Aquila Marcivicci Barnette, a 50-year-old death row inmate, had his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment by President Biden on December 23, 2024, as part of a series of pardon actions before leaving office.
Crimes
Barnette’s criminal activities in the 1990s included the murder of his ex-girlfriend and another individual during a carjacking. He was indicted on 11 charges, with three potentially leading to the death penalty, including carjacking resulting in death and using a firearm in a violent crime. After being found guilty on all counts, he was sentenced to death, though this was temporarily vacated on appeal before being reinstated.
- Arson and Attempted Murder: Barnette initially attacked his ex-girlfriend, Robin Williams, by firebombing her apartment in Roanoke, Virginia, on April 30, 1996, after she ended their relationship. Williams survived but was injured.
- Carjacking and Murder: On June 22, 1996, Barnette carjacked Donald Lee Allen near Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, killed him, and then used Allen’s car to travel to Virginia, where he killed Williams in front of her mother’s home.
- Arrest and Additional Charges: Barnette was apprehended at his mother’s home in Charlotte, facing additional charges for illegally possessing and modifying a firearm.
Pardon
President Biden’s commutation on December 23, 2024, changed Barnette’s sentence from death to life imprisonment without parole, part of a broader initiative where the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates were similarly altered. This action reflects Biden’s stance against the death penalty at the federal level, except in cases of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.
