Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford voted to support clemency for several convicted murderers, including men responsible for the kidnapping and execution-style killing of a teenager, the "thrill killing" of a Pizza Hut worker and the beating death of another victim with a cinder block. Ford is currently facing backlash over his clemency bid for a convicted killer who took the life of a pregnant woman while out on bail for a series of armed robbery attacks on Vegas tourists. Now, a Fox News Digital review of state pardon hearings that took place during Ford's nearly eight years as attorney general show him supporting clemency for dozens of other violent offenders, with some convicted killers receiving reduced sentences, pardons or earlier parole eligibility while others had their requests denied.
Ford is running to be Nevada’s next governor, seeking to oust incumbent Republican Gov. His race is shaping up to be one of the most competitive gubernatorial elections of the cycle. Unlike governors in most states, Nevada's governor cannot unilaterally grant pardons or commute prison sentences, with those decisions instead resting with the state's Board of Pardons Commissioners, made up of the governor, attorney general and Nevada Supreme Court justices.
JOE LOMBARDO CRUISES PAST SIX GOP CHALLENGERS TO SECURE NEVADA REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL NOMINATION Since becoming the state’s attorney general, Ford has voted to pardon or significantly reduce the sentences of 30 people convicted of murder, Fox News Digital found. While Lombardo has joined Ford on some of these votes, the Democrat broke with the Republican in supporting mercy for some of the most brutal killers. Ford, for example, supported a convicted kidnapper and murderer eligible for parole when Lombardo voted against.
Michael Cu, the convict in question, kidnapped a 16-year-old in 1996, forced him to drive out to the desert, then killed him execution-style — all to steal the rims off his car. The victim was shot seven times with a rifle, with the fatal shot being fired at nearly point-blank range into his head. Judge I would like to tell you these people, I don't want them to be free," the deceased’s mother pleaded with the judge at Cu's sentencing in March 2000.
"There's a lot of people outside, a lot of mothers outside ... I'm afraid because I have more children." Cu could eventually make it back onto the streets after the board commuted his sentence, making him eligible for parole in 2035 — though his release would still require approval from the state's parole board. Ford has made his experience as Nevada’s top law enforcement official a focal point of his gubernatorial campaign.
ABBOTT SPOTLIGHTS NO-SHOW TALARICO, LAUNCHING TEXAS-SIZED CRIME CRACKDOWN "As Attorney General, Ford has worked with federal and local law enforcement to prosecute criminals and protect our communities," his campaign website reads. "He’s gone after corporate landlords who are illegally jacking up prices, taken on big drug companies, prioritized putting child predators in jail, battled fentanyl being trafficked across our borders, and fought to keep dangerous untraceable ghost guns off of our streets. He ended a decades-long rape kit back log and has prosecuted human traffickers who threaten the safety of our communities." Republicans may seize on some of Ford’s pardon votes to challenge the image he’s cultivated of a crusader for public safety.
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