Pardon Board denies multiple clemency requests, recommends pardons with firearm restoration in two cases

The Louisiana Pardon Board met June 22, 2026, at the Department of Corrections headquarters in Baton Rouge to review a docket of clemency, commutation and pardon-with-firearm-restoration petitions. The board denied multiple applications after victims and local prosecutors urged the panel to uphold sentences, but it recommended or approved pardons with firearm-restoration recommendations in two cases.

The meeting began with routine business and a roll call; four members were present, which the chair said required unanimous votes for any favorable action. The board first considered Jarvis Angelle, convicted of manslaughter in Lafayette Parish and serving a 40-year sentence from a plea. Angelle told the board he shot someone during a 2007 brawl in Kenner and expressed remorse: "I shot somebody. I didn't have no intentions on hurting nobody, but I was under the influence of alcohol," he said. Supporters — including his cousin Chantel Douglas and his mother Wanda Angelle — described family support and the applicant's efforts at self-help programs. Victim family members, including Paige Williams, urged denial. Williams told the board she has spent nearly two decades "serving a life sentence of grief" and said early release would "instantly" renew trauma. The board cited limited access to rehabilitative programming at Angelle's facility and the family's opposition, and the members voted to deny his commutation while recommending the Department of Corrections consider transferring him to a facility that offers needed programs.

The panel next reviewed William Wiggins, serving a life sentence from 1988 for aggravated burglary and attempted aggravated rape in Jefferson Parish. Wiggins described entering a residence and assaulting the victim; he said he has completed multiple prison education and treatment courses and works in the facility kitchen. Warden Robert Say told the board Wiggins has been "pretty clean" at Hunt since 2022 but documented an extensive disciplinary history earlier in his incarceration. The victim, Caprice McIntyre, told the board she remains afraid and said the incident was more brutal than some summaries indicate: "I am still afraid of Mr. William Wiggins," she said. Assistant District Attorney Randall Myers told the board Wiggins left out pertinent facts — including that he was nude and attempted penetration — and noted a lengthy disciplinary record; Myers opposed release. The board recorded mixed votes: one member, Mr. Kelly, supported a commutation to a 39-year term, but the majority denied the commutation request.

Porsha Aldridge sought a pardon with restoration of firearm rights for a 2015 accessory-after-the-fact conviction in Sabine Parish. Aldridge said she did not know about the killing when she gave a juvenile a ride and said she had completed her sentence. The assistant district attorney summarized the juvenile shooting and said prosecutors believed Aldridge knew what had occurred; after an executive session the board voted to deny her pardon and firearms restoration, citing inconsistencies with investigative reports.

The board recommended a full pardon with restoration of firearms for Brandon Bullock after hearing testimony about his long-term sobriety, employment stability and family support. Bullock described a prior path of substance abuse and legal trouble but said he has been sober for about a decade and has custody of his child. Board members weighed law-enforcement opposition against his rehabilitation and voted to forward a recommendation for a full pardon and firearm restoration to the governor.

Jacob Patrick Kennedy, who faced a cluster of 2022–23 offenses tied by the board to alcohol-fueled incidents in Jefferson Parish, sought a pardon and firearm restoration. The assistant DA opposed his request, citing the board's typical 10-year expectation after sentence completion and multiple recent convictions. The board denied Kennedy's petition and urged documented participation in AA and anger-management programs before reapplying.

Finally, the board considered Ladarian Washington, convicted in 1995 of second-degree battery in Caddo Parish. Counsel and multiple witnesses described Washington's decades of community work, education and stable employment; the local police chief, who said he was the victim in the 1995 incident, urged clemency and described forgiving Washington years earlier. The board voted to grant a full pardon and restoration of firearm rights and said it would forward that recommendation to the governor.

Votes at a glance - Jarvis Angelle (manslaughter, Lafayette Parish): application for commutation denied. Board cited victim opposition and insufficient programming access; recommended transfer for program access before reconsideration. - William Wiggins (aggravated burglary, attempted aggravated rape, Jefferson Parish): commutation denied by majority; one member voted to reduce to 39 years. Prosecutor and victim strongly opposed. - Porsha Aldridge (accessory after the fact, Sabine Parish): pardon and restoration of firearms denied after prosecutor opposition and executive-session review. - Brandon Bullock (multiple nonviolent convictions across parishes): board recommended a full pardon with restoration of firearm rights to the governor, citing documented long-term sobriety and family support despite law-enforcement opposition. - Jacob Patrick Kennedy (Jefferson Parish, 2022–23 offenses): pardon and firearm restoration denied; board recommended further documented treatment and a longer 'cleansing' period. - Ladarian Washington (second-degree battery, Caddo Parish, 1995): board voted to grant a full pardon and restoration of firearm rights; recommendation to be forwarded to the governor.

What this means The board emphasized two recurring points: documented rehabilitative programming and sustained behavior change weigh heavily in favor of clemency recommendations, and strong, persistent victim opposition and prosecutorial objections weigh heavily against. Where the board approved or recommended pardons with firearm restoration, members said the recommendations would be forwarded to the governor, who makes the final decision on executive clemency.

The board adjourned after completing its docket; one applicant, Dudley Primo, failed to appear and his case was continued.