On his last day in office, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D., N.Y.) commuted the sentences of four convicted murderers, saying the clemencies are "just" and "equitable."
"These clemencies make clear the power of redemption, encourage those who have made mistakes to engage in meaningful rehabilitation, and show New Yorkers that we can work toward a better future," Cuomo said in a statement on Monday.
Cuomo commuted the sentences for Greg Mingo, 68, who was convicted of four counts of second-degree murder in 1982; Robert Ehrenberg, 62, who served 28 years in prison after he shot and killed a jeweler during a robbery; Ulysses Boyd, 66, who killed a man in 1986 during a drug dispute; and Paul Clark, 59, who has served 40 years in prison on three counts of second-degree murder.
Cuomo also issued a parole board referral for 76-year-old David Gilbert, a Weather Underground member who was convicted for his role in the 1981 murder of two New York police officers. Gilbert's son, left-wing San Francisco district attorney Chesa Boudin, reportedly lobbied Cuomo to grant his father clemency.
The spate of clemencies came the same day Cuomo submitted his letter of resignation to the state's legislature. The disgraced governor announced on Aug. 10 that he would resign after a state attorney general report found he sexually harassed at least 11 women while in office.
The FBI is also investigating whether Cuomo's administration provided false information about nursing home deaths in New York during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.