Family Reacts with Heartbreak as Biden Commutes Death Sentence for Killer

President Joe Biden’s latest decision to commute the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates has left the families of victims seething with anger. Among the criminals spared is Brandon Council, who mercilessly gunned down two women during a 2017 bank robbery in South Carolina. For the families of Donna Major and Katie Skeen, this move is a direct insult to their grief and trust in the justice system.

Brandon Council murdered 59-year-old Donna Major and 36-year-old Katie Skeen in cold blood on August 21, 2017, during an armed robbery at Crescom Bank in Conway, South Carolina. Despite his heinous crime, President Biden’s unilateral decision to commute his death sentence has left the victims’ families feeling betrayed and voiceless.

Heather, the daughter of Donna Major, expressed her outrage during an interview, saying, “Anger. Absolute anger. We were told from our prosecution team on Sunday afternoon. I was angry. I’m still angry. I am upset that this is even happening, that one man can make this decision without even talking to the victims; without any regard for what we’ve been through, what we’re going through.”

She revealed that despite their efforts to engage with the White House and the pardon attorney, their voices were ignored. “In May, we heard that this was a possibility. And at that point, we began writing letters to the pardon attorney. I reached out, requesting an in-person meeting in D.C., and we were refused. They denied our right to have our voices heard,” Heather stated. “All we got was a ten-minute virtual conference, and clearly that fell on deaf ears.”

Donna Major’s husband, Danny, also voiced his disbelief and anger. Recalling the horrific crime, he said, “She was shown no mercy at all. This man walked into the bank, never said two words to her, shot her three times in total, went and shot her co-worker, Katie Skeen, as well. It’s just beyond me. I can’t even believe that this is actually happening.” He added, “Joe Biden was also told by the Pope that he should stop these executions. What the Pope has to do with anything in this country, I don’t know, but Joe Biden certainly has no convictions.”

The administration’s rationale, lauded by far-left figures like Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) as “compassionate leadership,” rings hollow for those left behind by these violent crimes. Katie, Donna Major’s other daughter, rebuked such claims, saying, “Compassion? I don’t think that that’s compassion. The fact that he didn’t talk to any of us, the victims of this crime? We trusted the judicial system. We sat through court. I watched my mother be murdered; I watched images of her body laying on the ground. He does not have compassion. For who? A criminal? A criminal? No.”

Biden’s sweeping decision to commute sentences is part of a broader push by his administration to end capital punishment at the federal level. But critics argue that bypassing victims’ families and undermining court rulings reveals a disdain for justice and accountability. The Major and Skeen families, left to mourn their loved ones, now grapple with the gut-wrenching reality of a justice system that failed them twice.

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