From convicted murderers to child rapists, here are Bevin's most controversial pardons

Ben Tobin | Louisville Courier Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin issues pardons, commutations for hundreds Using his executive powers, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin issued hundreds of pardons and commutations during his last days in office in 2019.

Since The Courier Journal first reported on Dec. 11 that former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin issued hundreds of pardons and commutations in his final weeks in office, many across the commonwealth and nation have expressed alarm and outrage.

The Courier Journal is continuing to review each of the former governor's pardons. Here are 12 of the most controversial pardons and commutations we've come across so far.

If you have additional information about these pardons or others, please contact our political reporters Joe Sonka (jsonka@courierjournal.com) and/or Phillip Bailey (pbailey@courier-journal.com).

Background: Bevin pardons include convicted killer whose brother hosted campaign fundraiser for him

'Matt Bevin can rot in hell': Family of murder victim reacts to pardon of donor's relative

Patrick Baker lawyer: Family of convicted killer Bevin pardoned did 'nothing wrong' with fundraisers

Patrick Baker

Background: Convicted of reckless homicide and other crimes in a 2014 Knox County home invasion. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison in 2017. His brother and sister-in-law raised $21,500 at a political fundraiser last year to retire debt from Bevin’s 2015 gubernatorial campaign. And they also gave $4,000 to Bevin’s campaign on the day of the fundraiser, according to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance database. Baker and his lawyer maintain his innocence.

Bevin's pardon: "The evidence supporting his conviction is sketchy at best. I am not convinced that justice has been served on the death of Donald Mills, nor am I convinced that the evidence has proven the involvement of Patrick Baker as a murderer."

Micah Schoettle

Background: Convicted last year of raping a 9-year-old in Kenton County and sentenced to 23 years in prison. Kenton County Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders, who prosecuted Schoettle, has called the pardon an "irresponsible manipulation of the justice system."

Bevin's pardon: "Micah Schoettle was tried and convicted of a heinous crime based only on testimony that was not supported by any physical evidence. In fact, any and all evidence that is available refutes the allegations that were made. This case was investigated and prosecuted in a manner that was sloppy at best. I do not believe that the charges against Mr. Schoettle are true."

Delmar Partin

Background: Convicted in Knox County in 1994 of murdering co-worker Betty Carnes. He was found to have strangled and beat Carnes, before beheading her and stuffing her corpse into a barrel. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Bevin's pardon: "Given the inability or unwillingness of the state to use existing DNA evidence to either affirm or disprove this conviction, I hereby pardon Mr. Partin for this crime and encourage the state to make every effort to bring final justice for the victim and her family."

Dayton Jones

Background: Pleaded guilty in 2016 to sodomizing a passed-out drunk 15-year-old boy in Hopkinsville so violently with a sex toy that his bowel was perforated. Jones was sentenced to 15 years in prison. According to court records, while the case was pending, Jones’ family offered as much as $500,000 to the victim’s family in a civil settlement if they would support a conviction not requiring Jones to register for life as a sex offender. The judge and the special prosecutor rejected the deal.

Bevin's pardon: "I, Matthew G. Bevin, Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, in consideration of the foregoing, and by the virtue of the authority vested in me by Sections 77, 145 and 150 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, do hereby commute the sentence of Dayton Ross Jones to time served."

Christian Moffett

Background: Pleaded guilty in Jefferson County Circuit Court in April 2019 to charges of drug trafficking, receiving stolen firearms, drug paraphernalia, burglary and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison, but in August, he was granted shock probation and placed on five years’ supervised probation. Christian is the son of Phillip Moffett, a former state representative who defended Bevin on numerous occasions and contributed to his campaign.

Bevin's pardon: "Christian Moffett is a young man with extraordinary potential in life. Up to this point in time he has repeatedly squandered that potential. Nonetheless, he has, in recent months, made an effort to turn his life around."

