Convicted murderer Thomas Creech will get a last minute chance for clemency.
The State Commission of Pardons and Parole announced Wednesday it will set a hearing for arguments on commutation.
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The specific date has not been set, but the commission says it will delay the November 8 execution date -- at least temporarily. Following the hearing, the commission will give its recommendation to the Governor, who will have 30 days to decide what to do. If he doesn't make a decision, clemency will automatically be declined.
73-year-old Creech has been on death row for more than 40 years.
He was convicted of killing another inmate in 1981, and Creech is suspected of killing as many as 40 people since the 1970s.
The Idaho Governor's office released this statement in response:
Governor Little is aware of the commission’s decision to grant Thomas Eugene Creech’s request for a commutation hearing. Governor Little is committed to the rule of law and allowing the legal process to play out.
Idaho law entrusts local elected prosecutors with the discretion to seek the death penalty for certain heinous crimes. As chief executive of the state, the Governor’s role is to faithfully carry out lawful sentences imposed through the judicial processes.
Thomas Creech is a serial killer convicted of numerous atrocious murders and was lawfully sentenced to death in a court of law. He also bragged about killing many other people in other states but was never convicted of those crimes. Governor Little supports capital punishment because it is sometimes the only way to bring justice upon evildoers and provide victims’ families with some measure of peace.
