Brothers seek pardon after decades in prison, continue to proclaim innocence
The end of any presidential term always brings with it speculation about potential grants of clemency, and the dwindling days of Joe Biden's time in office are no different.
As Fox News reports, among those currently seeking pardons for past crimes are two brothers who served decades in prison for a crime they claim they did not commit.
Turner brothers seek clemency
The siblings at issue are Charles and Chris Turner, both of whom were convicted as teens of the 1984 killing of a woman named Catherine Fuller in Washington, D.C.
According to authorities, the pair was responsible for the murder, which took place near the intersection of 8th Street and H Street in the district's Northeast sector.
The Fullers have already been released from prison, but they are hoping to receive pardons in order to finally clear their names, which they say were unfairly tarnished by their wrongful prosecution.
A total of 17 people were arrested during the investigation of Fuller's murder, and the government eventually obtained eight convictions.
The six convicted defendants who are still alive today have all insisted on their innocence amid subsequent findings of evidence suppression, investigative missteps, and coerced testimony in their cases.
Enduring quest for justice
Though the Turner brothers have been tireless in their quest for pardons, that is not to say that they harbor the sort of animosity that might prevent them from moving forward in life.
“People get upset more that we're not bitter. We think if you remain bitter, remain upset about what occurred – even though it was an atrocity and it was injustice -- that you stay locked up mentally,” Chris Turner noted.
Hoping to achieve a degree of reputational rehabilitation through a grant of clemency, Charles Turner still laments the opportunities he has been denied as a result of his past.
“We've actually said we might join the police force if we didn't have this on our record...I used to want to be in the Navy. I can't serve my country because I have a record,” he explained.
With the lion's share of presidential pardons typically approved during the period between Election Day and Inauguration Day in January, the Turner brothers are undoubtedly on the edge of their seats as the waning days of the Biden administration continue to count down.