Irvin Edge

Background: Convicted of murder and solicitation to murder for hiring a hit man to kill his business partner in 1991 in Daviess County. According to court records, the killer came to victim Charles Westerfield’s door, asked to see him, and then shot and killed him in front of his family members. He was sentenced to life, and in 2004, the parole board ordered him to serve out that sentence.

Bevin's pardon: "I, Matthew G. Bevin, Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, in consideration of the foregoing, and by the virtue of the authority vested in me by Sections 77, 145 and 150 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, do hereby commute the sentence of Irvin Edge to time served."

Blake Walker

Background: Convicted in 2003 in Adair County of killing his parents and leaving their bodies in a basement. He was 16 at the time. Walker's lawyer, Vince Aprile, said Walker’s surviving family, including his grandmothers, “believe that he has grown into a responsible, mature man” and has been sufficiently punished by the nearly 17 years he has served in prison.

Bevin's pardon: "Blake Walker is blessed by a loving and forgiving family and it is this alone that tips the delicate balance in the direction of his request."

'Miscarriage of justice' to 'mercifulness: What people have said about the Bevin pardons

Kurt Smith

Background: Convicted in 2002 of the murder of his 6-week-old son, Blake, whose brain was so swollen that the seams between the bones in his skull were pushed half an inch apart, a state medical examiner testified. He was 17 at the time and sentenced to life in prison.

Bevin's pardon: "I hereby commute his sentence to time served and pardon him for his actions. I am confident that he will become a productive member of society and encourage him to use his life experience to educate and help others."

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Daniel Grubb

Background: Pleaded guilty in 2010 in Knox County to the murder of Jeremy Johnson and to multiple counts of tampering with physical evidence. According to news accounts, Grubb claimed both were drunk when he threw a cinder block at Johnson, and after finding his body the next day, panicked and enlisted a friend to bury the body. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Bevin's pardon: "No greater degree of justice or rehabilitation will be gained by extending Daniel Grubb's time in prison. There will, however, be negative impacts of others, not the least of whom is Daniel's son Chase."

Michael Hardy

Background: Convicted of wanton murder and other crimes for killing Jeremy Pryor in a car crash in 2014 in Warren County. Alan Simpson, an attorney for the victim's family, said that Hardy was “blackout drunk” and driving at speeds in excess of 90 mph when he crashed into the rear of Pryor’s vehicle. Hardy was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Bevin's pardon: "Michael Hardy will arise each day for the rest of his life with a debt that he cannot possibly repay. Every day he will remember how his actions resulted directly in the death of an innocent man. I do not believe that society, as a whole, or the memory of Jeremy Pryor more specifically, will be best served by the continued incarceration of Mr. Hardy."

Elizabeth Stakelbeck

Background: Pleaded guilty in 2013 to criminal solicitation of murder and two counts of drug trafficking for offering prescription pills to an undercover FBI agent in exchange for killing Matt Vaughn — the father of her child — and his wife, Morgan. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2014 and released in 2016. Bevin's sister, Lydia Parks, testified on behalf of Stakelbeck during 2015 adoption proceedings that ultimately terminated her parental rights. Leland Hulbert, a former assistant commonwealth's attorney who prosecuted the case against Stakelbeck, told The Courier Journal that Bevin's wife, Glenna, is also a friend and "apparently" attended at least one hearing.

Bevin's pardon: "On the compelling testimony of Elizabeth Stakelbeck's friends and family, and her stated desire for a fresh start in life, I am granting her the pardon she had requested."

Brett Whittaker

Background: Pleaded guilty in 2011 in the deaths of a pastor and his wife in a car collision while driving under the influence the year before in Lincoln County. Whittaker, who was on shock probation at the time for second-degree assault in 2006, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for murder. He had 30 disciplinary violations in prison, including five in 2019.

Bevin's pardon: "Brett Whittaker has utilized the past nine years in prison to transform his life spiritually, emotionally and psychologically. In this regard, he embodies the best of what society would hope for prison to do for an inmate. He is a new man ready to return to his community."

Contact Ben Tobin at bjtobin@gannett.com and 502-582-4181 or follow on Twitter @TobinBen. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: subscribe.courier-journal.com.