Biden Commutations Send Two Ex-Death Row Inmates To ADX

This piece examines the Justice Department’s recent transfer of two federal inmates—whose death sentences were commuted by President Biden—to the federal Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, assessing the context of the commutations, the nature of the crimes, and the Republican-led response that insisted these individuals remain locked away under severe conditions regardless of the commutations.

One of the last acts associated with President Biden was commuting the death sentences of 37 federal inmates, a move that angered many who focus on victims and public safety. From a Republican perspective, the commutations felt like political theater that ignored the severity of the crimes involved. The sentence changes removed execution dates but did not turn these men loose on the public; they still face life behind bars.

The Department of Justice under Attorney General Pam Bondi has acted to ensure these commuted inmates are placed where they cannot harm others and where their confinement matches the danger they posed. The administration chose the U.S. Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado, commonly known as ADX, for those deemed too dangerous even for standard maximum-security facilities. This is a result-driven response aimed at protecting communities and honoring victims.

Two recent transfers highlight why officials pushed for Supermax placement. Both inmates were convicted of exceptionally violent crimes that terrified families and communities. The moves reflect a clear stance: commutations do not equate to leniency when public safety is at stake, and the Justice Department is using available tools to keep dangerous people isolated.

Two federal inmates previously on death row, one a crooked New Orleans cop and the other the man behind a multi-state killing spree, have been transferred to a notorious “supermax” prison in Colorado, the Justice Department told Fox News Digital. 

News of their transfers comes as U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi looks to crack down on the previous administration’s sweeping clemency actions, especially those against violent crime. 

The former death row inmates were transferred Thursday to the U.S. Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado, also known as “ADX,” Justice Department officials confirmed.

The first inmate chased an ex-girlfriend across state lines, sabotaged her apartment by cutting phone lines and setting the building on fire with gasoline, and later tracked her down and murdered her in her neighborhood. That level of premeditation and brutality underlines why the option of release is out of the question. For victims and their families, seeing justice bow to political gestures would be intolerable.

One individual chased down his ex-girlfriend from Roanoke, Virginia, to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he cut the phone lines to the apartment she was living in before using cans of gasoline to set the building on fire.

Though she escaped via a second-story window and was hospitalized for second-and third-degree burns, he followed her back to her family’s home in Virginia two months later, where he gunned her down on the streets of her neighborhood and just steps from her mother.  

Another inmate, a former New Orleans police officer dubbed “Robocop” for his large physical demeanor and aggressive law enforcement style, was caught on tape by the FBI as he ordered and orchestrated the killing of a mother of three who had come to the precinct hours earlier to submit a supposedly confidential brutality complaint about his behavior that she witnessed on her way home the night before.

The second man was a former New Orleans police officer filmed by the FBI orchestrating the murder of a mother of three who sought to report misconduct at the precinct. The betrayal of public trust and the deliberate use of violence make his placement in Supermax a fitting outcome in the view of those who prioritize civic order and accountability. It sends a message that criminality by anyone, including those who wore a badge, will be met with severe punishment.

Life in ADX is intentionally harsh, designed to limit contact and prevent further harm. Prisoners typically spend 23 hours a day alone in a cell that is essentially concrete walls, floor, a minimal desk, a stool, and a bed slab, with a tiny window slit and meals passed through a door slot. Exercise is restricted to one or two hours in solitary outdoor cages, and human interaction is minimal to nonexistent.

From the Republican standpoint, that environment is exactly where convicted murderers and violent offenders belong after receiving commuted sentences that remove execution as the penalty. The focus should be on community safety and ensuring those who committed extreme violence remain incapacitated. The transfers reaffirm the principle that political acts like commutations cannot override the need for secure custody of dangerous individuals.

The transfers also mark a practical balance between respecting the legal mechanics of clemency and safeguarding the public. Commutations changed the legal form of punishment but did not erase the facts of violent criminal conduct. Officials tasked with running the justice system are left to make consequential decisions to mitigate risk and keep communities safe.

These recent moves to ADX illustrate a broader stance on law and order that Republican officials emphasize: crime must be met with consequences that protect victims and potential victims. The decisions are less about symbolism and more about preventing future harm, a core priority for those who argue that public safety comes first.