possession in some cases, while the denials left applicants to pursue further programming or reapply.

What the board heard and decided

- Dustin Moss (continuance): Counsel for the applicant requested a continuance because the applicant—s attorney was in trial; the board continued the matter but took victim testimony from Abigail Dean and Gina Bajoron for the record. Dean told the board, "He acted purely for his own selfish gain without any consideration for the damage it caused me," and asked that a pardon not be granted. The board recorded the continuance.

- Richard "Ricky" Celestine (commutation) — denied: Celestine (DOC 174109) described prison work and class participation and supporters testified to family plans and employment opportunities. Board members acknowledged his institutional work but said he still needed victim‑awareness programming and literacy classes. The board voted to deny the commutation and urged the applicant to complete specified programming before reapplying.

- Elric "Pete" Clement (commutation) — denied: Family members and supporters described long‑term rehabilitation. Opponents, including victims' relatives and an assistant district attorney, said the underlying convictions were two first‑degree murders and argued against relief; the board voted to deny the commutation.

- Panayotis (Penaotis) Condylis (commutation of 99‑year sentence) — recommendation to commute to 30 years with immediate parole eligibility: Condylis, who is serving a 99‑year sentence for distribution of a schedule II controlled substance, received strong support from a former district attorney and several community members who described his rehabilitation, veteran status and health needs. The board voted unanimously to recommend commuting the sentence to 30 years with immediate parole eligibility and forward that recommendation to the governor.

- Tyrone Matthew (pardon with firearm restoration) — recommended: Matthew, a registered nurse who described steady employment and family responsibilities, received board approval to send a pardon with restoration of firearms rights to the governor.

- Other cases: The board heard a mix of commutation and pardon requests. Several applicants (including those convicted of violent or sexual offenses) were denied after prosecutors or victim family members urged denial or after board concerns about the absence of victim‑oriented programming or continuing risk. Where the board denied relief, it commonly cited the need for victim awareness classes, literacy or other rehabilitative work.

Votes at a glance (select docket items) - Dustin Moss — continuance (testimony preserved) - Richard "Ricky" Celestine (DOC 174109) — commutation denied; board recommended additional programming - Elric ("Pete") Clement — commutation denied - Panayotis (Penaotis) Condylis — board recommended commutation to 30 years with immediate parole eligibility (unanimous vote to forward recommendation to the governor) - Tyrone Matthew — board recommended pardon with firearms restoration to governor - Calum (Andrew) Gertz — board recommended pardon with firearms restoration to governor - Gregory Charles Jefferson — board recommended pardon with firearms restoration to governor - Elizabeth Thomas — board recommended pardon with firearms restoration to governor - Multiple other commutation and pardon requests — denied or continued; see timeline for case‑level detail

Discussion highlights and board direction Board members repeatedly emphasized that commutation or pardon recommendations do not remove the need for victims— services. In several cases members denied relief specifically because applicants had not completed victim awareness or other classes the board said were appropriate for the offense. In the Ricky Celestine matter the board recorded a desire to see "victim awareness" and literacy programming completed before reconsideration.

What the board directed next The board will forward its recommendations and denials to the governor—s office or the appropriate administrative authority for final action. Where the board denied relief but encouraged further programming, it recorded the requirement that applicants return only after completing specified courses.

Reporting notes This account is based on the Committee on Parole meeting transcript for Oct. 29, 2025. Quotations in this report are taken directly from the transcript and are attributed to the speaker listed.

Ending The board concluded its docket after hearing the plenary list of pardon and commutation requests and making recommendations to the governor where a majority supported relief. The transcript shows a mixture of unanimous and split votes; in several denials the board emphasized additional programming and victim services as conditions for future consideration.