Thomas M. Hager of Southeast D.C. is one of the 37 federal death row inmates whose sentences President Joe Biden commuted to life imprisonment without parole on Dec. 23.
Biden’s unprecedented move, just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, not only changed the lives of Hager and dozens of inmates but also reignited the debate on the federal death penalty.
“Let’s hope Biden’s commutation of most of the men on federal death row is the beginning of the end of the death penalty in America. This was a brave and bold move. There’s still more to do on clemency, but it’s important to take a moment to be grateful for this historic act,” wrote Rachel Barkow, a New York University law professor and faculty director of the Zimroth Center on the Administration of Criminal Law, on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Although Barkow celebrated Biden’s decision, others pushed back.
“I hope you never lose someone to a monster such as those the shadow government just saved,” a social media user wrote in response to Barkow’s post.
Hager, one of two prisoners tied to heinous crimes in D.C. suburbs, was convicted for the 1993 murder of 19-year-old Barbara White in Mount Vernon, Virginia, and sentenced to death in 2007.
His crime, committed during a federal drug-trafficking operation, left White dead after she was stabbed more than 80 times. Prosecutors said Hager, fearing White might reveal his whereabouts to rival drug dealers, carried out the attack along with two juvenile accomplices, who received life sentences in exchange for their testimony.
The second local case involved Jorge Torrez, a former Marine sentenced to death in 2014 for the 2009 killing of Amanda Jean Snell, a 20-year-old Navy petty officer. Prosecutors described Torrez as a predator who strangled Snell with a laptop cord at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington.
Torrez’s criminal history includes attacks on three Virginia women and the murders of two children in Illinois.
Those against Biden’s move— citizens and politicians alike— are emphasizing Torrez’s case to fight against the president’s decision to commute the 37 inmates’ sentences.
“Take a good look at one of the 37 death row inmates whose sentence was commuted by Joe Biden—Jorge Avila-Torrez. He brutally murdered 8-year-old Laura Hobbs and 9-year-old Krystal Tobias on Mother’s Day in 2005,” wrote Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) on X, with a picture of Torrez’s mugshot. “A horrific betrayal of justice.”
A Historic Shift in Federal Death Penalty Policy
Biden’s clemency decision spares inmates from execution while maintaining life sentences, halting the momentum of federal executions aggressively resumed during Trump’s first term.
Under Trump, the federal government executed 13 prisoners in 2020 and 2021, marking the first federal executions in nearly two decades.
“Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss,” Biden said in a statement. “But guided by my conscience and my experience… I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.”
Officials at the White House said the clemency actions align with a moratorium on federal executions imposed early in Biden’s presidency.
Officials added that this decision prevents future administrations from executing sentences based on current policies.
Virginia’s Legacy and Federal Death Penalty Cases
Virginia, once a leader in capital punishment, abolished its death penalty in 2021. Among the six Virginia-based cases on Biden’s clemency list are David A. Runyon, a convicted hitman awaiting execution for the 2007 murder of Navy officer Cory Voss, and Carlos D. Caro, convicted of a gang-related killing in a federal penitentiary.
Despite the sweeping commutations, Biden did not spare Dylann Roof, convicted for the 2015 massacre of nine Black worshippers in South Carolina, or Robert Bowers, who carried out the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting, and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Officials indicated that these cases were outside the scope of the clemency action.
Advocates and Critics Respond
Advocacy groups such as the Death Penalty Information Center applauded the commutations, citing the high costs, biases, and risks of wrongful convictions tied to the death penalty.
More than 200 death row inmates have been exonerated since 1973, many due to advances in DNA testing and the discrediting of unreliable forensic methods.
“This historic clemency action builds on the president’s record of criminal justice reform,” the White House said in its announcement.
