A Man Who Kidnapped And Fatally Tortured A 12-Year-Old Girl Is Among The Death Row Inmates Biden Commuted

Biden commuted the sentence of Thomas Sanders and 36 other inmates who are currently on death row

Lexis Roberts — Lexis Kaye Roberts, 12, is shown on vacation before her killing. Handout/Review Journal

President Joe Biden commuted the sentence of a Las Vegas man who was set to be put to death for the kidnapping and killing of a 12-year-old girl and her mother in 2010.

Thomas Sanders, 57, was scheduled to die by lethal injection, nitrogen hypoxia or electrocution for the horrific murders of Lexis and Suellen Roberts in Louisiana.

In 2010, Roberts and her mother, Suellen Roberts were on a trip to the Grand Canyon with Sanders, when Sanders fatally shot Suellen in the head on the side of Interstate 40, and held Lexis against her will while driving across multiple states.

Sanders murdered Lexis by shooting her four times and cutting her throat in the woods and dumping her body. A hunter later found her remains.

The jury in Sanders' trial deliberated for seven hours after hearing testimony from 18 witnesses before imposing the death penalty.

According to the Department of Justice, Sanders' case was the first federal death penalty case in the Western District of Louisiana.

Biden commuted him and 36 other inmates who are currently on death row.

They "will have their sentences reclassified from execution to life without the possibility of parole," said the White House.

Biden's commuting of 37 individuals on federal death row highlights his stance against death row and his advocacy for criminal justice reform.

"He believes that America must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level, except in cases of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder – which is why today's actions apply to all but those cases," said the White House.

During the first year of his presidency, Biden's administration imposed a moratorium on federal executions.

Earlier this month, Biden gave clemency to nearly 1500 Americans, "the most ever in a single day," who have met the criteria for rehabilitation.

Biden also pardoned 39 individuals, including his son, Hunter Biden, who were convicted of non-violent crimes, leaving him with a total of 1,500 people that he pardoned or commuted.

Below is a full list of the individuals Biden commuted.