Biden grants clemency to men linked to Virginia cop’s murder

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RICHMOND, VA - JANUARY 10: Gov. Glenn Youngkin gives his State of the Commonwealth address on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Va. (Photo by Minh Connors for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares lambasted President Biden after he granted clemency to the "Waverly Two," who they said admitted to being responsible for the 1998 murder of a Sussex County police officer.

Biden grants clemency to 'Waverly Two'; Governor Youngkin reacts

What they're saying:

"I am beyond outraged and in utter disbelief that President Biden would announce clemency for Ferrone Claiborne and Terence Richardson – two men who admitted to being responsible for brutally killing Officer Allen Gibson, a hero and dedicated servant to our community," Youngkin said in a statement.

"What makes this even more unconscionable is the Biden U.S. Attorney advised the White House not to commute these sentences as they are violent offenders."

Youngkin said "the pain and sorrow this clemency causes the Gibson family is unimaginable."

"To know that the men who took Officer Gibson’s life will walk free is not just a grave injustice- – it is a heartbreaking blow to those who continue to mourn his sacrifice. This is despicable; a grim day for justice and for the families who trust that our system will hold the guilty accountable," Youngkin said. 

Youngkin's office said Claiborne and Richardson admitted in Sussex County Circuit Court to being responsible for Gibson’s brutal killing.

"The evidence presented and the details surrounding Officer Gibson's death are deeply disturbing and tragic," Youngkin stated.

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Youngkin's office said then-President Obama declined to grant clemency to Claiborne and Richardson.

Under the current terms, both men are set to be released in July.

"This is despicable. I’m beyond outraged and in utter disbelief that President Biden would announce clemency for these two violent criminals," Youngkin wrote in a post on X.

Miyares echoed Youngkin's disgust and said his office would continue to seek justice for Gibson's family.

"I’m outraged by Biden granting clemency to cop killers, forcing the fallen officer’s child, Crissana, to relive this trauma. Shame on you, Joe Biden and your enabling staff. May the memory of Officer Allen Gibson & his family haunt each of you forever," Miyares wrote in a post on X.

Miyares also shared a statement from Crissana Gibson, who was outraged by Biden's decision.

"I am absolutely outraged by what has happened. My heart is shattered knowing that the men that killed my father are going to be released from prison and can walk the streets freely. This is a huge miscarriage of justice, and I am completely disgusted by the outgoing administration," she wrote. "The Virginia Attorney General's office has worked tirelessly to keep these murderers behind bars, and I am forever grateful for their dedication and hard work. I am so disappointed that the disgraceful Biden administration has failed my family, my father, and the entire law enforcement community. Neither my family nor I have ever supported the release of Richardson or Claiborne, and we denounce this decision by the outgoing failed presidency of Joe Biden and the Democratic Party’s abuse of the justice system." 

The backstory:

Miyares said that on April 25, 1998, Allen Gibson, 25, woke up and went to work as a Waverly police officer and never returned home after he was shot with his own service weapon in the woods behind an apartment complex.

"He put on his bulletproof vest and said goodbye to his 8-year-old daughter Crissana. Officer Gibson found Terence Richardson and Ferrone Claiborne engaged in a drug deal behind an apartment building. The men attacked Officer Gibson, and Richardson disarmed Officer Gibson and fatally shot him in the stomach right below his bulletproof vest," Miyares described.

Officials said that both Claiborne and Richardson were named suspects and arrested for Gibson's murder soon after his death.

Both men are still serving a life sentence for a remaining drug trafficking charge but were acquitted by a federal jury of murder and firearms charges.

On Friday morning, Biden announced that he would commute the sentences of nearly 2,500 inmates as his presidency came to a close. 

The commutations are for people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses "who are serving disproportionately long sentences" compared to what they would receive if sentenced under today's law.

However, Biden has come under bipartisan fire for who he has decided to pardon or commute sentences for.