Gov. Haley Barbour's going-away present for Mississippi is to put a trio of convicted murderers back out on our streets, including two more who brutally murdered the women in their lives.
Sunday, Barbour pardoned David Glenn Gatlin. In 1993, Gatlin murdered his estranged wife, Tammy Ellis Gatlin, reportedly shooting her while she was holding their 2-month-old infant. He then shot Randy Walker, who survived. A Rankin County judge sentenced Gatlin to life in prison for murder, plus additional time for aggravated assault and burglary in 1994.
The Associated Press is reporting that he has also pardoned Anthony McCray, convicted in 2001 of killing his wife.
The Gatlin and McCray pardons raise Barbour's release record for domestic killers--men who have murdered current or former wives and girlfriends--to six. A Jackson Free Press investigation in July 2008 revealed that Barbour granted relief to five killers that year, four of whom killed women.
WAPT reports that Barbour also granted a pardon Sunday to murderer Joseph Ozment, convicted in 1994 for murdering Ricky Montgomery, in addition to armed robbery and conspiracy. He was serving a life sentence for the crimes.
Gatlin and Ozment worked in the governor's mansion as trustys. State law gives the governor free rein to pardon convicts without justification, consultation with the state Parole Board, or prior notification to victims' families. Families of the two killer's victims reported found out about the pardons on Sunday, the day they were released. In Gatlin's case, the Parole Board apparently denied the killer's parole in December.
The governor's office and the Mississippi Department of Corrections have not returned calls.
Read the JFP's full archive of award-winning domestic violence coverage here.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.