Board Urges Denial of Babbitt Clemency Plea
The state Board of Prison Terms has advised Gov. Gray Davis to deny death row inmate Manuel Babbitt’s petition for clemency, the Associated Press learned Thursday.
Davis received the board’s confidential recommendation Monday and is reviewing it as he decides whether to grant Babbitt clemency. Following a long-standing custom, neither Davis nor the board intends to make the report public.
However, a copy of the board’s letter was obtained by Associated Press. “By a unanimous vote, the board recommends that Mr. Babbitt be denied commutation,” it states.
Defense lawyers say Babbitt, a Vietnam War veteran and Purple Heart recipient, deserves clemency because he has post-traumatic stress disorder and was mentally ill before the war. He is scheduled to die Tuesday.
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