Radical Democrat John Fetterman’s Campaign Employs Convicted Murderers
Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman employs two convicted murderers on his U.S. Senate campaign. They were both granted commuted sentences thanks in part to the state’s Board of Pardons, which Fetterman oversees.
Dennis and Lee Horton were convicted of second-degree murder stemming from a 1993 fatal shooting during a robbery in Philadelphia and sentenced to life in prison. The brothers are listed on the Fetterman for PA Committee payroll, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), and have received salary payments totaling in the tens of thousands of dollars each.
As lieutenant governor, Fetterman chairs the five-person Board of Pardons in Pennsylvania, which saw commutation recommendations to Gov. Tom Wolf (D) skyrocket under his leadership. As the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Julia Terruso first reported in May, the board has suggested 46 commutations under Fetterman’s chairmanship.
“That’s compared with just six in Wolf’s first term, none under former Republican Gov. Tom Corbett’s one term, and only five during former Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell’s eight years in office,” Terruso wrote.
In December 2020, by a 4-0 vote, the board recommended commutations for the Horton brothers, which Wolf signed. The following February, Wolf announced that the duo, along with eleven other convicted murderers facing life sentences, were granted commutations.
“Each of these Pennsylvanians is fully deserving of the chance to return to their families and start a new life,” said Fetterman in the release. Two months later, the Hortons began receiving regular salary payments from the Fetterman for PA Committee, federal records show.
The Hortons’ sentences were commuted despite pleas from Alamo’s brother Reinaldo.
“They took a human life, and they don’t deserve to be out in society,” he said, according to the Inquirer’s 2020 article.
Dennis and Lee Horton were convicted of second-degree murder stemming from a 1993 fatal shooting during a robbery in Philadelphia and sentenced to life in prison. The brothers are listed on the Fetterman for PA Committee payroll, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), and have received salary payments totaling in the tens of thousands of dollars each.
As lieutenant governor, Fetterman chairs the five-person Board of Pardons in Pennsylvania, which saw commutation recommendations to Gov. Tom Wolf (D) skyrocket under his leadership. As the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Julia Terruso first reported in May, the board has suggested 46 commutations under Fetterman’s chairmanship.
“That’s compared with just six in Wolf’s first term, none under former Republican Gov. Tom Corbett’s one term, and only five during former Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell’s eight years in office,” Terruso wrote.
In December 2020, by a 4-0 vote, the board recommended commutations for the Horton brothers, which Wolf signed. The following February, Wolf announced that the duo, along with eleven other convicted murderers facing life sentences, were granted commutations.
“Each of these Pennsylvanians is fully deserving of the chance to return to their families and start a new life,” said Fetterman in the release. Two months later, the Hortons began receiving regular salary payments from the Fetterman for PA Committee, federal records show.
The Hortons’ sentences were commuted despite pleas from Alamo’s brother Reinaldo.
“They took a human life, and they don’t deserve to be out in society,” he said, according to the Inquirer’s 2020 article.
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