ALBANY — Tayden Townsley, 47, is seeking clemency from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul after serving nearly three decades in prison for a 1994 murder he committed at age 19. Townsley’s clemency application is one of at least 1,500 that Hochul has received from state prisoners this year, though the governor’s granting of clemency has declined since taking office in 2021.

Townsley was sentenced to 37 and a half years to life in prison for fatally shooting a 16-year-old member of a rival drug gang and wounding another in Sullivan County. He argues he has transformed himself during his incarceration, completing coursework, working in the law library, and resolving conflicts. Supporters say Townsley should not face a “trial tax” since the district attorney previously offered a shorter 15-year-to-life sentence.

According to the article, Hochul has granted clemency to 16 people since taking office, including 3 so far this year. The governor has vowed to reform the clemency process and issue more releases, though the number has declined compared to 2022 and 2023. Meanwhile, President Biden has recently commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates and over 1,400 people on home confinement during the pandemic.

Source:  THE CITY