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State's attorney objects as board grants pardon to Marcellus Ruffin; board cites rehabilitation
Summary
Senior state's attorney Joseph Valdez urged the board to deny Marcellus Ruffin's pardon, saying erasing the conviction would 'erase the conduct' and dishonor the victim; the board, citing decades of community service and rehabilitation, voted to grant the pardon by majority.
Marcellus Dwayne Ruffin told the Board he has spent years after release working in reentry and mentoring young men; he described volunteering and building programs to feed hundreds of families. "I want to express my remorse, and I'm sorry to the Merced family for my involvement and my actions," Ruffin said in his statement.
The state's attorney urged the board to consider the symbolic effect of a pardon. Senior state's attorney Joseph Valdez told the panel, "Not only must justice be done, but is as important that justice appear to be done... Erasing the fact that 33 years ago... is in essence a desecration of the memory of the victim." Board members debated whether a formal pardon would obscure public memory of a deadly episode even as it would remove collateral barriers for Ruffin.
After deliberation, the board majority concluded that Ruffin's post‑release record and community work supported a pardon and moved to grant a full and absolute pardon.
