Markell commute Gattis sentence on four conditions
Del. Gov. Jack Markell has agreed to commute the death sentence of Robert Gattis to life in prison without parole.
The break for the convicted killer comes with four conditions, which Markell outlined in his statement today.
Gattis must drop all legal challenges to his conviction
Gattis agrees to waive rights to request future commutation or pardons
Gattis will stay in the maximum security unit of the James T. Vaughn Correction Center for the remainder of his natural life, unless medical care is required
Gattis accepts the conditions
Gattis was convicted in the 1992 death of his former girlfriend Shirley Slay. His execution was scheduled for Jan. 20. The Delaware Board of Pardons recommended the commutation after determining Gattis’ legal team had not presented evidence of the abuse the accused suffered as a child, which may have lead to violent impulses.
WHYY/NewsWorks’ Mark Eichmann will have more details on the story this afternoon.
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