Saturday15 February 2025
telegraf.org.ua

In the U.S., police officers convicted of murdering an African American have received pardons from Trump.

U.S. President Donald Trump granted clemency to two law enforcement officers who were previously convicted of killing an African American, according to Reuters.

U.S. President Donald Trump has pardoned two law enforcement officers who were previously convicted of murdering an African American man, according to Reuters.

As reported by the outlet, Trump pardoned two police officers who were convicted for the 2020 killing of a 20-year-old Black man named Karon Hilton-Brown.

In September of last year, Terence Sutton Jr. was sentenced to 66 months in prison, while Andrew Zabavsky received a 48-month sentence for "unauthorized police pursuit that ended in a collision on October 23, 2020, resulting in the death of 20-year-old Karon Hilton-Brown in Northwest Washington."

However, the officers remained free while awaiting the outcome of their appeals.

The Metropolitan Police Department stated that Sutton, who was around 40 years old, and Zabavsky, who was about 50, were "indefinitely suspended without pay pending an administrative process."

At the end of 2022, after a nine-week trial, Sutton was unanimously found guilty of second-degree murder, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice by a federal jury.

The same jury found Zabavsky guilty of conspiracy to obstruct justice.

The jurors determined that Sutton caused Hilton-Brown's death by driving a police vehicle with "conscious disregard" for the extreme risk of death or serious bodily harm to Hilton-Brown.

It was also established that Sutton and Zabavsky conspired to conceal the circumstances of the traffic accident that led to Hilton-Brown's death.

Meanwhile, the police union of the District of Columbia petitioned for the pardons of the two officers.

Sutton's attorney, Kellen Dwyer, stated that he and his client were "confident that the D.C. District Court would overturn this verdict."

"We are pleased that President Trump has put an end to this prosecution once and for all," he said.

Zabavsky's attorney, Christopher Zampogna, also expressed gratitude to Trump.

Hilton-Brown's mother, Karen Hilton, shared that she was shocked and cried upon learning about the potential pardon before it was announced.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-pardons-two-police-officers-convicted-murder-black-man-washington-2025-01-23/