Former federal prosecutor Derek Shoemake expressed his disappointment following President Biden’s decision to commute the death sentences of nearly all federal inmates facing execution, including Brandon Council, who was convicted of killing two women working at a bank in South Carolina during a robbery in 2017. Shoemake described pursuing justice for the victims and their families as one of the greatest professional honors of his life and expressed sympathy for the families affected by the decision.
In August 2017, Brandon Council entered CresCom Bank in Conway, South Carolina, with the intention of robbing the business and killing its employees. He shot bank teller Donna Major multiple times with a revolver and then shot bank manager Kathryn Skeen multiple times as she hid under her desk. Council then stole keys, bank cards, and cash from the victims before fleeing the scene in one of their vehicles, ultimately driving off to a motel where he packed his belongings and left.
Shoemake highlighted the efforts of the team who worked for over a year to ensure that Council, whom he referred to as a remorseless murderer, received a sentence that reflected the severity of his actions. He noted that it is challenging to see a legally imposed sentence be overturned from a distance, particularly when considering the impact on the families of the victims who continue to grieve their loss while the convicted murderers celebrate a reprieve.
Shoemake emphasized the legacy of love, family, and faith that Major and Skeen embodied, shifting the focus away from the political debate surrounding Biden’s decision and towards the impact on the victims’ families. He expressed his ongoing prayers for these families and all those affected by the commutations, stating that it is difficult to see them endure yet another holiday season without their loved ones while the convicted murderers benefit from political victories.
President Biden condemned the murderers and their acts in a White House statement announcing the commutations, acknowledging the unimaginable and irreparable losses suffered by the victims and their families. He cited his decision to halt federal executions rather than allowing a new administration to resume them, resulting in only three inmates remaining on federal death row as his presidency nears its end. These remaining inmates include Robert Bowers, Dylann Roof, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
