Docs show murderers got special treatment from governor, wife

[Judi Lynn]

Source: CNN

Docs show murderers got special treatment from governor, wife
By Rich Phillips, CNN
March 15, 2012 -- Updated 0016 GMT (0816 HKT)

Jackson, Mississippi (CNN) -- Investigative documents obtained by CNN show that former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, his wife and his staff may have given preferential treatment to two of the convicted murderers who were among the more than 200 former and current inmates he pardoned in January.

According to the documents compiled by the office of Mississippi's attorney general, the state's former first lady, Marsha Barbour, apparently called a car dealership regarding the purchase of two vehicles for two convicted murderers -- days before they were pardoned. The cars were later delivered to the governor's mansion, two days before the men were released.

CNN has also learned that a member of the governor's staff took the same two men, David Gatlin and Charles Hooker, to get their driver's licenses while they were still in state custody, before their pardons were signed and made official.

"Yes, that's true ... I did take some of them," said Barbour's former security chief, Wayland Adams. "I knew that they were going to be paroled. I was assured of that and I just took them to get their driver's licenses.


Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/14/us/mississippi-pardons-special-treatment/index.html?hpt=ju_c1

[Broderick]

1. Something stinks bad

[MidwestTransplant]

2. Wow big time. No way that was arranged out of the goodness of Haley's heart.

[eyewall]

3. Remind anyone of the Symbionese Liberation Army?

They started this way when the two founders were pardoned (or paroled) for murder and released from Vacaville prison.

[DJ13]

4. Maybe a threat of going public about sexual matters?

[24601]

5. What's the basis for that inference?

[DJ13]

6. No basis, just conjecture

[24601]

8. Why? Seems more like something Limbaugh would say.

[JDPriestly]

10. Why do you think Haley did this? It is quite bizarre.

The pardons I can understand, but helping the prisoners buy cars and get licenses? I'm a Democrat. I believe in rehabilitation, so, if I knew the prisoners had truly reformed, I would do it. But Barbour is a law and order Republican. Has he repented? Changed his mind? Or is there some kind of corruption here.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Whatever the reason is behind this discovery, it has to be really strange. n/t

[Ecumenist]

9. I wonder why? Do these cons know something that gave them a leg up on Barbour and co.? nt

[fasttense]

11. Seems these murderers were servants at the Governor’s mansion.

"Five of the prisoners -- including Gatlin and Hooker -- worked as trusties as part of a state rehabilitation program that allows model prisoners to work as servants and handymen at the governor's mansion."

I'm wondering what they did at the mansion that made the Governor not only pardon them but buy them cars and driver's licenses.

"Either way, Randy Walker is furious. Nearly 20 years ago, he survived a gunshot wound to the head by Gatlin moments after Gatlin killed Tammy Ellis, Gatlin's estranged wife. Gatlin admitted he shot her in the head as she held their 6-week-old child in her arms. Police found the infant, still in her arms, alive and covered with blood."

Wow, Gatlin is a real piece of work.

"Walker, the victim who stared down the barrel of Gatlin's gun before he was shot in the head, said he's "baffled" by the allegations and believes Barbour is financially helping the men.

"Was it because he was a trusty at the governor's mansion and he had so much time with Barbour?" he wondered. "It's insane that he would do that. Where's my handout?"

"I mean, I had thousands upon thousands of medical bills that nobody helped me pay. I'd like to get some of that money back that I wasted because David shot me. I didn't ask for David to come shoot me. Where's my handout?" he asked angrily."

Sounds like being servants for the Governor may have required more than just waiting on them hand and foot.

[Ilsa]

12. Mississippi needs to establish

a victim's fund to help out people who have been hurt by criminals, especially for medical bills and therapy.

Southerners like to think of this being the role of churches, but a lot of churches are too small and too poor to help out their own members, if this man was even a member of a group like a church.

[Ilsa]

13. Something smells fishy.

I can't help but wonder if these guys are still on Barbour's cash payroll for some task at a later date.

[Comrade Grumpy]

14. You know, if could just be an act of human kindness.

The governor and his family probably actually got to know and interact with their trusty prisoners.

I've seen some pretty ridiciulous speculation here: Symbionese Liberation Army, baseless accusations of sexual impropriety.

Governors have the power to pardon. Barbour excercised it. More governor and the president should exercise it more, given that we're the most heavily incarcerated country in the world. Of course, it should be done properly. I'm not sure that was the case here, although the Mississippi Supreme Court is okay with it.

I don't like how the effort to bash an outgoing Republican govenor plays into anti-pardon politics.

[sendero]

15. I don't believe in these pardon laws.

.... and I don't believe that people who commit multiple murders deserve even the chance of ever living free again.

And I agree with the previous post that when a law and order Republican puke, and Barbour is a PROTOTYPE VERSION, pulls something like this, there is more to the story.

the theory behind these pardon laws was to allow a governor or president to correct a miscarriage of justice. None of these pardons apply IMHO.

[Comrade Grumpy]

20. President Obama disagrees with you. He has exercised the pardon power, too...

...although not nearly enough, in my opinion. While he has pardoned people (long after the fact) in the past, at Christmas, for the first time, he actually commuted the sentence of woman doing 20 years or so for crack. There are about 60,000 other non-violent federal drug prisoners whose sentences he could commute, too. One ain't enough, Obama.

Barbour issued 208 pardons, but only 10 of them involved people currently serving time (commutation of sentence).

[sendero]

23. President Obama..

.... and I disagree on many issues

[dixiegrrrrl]

16. The right to pardon is one thing, buying cars for the guys is another.

Barbour's wife arranged for the purchase of the cars.
The 2 guys somehow had checks drawn on a bank
:
"prisoners had paid with certified checks issued by Bank Plus."

And the cars were delivered to the Governor's mansion.

Something stinks about all of this.

[Enrique]

17. the pardon itself is by definition preferential treatment

what I can't figure out is why did he single these men out? Unless I missed it, the story doesn't even ask that question. I was assuming it was some kind of financial corruption, but it doesn't look like it. If there's a problem, it would be because of something shady like that.

[cliffordu]

18. I have no clue as to WTF this is really about....

[kiranon]

19. Is there a quid pro quo? Why would anyone buy "to be pardoned" murderers new cars

and arrange for someone to drive them to the DMV to get their licenses while these men were still prisoners? Very strange behavior and hope it is investigated.

[underpants]

21. Anderson Cooper's report on this (the link) was devastating

Haley Barbour is just a pig walking on two legs anyway

[JI7]

22. and this guy was considered serious Presidential candidate