Home / Crime and Justice / Injustice Overturned: Man Freed After 10 Years of Illegal Sentence
Injustice Overturned: Man Freed After 10 Years of Illegal Sentence
11 Dec
Summary
- Man served over a decade for an illegal 15-year sentence.
- Sentence was for conspiracy to sell a Schedule III controlled substance.
- Governor Tate Reeves granted clemency, ordering release within five days.
Marcus Taylor will be released after serving more than 10 years of an illegal 15-year sentence for conspiracy to sell a controlled substance. The Mississippi Court of Appeals initially ruled his sentence illegal in May, but procedural issues delayed his release.
After reconsidering the case last month, the court reversed its decision and ordered Taylor's freedom. The appeals court found that both the trial court and Taylor's plea agreement had incorrectly stated the maximum sentence for his crime. A judge then imposed the 15-year sentence based on these errors.
Governor Tate Reeves has granted clemency, stating the continued incarceration beyond the five-year statutory maximum was a "mischarge of justice." This marks the first clemency granted by Governor Reeves since he took office in 2020. Taylor is expected to be released within five days of the governor's order.
