BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore raises concerns about processes after several area convicted inmates filed applications asking for clemency from the governor.
Gov. John Bel Edwards sparked a renewed push to repeal the death penalty ahead of this year’s legislative session, however, those efforts failed in committee. His term ends in January 2024.
In his letter to the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Moore names 10 capital offenders out of the parish who are part of the more than 50 who have applied for clemency.
“The current wave of applications for commutation of sentence have come as a surprise to several district attorneys and to many members of the public,” said Moore.
He said several victims’ families were shocked and confused, noting that some requests are being made almost 30 years after conviction. Moore said possible hearing dates have been scheduled before the end of the year and the board is reviewing capital filings as quickly as possible.
Moore said in his 15 years as district attorney there have been only two death penalty verdicts in the parish. He said offers for life were made in each case but weren’t accepted. As of now, only one of the two remains on death row.
“When we announce that we intend to seek the death penalty, it is only after careful consideration based on many meetings internally and with the victim’s family, and after receiving input from defense council,” he wrote in the letter.
He reiterates that the process to bringing a death penalty case to trial is extensive and takes a “tremendous toll” on victims’ families.
Moore said his office is reviewing the petitions and, to his knowledge, none of the applicants have a set date of execution.
The district attorney said the state’s efforts to get the information necessary to respond to the application of a man convicted of murder in East Baton Rouge Parish have been unsuccessful. He said David Bowie, who was convicted of brutally murdering John “Fish Man” Smith, 70, in 1999 applied for a commutation of his death sentence on June 13. His application is set to be reviewed on July 28.
The letter points out that applications are going forward at “an extremely accelerated basis and in a a condensed time period” before the end of Edwards’ term in January. As a result, Moore is requesting information and records about application review procedures and how they were scheduled for further consideration.
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