Shannon Agofsky and Len Davis refused to sign paperwork that would reduce their sentences to life without parole.

Two convicted murderers who were spared from execution by Joe Biden’s controversial clemency last month have told a federal court they want to remain on death row instead. Shannon Agofsky and Len Davis are both incarcerated at the US Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Both Agofsky and Davis have refused to sign paperwork that would reduce their sentences to life without parole. In fact, they filed emergency motions in the state’s southern district federal court last week to prevent president Biden’s death-row reprieve from taking effect.

Why did Shannon Agofsky and Len Davis refuse to sign paperwork?
Agofsky and Davis both maintain their innocence. They have refused to sign paperwork as they believe Biden’s commutation puts them at a legal disadvantage as they appeal their cases, NBC News reported.

“To commute his sentence now, while the defendant has active litigation in court, is to strip him of the protection of heightened scrutiny,” Agofsky’s filing stated, per the outlet. “This constitutes an undue burden, and leaves the defendant in a position of fundamental unfairness, which would decimate his pending appellate procedures.”

Davis, on the other hand, described his current situation as a “ fast-moving constitutional conundrum,” and also stated that “having a death sentence would draw attention to the overwhelming misconduct” he alleges against the Justice Department.

Compared to other cases, death penalty appeals cases are more closely examined for errors under the heightened scrutiny doctrine. If the two inmates no longer face capital punishment, they will both lose the benefit. However, in a 1927 case, the Supreme Court ruled that a “convict’s consent is not required” for the president “to grant reprieves and pardons.”

Agofsky was sentenced to death in 2004 for the murder of a fellow Texas prison inmate three years prior. He had already been serving a life sentence on murder and robbery charges for the 1989 abduction and killing of a bank president. “The defendant never requested commutation,” his filing said. “The defendant never filed for commutation. The defendant does not want commutation, and refused to sign the papers offered with the commutation.”

Agofsky, 53, maintains his innocence in the bank president murder case, and disputes the way he was charged in the prison killing case. “He doesn’t want to die in prison being labeled a cold-blooded killer,” his wife, Laura Agofsky, told NBC News.

Davis is a former New Orleans, Louisiana, police officer who was convicted of hiring a hitman to kill Kim Groves in 1994 after she allegedly filed a complaint against him. The filing stated that 60-year-old Davis “has always maintained his innocence.” The filing also alleged that the federal court that convicted Davis had no jurisdiction in the case.

Biden recently granted clemency to 37 federal death row inmates, and Agofsky and Davis were among them. Those granted clemency included several child killers and mass murderers.

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The Mahotsav, which will be held on the theme ‘Building a Resilient Rural India for Viksit Bharat 2047,’ will celebrate rural India’s entrepreneurial spirit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Grameen Bharat Mahotsav 2025 on Saturday morning at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi. He will also address the gathering on the occasion.

Celebrating Rural India’s entrepreneurial spirit and cultural heritage, the Mahotsav will be held from 4 to 9 January with the theme ‘Building a Resilient Rural India for a Viksit Bharat 2047’.

The Mahotsav, through various discussions, workshops and masterclasses, aims to enhance rural infrastructure, create self-reliant economies, and foster innovation within rural communities.

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, under the aegis of Department of Financial Services, is organizing this mega conclave cum exhibition.

Its objectives include promoting economic stability and financial security among rural populations, with a special focus on North-East India, by addressing financial inclusion and supporting sustainable agricultural practices.

A significant focus of the Mahotsav will be to empower rural women through entrepreneurship; bring together government officials, thought leaders, rural entrepreneurs, artisans and stakeholders from diverse sectors to build a roadmap for collaborative and collective rural transformation; encourage discussions around leveraging technology and innovative practices to enhance rural livelihoods; and showcase India’s rich cultural heritage through vibrant performances and exhibitions.

On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 1,675 newly constructed flats for the dwellers of JJ clusters and also handed over keys to eligible beneficiaries at Swabhiman Apartments in Ashok Vihar, Delhi. Ahead of the inauguration, PM Modi also inspected newly constructed flats for the dwellers of Jhuggi Jhopri (JJ) clusters under the In-Situ Slum Rehabilitation Project.

The objective of the project is to provide the residents of the JJ clusters in Delhi with a better and healthier living environment equipped with proper amenities and facilities, a press release had said.

For every ₹25 lakh spent on the construction of a flat by the government, eligible beneficiaries pay less than 7 per cent of the total amount, comprising ₹1.42 lakh as a nominal contribution and ₹30,000 for five years of maintenance.

PM Narendra Modi also virtually inaugurated two urban redevelopment projects – the World Trade Centre at Nauroji Nagar and GPRA Type-II Quarters at Sarojini Nagar, CBSE’s Integrated Office Complex at Dwarka and also laid the foundation stone of Veer Savarkar College at Roshanpura, Najafgarh.

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AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal announced a new scheme offering a monthly honorarium of ₹18,000 to Hindu and Sikh priests amid a row over a stipend scheme. The Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, provides an honorarium of ₹18,000 per month to temple priests and Gurudwara ‘granthis,’ marking the first time such a scheme has been implemented in India.

Kejriwal plans to commence registration for a scheme at the Hanuman Temple in Delhi’s Connaught Place tomorrow.

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