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Alabama Attorney General 'astonished' by Gov. Ivey's decision to commute man's death sentence

Alabama Attorney General 'astonished' by Gov. Ivey's decision to commute man's death sentence
MARCH 10TH. ALABAMA ATTORNEY GENERAL STEVE MARSHALL, REACTING TO GOVERNOR IVEY COMMUTING THE SENTENCE OF A DEATH ROW INMATE. ROBIN ROCKY MYERS WILL NOW DO LIFE IN PRISON WITH NO CHANCE OF PAROLE. HE WAS CONVICTED OF THE 1991 DEATH OF HIS NEIGHBOR, LUDY TUCKER, IN DECATUR. GOVERNOR IVEY SAID SHE HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CASE, CONSIDERING NO MURDER WEAPON WAS FOUND AND NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE TIED HIM TO THE CRIME SCENE. SHE SAID SHE WAS NOT CONVINCED HE鈥橲 INNOCENT, BUT ALSO NOT SO CONVINCED OF HIS GUILT TO LET THE EXECUTION PROCEED. A.G. MARSHALL, RESPONDING TO GOVERNOR KAY IVEY S DECISION TONIGHT. HE SAYS, I AM ASTONISHED BY GOVERNOR IVEY鈥橲 DECISION TO COMMUTE THE DEATH SENTENCE OF ROCKY MYERS, AND AM BEWILDERED THAT SHE CHOSE TO N
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Alabama Attorney General 'astonished' by Gov. Ivey's decision to commute man's death sentence
Alabama's Attorney General and Governor were not on the same page Friday when it came to the handling of a death row inmate's impending execution.Earlier in the day, Gov. Kay Ivey commuted the death sentence of Robin 鈥淩ocky鈥� Myers to life in prison Friday, saying there were enough questions about his guilt that she could not move forward with his execution. In a statement released Friday night, Attorney General Steve Marshall wrote that he was "astonished" and "bewildered" by the governor's decision, especially because it was not discussed with him beforehand."For the last 30 years, my Office has zealously defended this case on appeal; and for 30 years, no court has reached the conclusion that the Governor reached after a cursory review," said Marshall. "Despite my Office鈥檚 thorough response to the Governor鈥檚 request for information yesterday afternoon, her decision was announced less than 24 hours later."You can read the full letter the Attorney General鈥檚 Office sent to Governor Ivey鈥檚 Office yesterday here"My capital litigation and victims鈥� services teams will go home tonight deeply saddened, not for themselves, but for the family of Ludie Mae Tucker," said Marshall. "We will never stop fighting for justice.鈥滿yers was convicted of capital murder in the 1991 stabbing of Tucker, 69, at her Decatur home. Myers, who lived across the street from Tucker, has long maintained he is innocent, and a juror at his 1994 trial supported the push for clemency.There were multiple questions surrounding Myers鈥� case, his attorney had argued. No physical evidence at the scene connected him to the crime. Tucker identified her assailant as a short, stocky Black man but did not name Myers or a neighbor as the attacker even though they had met several times, according to Myers鈥� son. Jurors voted 9-3 that he serve life in prison. However, the judge sentenced Myers to death under Alabama鈥檚 now-abolished system that let judges decide death sentences.Ivey said there was 鈥渃ircumstantial evidence鈥� against Myers, but it is 鈥渞iddled with conflicting evidence from seemingly everyone involved.鈥� The governor said she is a staunch supporter of the death penalty but 鈥淚 have enough questions about Mr. Myers鈥� guilt that I cannot move forward with executing him.鈥濃淚n short, I am not convinced that Mr. Myers is innocent, but I am not so convinced of his guilt as to approve of his execution. I therefore must respect both the jury鈥檚 decision to convict him and its recommendation that he be sentenced to life without parole,鈥� Ivey said in a statement.It was the first execution Ivey has stopped since she first took office in 2017 and the first stopped by any Alabama governor since 1999. Ivey, who has presided over more than 20 executions, called it 鈥渙ne of the most difficult decisions I鈥檝e had to make as governor.鈥滿yers, 63, will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole instead of being executed later this year. Ivey noted that was the sentence jurors recommended at his 1994 trial.This article contains information from the Associated Press

Alabama's Attorney General and Governor were not on the same page Friday when it came to the handling of a death row inmate's impending execution.

Earlier in the day, Gov. Kay Ivey commuted the death sentence of Robin 鈥淩ocky鈥� Myers to life in prison Friday, saying there were enough questions about his guilt that she could not move forward with his execution.

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In a statement released Friday night, Attorney General Steve Marshall wrote that he was "astonished" and "bewildered" by the governor's decision, especially because it was not discussed with him beforehand.

"For the last 30 years, my Office has zealously defended this case on appeal; and for 30 years, no court has reached the conclusion that the Governor reached after a cursory review," said Marshall. "Despite my Office鈥檚 thorough response to the Governor鈥檚 request for information yesterday afternoon, her decision was announced less than 24 hours later."

You can read the full letter the Attorney General鈥檚 Office sent to Governor Ivey鈥檚 Office yesterday

"My capital litigation and victims鈥� services teams will go home tonight deeply saddened, not for themselves, but for the family of Ludie Mae Tucker," said Marshall. "We will never stop fighting for justice.鈥�

Myers was convicted of capital murder in the 1991 stabbing of Tucker, 69, at her Decatur home. Myers, who lived across the street from Tucker, has long maintained he is innocent, and a juror at his 1994 trial supported the push for clemency.

There were multiple questions surrounding Myers鈥� case, his attorney had argued. No physical evidence at the scene connected him to the crime. Tucker identified her assailant as a short, stocky Black man but did not name Myers or a neighbor as the attacker even though they had met several times, according to Myers鈥� son. Jurors voted 9-3 that he serve life in prison. However, the judge sentenced Myers to death under Alabama鈥檚 that let judges decide death sentences.

Ivey said there was 鈥渃ircumstantial evidence鈥� against Myers, but it is 鈥渞iddled with conflicting evidence from seemingly everyone involved.鈥�

The governor said she is a staunch supporter of the death penalty but 鈥淚 have enough questions about Mr. Myers鈥� guilt that I cannot move forward with executing him.鈥�

鈥淚n short, I am not convinced that Mr. Myers is innocent, but I am not so convinced of his guilt as to approve of his execution. I therefore must respect both the jury鈥檚 decision to convict him and its recommendation that he be sentenced to life without parole,鈥� Ivey said in a statement.

It was the first execution Ivey has stopped since she first took office in 2017 and the first stopped by any Alabama governor since 1999. Ivey, who has presided over more than 20 executions, called it 鈥渙ne of the most difficult decisions I鈥檝e had to make as governor.鈥�

Myers, 63, will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole instead of being executed later this year. Ivey noted that was the sentence jurors recommended at his 1994 trial.


This article contains information from the Associated Press