Pardon board recommends commutation and parole review for Aubrey Sykes

Aubrey Sykes, serving a sentence for a second-degree murder conviction dating back to 2009, asked the State Pardon Board on Oct. 28 for a commutation that would make him immediately eligible for parole. Sykes described his age at the time of the crime, remorse, vocational training and sustained good behavior.

Sykes told the board, “I took away a son from a father that loved me like his child,” and described long-term participation in vocational training and reentry mentoring programs in prison. Prison staff and a state police captain who has supervised him in a correctional assignment told the board they have found him reliable and rehabilitated. The Louisiana Parole Project offered transitional housing and job-placement support should the board recommend relief.

Board member Wharton Prager said after deliberation, “My vote is that your sentence be commuted and that you are immediately eligible for parole,” and several other members concurred. The board’s action is a recommendation to the governor; the board does not itself grant commutations.

Why it matters: The board’s recommendation advances Sykes to the next step of executive consideration, where the governor will decide whether to commute the sentence and refer Sykes to the parole board for eligibility review. Supporters stressed Sykes’s disciplinary record, vocational work and role as a reentry mentor; victims’ family members were present during the hearing and their statements are part of the record.

What’s next: The board sent the recommendation to the governor’s office for decision. If the governor grants commutation, Sykes would be eligible to appear before the parole board for possible release on parole.