BIDEN PARDONS SON TWO MONTHS AFTER EXECUTION OF BLACK PRISONER

Two months after pleas to pardon a Black prisoner, Marcellus Williams, in a case with contradictions went unheeded, US President Joe Biden granted his son, Hunter, a ‘full and unconditional pardon’ for offences committed between 1 January 2014 and 1 December 2024.

Biden had previously stated he would not pardon his son, emphasising respect for the judicial process. However, in his 1 December statement, Biden cited political interference as a factor.

Hunter Biden faced a 12 December sentencing for federal gun charges after lying on a firearms application about his addiction and a 16 December sentencing for tax evasion, with prison sentences totalling up to 42 years.

Williams was executed on 24 September despite evidence casting doubt on his guilt and opposition from the victim's family. The prosecution allegedly incentivised informants who testified. After dismissing six prospective Black jurors, the almost all-white jury contained only one Black juror. Meanwhile, DNA evidence on the murder weapon did not match Williams.

Legal efforts to commute his sentence were unsuccessful, with the Missouri Supreme Court rejecting a motion for life without parole, and the US Supreme Court declining to intervene. His case aligns with broader systemic disparities, as a 2022 report by the National Registry of Exonerations found Black people are significantly more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder in the US.

What would the reaction from the West be if an African president granted his son a pardon? Does the difference in how Marcellus Williams and Hunter Biden have been treated relate to proximity to power? Let us know what you think.

Sources:

Hunter pardoned

https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/president-biden-pardons-his-son-hunter-biden/ar-AA1v5xZv

Marcellus Executed

https://innocenceproject.org/who-is-marcellus-williams-man-facing-execution-in-missouri-despite-dna-evidence-supporting-innocence/

Black people more likely to be wrongfully convicted

https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/report-black-people-7-5-times-more-likely-to-be-wrongfully-convicted-of-murder-than-whites-risk-even-greater-if-victim-was-white