Biden pardons 6 people convicted of murder, drugs and alcohol

The pardons were announced as the president spent time with his family in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. The White House said those pardoned are people who later served their community. He said the pardons reflected Biden’s view people deserve a second chance.

Those pardoned are:

— Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas, 80, of Columbus, Ohio. At 33, Ibn-Tamas was found guilty of murdering her husband. She testified that her husband had beaten, insulted and threatened her. She told jurors she shot him moments after he assaulted her, while she was pregnant. The judge refused to allow expert testimony about battered woman syndrome, a psychological condition that can develop in victims of domestic violence. Ibn-Tamas got one to five years incarceration with credit for time served. Her appeal was among the first by someone with battered woman syndrome, and her case has been studied by academics.

— Charles Byrnes-Jackson, 77, of Swansea, South Carolina. Byrnes-Jackson pleaded guilty to possessing and selling spirits without a tax stamp when he was 18, and it involved a single illegal whiskey transaction. He tried to enlist in the Marines but was rejected due to the conviction.

— John Dix Nock III, 72, of St. Augustine, Florida. Nock pleaded guilty to using his property as a marijuana grow operation 27 years ago. He didn’t grow the plants, but he had six months of community confinement. He now operates a general contracting business.

— Gary Parks Davis, 66, of Yuma, Arizona. When Davis was 22, he admitted to using a phone for a cocaine transaction. He served six months nights and weekends in a county jail and completed his probation in 1981. After the offense, according to the White House, Davis earned a college degree and worked steadily, including owning a landscaping business and managing construction projects. He has volunteered at his children’s high school and in his community.

— Edward Lincoln De Coito III, 50, of Dublin, California. De Coito pleaded guilty at age 23 to being involved in a marijuana trafficking conspiracy. He was released from prison in December 2000 after serving nearly two years. Prior to the offense, De Coito had served honorably in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves and received numerous awards.

— Vincente Ray Flores, 37, of Winters, California. At the age of 19, Flores consumed ecstasy and alcohol while serving in the Air Force, later pleading guilty at a special court martial. He was sentenced to four months in prison, $2,800 loss of pay and demotion. Flores participated in a six-month rehabilitation program that gives select conscripted offenders a chance to return to duty after therapy and education. His demotion was modified and he remains on active duty, earning medals and other awards for his service.