President Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 people on Monday, including two men from Illinois. One was Ronald Mikos, a podiatrist convicted in 2005 of murdering Joyce Brannon, a former patient and Medicare fraud witness, to prevent her testimony before a federal grand jury. Prosecutors argued Mikos shot Brannon six times at point-blank range in her church basement apartment. Mikos, the last person sentenced to death in Illinois, maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings, claiming his severe neurological decline and other health issues impacted his competency. His attorneys highlighted his advanced age (76) and deteriorating health in their plea for clemency. Brannon’s sister, Janet Bunch, expressed her anger and belief that Mikos’s actions forfeited any right to leniency. Mikos continues to challenge his conviction, arguing his incompetency to stand trial and ineffective legal representation. A federal judge has ordered further review of some of his claims, with a status hearing scheduled for February 19, 2024.
The other Illinois resident granted clemency was Jorge Avila Torrez, a former Marine corporal sentenced to death for the strangulation of Naval officer Amanda Snell in Virginia in 2009. Torrez later pleaded guilty to the murders of eight-year-old Laura Hobbs and nine-year-old Krystal Tobias in Zion, Illinois in 2005. He had lived near Snell and entered her unlocked room, binding and strangling her before hiding her body. The murders of the two girls were only solved after DNA evidence linked Torrez to the crime years later. Initially, Laura Hobbs’ father, Jerry Hobbs, confessed to the murders but was exonerated when Torrez’s DNA was found on Laura’s body.
Biden’s commutation of these sentences, he stated, was consistent with his administration’s moratorium on federal executions, excluding cases involving terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder. He emphasized his opposition to the resumption of executions under a potential new administration. Mikos’s attorneys expressed gratitude for the president’s act of mercy, emphasizing the opportunity it provided for peace and dignity in his final years.