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Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles denies most parole requests, grants several pardons and conditional paroles
Summary
At its Oct. 22, 2025 meeting in Montgomery the three-member Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles denied the majority of parole requests, set multiple reset dates, and granted a small number of pardons and conditional paroles, including full restoration for one applicant and restricted pardons for two others.
The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles convened Oct. 22, 2025, in Montgomery and considered 29 pardon and parole dockets, denying most parole requests while granting several pardons and conditional paroles.
Chair Hal Nash presided at the open meeting, which began at 8:30 a.m. and concluded at 12:32 p.m. Board members Darryl Littleton and Gabrelle Simmons and Board Secretary Nicole Lewis were present. The Board cited its authority to hold the hearings under Alabama Code, Title 15, Chapter 22.
During the public docket the Board heard family members, reentry advocates and representatives of the Attorney General’s Office on multiple cases. In docket item 1, the Board denied parole for Tony M. Pope after in-person statements in favor from daughters Amber Thrash and Taraleigh Lins and opposition from the victim’s family, VOCAL representative Ky'Toria Lawson and India Eaves of the Attorney General’s Office; the Board set a reset date of October 2030. In docket item 2, the Board denied parole for Nicholas A. Ilams with a reset date of October 2028 despite support from Stacey Fuller of the Birmingham Reentry Alliance and others. The Board denied Kenneth R. Gipson in docket item 3 (reset date October 2028) after similar opposing statements from the Attorney General’s Office and VOCAL.
The Board voted to deny a pardon for Victor R. Holmes after review of the file and opposition from the Attorney General’s Office. The Board reopened and questioned the John D. Wise pardon case, entered executive session to review the file and then denied the pardon. Darryl Littleton moved to reopen Wise’s case for additional questioning during the meeting.
The Board entered executive session to review multiple pardon files and then issued several grants: Justin J. Busby received a full pardon with restoration of all civil and political rights; Tracie Lawrence and Yvonne D. Randolph each received full pardons with restrictions related to relief from firearms disabilities; Latisha A. Stevenson received a pardon with restrictions including relief from the habitual offender act and firearms disabilities.
Parole grants with conditions included Trevor J. Howell, who was granted parole conditioned on completion of Alcoholics Anonymous and a substance-abuse program, completion of the Perry County Probation/Parole Reentry Education Program (PREP), GPS monitoring, mental-health follow-up and drug assessment on release. Travis V. Lawrence was granted parole with similar PREP and monitoring conditions. Marilyn D. Hawkins was granted parole conditioned on completing a GED and residing in an approved halfway house.
Multiple parole requests were denied without reset dates (for example Joshua L. Wilson, Robert L. Petty and William T. Hoffman) or with reset dates ranging from 2026 to 2030; several denials and grants were recorded after executive-session review. The Board also reviewed lists of files for revocation and delinquent parolees as part of routine business.
The meeting record shows the Board approved the prior day’s minutes and adjourned at 12:32 p.m.; the next meeting was scheduled for Oct. 23, 2025 at 8:00 a.m.
This article draws only on statements and votes recorded in the Board’s Oct. 22, 2025 meeting minutes. Individual vote tallies by member were not specified in the minutes for most items; where the minutes record a "majority vote," the exact roll call is not provided.
