- The order directs the Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Corrections to release Taylor within five days.
Governor Tate Reeves announced Wednesday that he has signed an Executive Order granting clemency to Maurice Taylor, who he said was illegally sentenced to 20 years in prison, with five years suspended.
Reeves’ order directs the Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Corrections to release Taylor within five days.
This is the second executive clemency granted by Governor Reeves since taking office. The first came weeks ago when he granted clemency for Marcus Taylor, Maurice’s brother.
“Today, for the second time as governor, I have exercised my Constitutional authority to grant executive clemency by commuting an illegal sentence imposed on Maurice Taylor, the brother of Marcus Taylor, who was granted clemency earlier this month,” said Governor Reeves in a statement. “A couple of weeks ago, my office was contacted for the first time by Maurice Taylor’s post-conviction counsel and provided a copy of Mr. Taylor’s indictment, plea petition, sentencing order, transcript of the sentencing hearing and other documents from the Circuit Court file.”
The governor’s office said that in February 2015, Maurice Taylor accepted a plea bargain and pled guilty to conspiracy to sell a Schedule III substance. The state of Mississippi recommended a 20 year sentence, with five years suspended, which was accepted by the trial judge.
At the time of sentencing, the maximum lawful sentence that could be imposed on Taylor pursuant to Miss. Code § 97-1-1 for the charge of conspiracy to sell a Schedule III controlled substance was five years.
“These documents confirm that, like his brother, Maurice Taylor received a sentence more than three times longer than allowed under Mississippi law,” Reeves said. “Thus, the sentence imposed on Maurice Taylor plainly is illegal. Mr. Taylor has now served more than 11 years of his sentence (with credit for pretrial detention), and further service of this sentence in excess of the five-year statutory maximum constitutes a mischarge of justice.”
Reeves added, “When justice is denied to even one Mississippian, it is denied to us all.”
Frank Corder
