BELCOURT, N.D. – An Indigenous man who recently had his sentence commuted by former President Joe Biden is out of prison.
One of Biden’s final acts in office was to commute the sentence of Peltier who will live out the rest of his days in home confinement.
Leonard Peltier was released and sent home to North Dakota. Peltier, who was born on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in Belcourt, North Dakota was serving life in prison for killing two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation in 1975 in South Dakota. FBI Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams were shot in the head at close range, the FBI said. Peltier had a federal warrant out for him for the attempted murder of a Milwaukee police officer. Peltier’s trial was held in Fargo.
Former FBI Director Christopher Wray advocated against his release or pardon, calling Peltier a “remorseless killer.” FBI Director nominee Kash Patel slammed Biden for commuting Peltier’s sentence.
“America is not safer because of President Biden’s commutation of a man who murdered two FBI agents. Agent Colers’ and Agent Williams’ families deserve better than to have the man that at point blank range fired a shotgun into their heads and murdered them released from prison, so it goes both ways,” Patel said during his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing.
Biden cited tribal nations, Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, former law enforcement officials (including the U.S. Attorney’s Office who saw Peltier’s prosecution and appeal), dozens of lawmakers, and human rights organizations supporting clemency for Peltier because of his age, illness, close ties to leadership in the Native American community and the 50 years he spent in prison as the reason for his commutation.
