Newsom Pardons 13 Former Prisoners, Commutes 21 Sentences

CALIFORNIA — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday granted 13 pardons to former state inmates and commuted the sentences of 21 current inmates, saying the clemency would allow them to lead fuller lives following their sentences.

Those receiving clemency include three people whose immigration status had been threatened and several others who had been serving life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Most were young at the time they committed their crimes. All the inmates who received commutations have had exemplary records in prison, Newsom said in a document detailing each person's case.

Those who received commutations will need to appear before the Board of Parole, which will decide whether they can be safely released, NBC reported.

The full list of people receiving pardons includes:

• Melissa Arechiga, convicted of a carjacking in Los Angeles County in 1996 when she was 21 years old
• Jesus Avendano, convicted for setting a fire in Los Angeles in 1998, when he was 24
• Steven Bohannan, convicted of grand theft in 1994
• Carlos Castaneda, convicted for marijuana possession in 1995, when he was 21
• Tina Conklin, a Washington state resident, convicted in California in 1987 for possession of marijuana for sale, when she was 23
• Stephen Frize, convicted in Orange County for exhibiting and possessing a firearm in 1997, when he was 24
• Richard Gamez, convicted in Sacramento in 1995, when he was 21, for presenting a false claim for payment of a loss or injury
• Robert Ilgenfritz, convicted in 2009 at the age of 21 for possession of a controlled substance
• Chheng Lao, convicted in 1996 of first-degree residential robbery when he was 21
• Richard Morrison, convicted in San Diego in 1994 for attempted second-degree burglary, when he was 22
• Ny Nourn, convicted of first-degree murder and arson in 2003, and resentenced to second-degree murder in 2008 for a crime she committed when she was 18
• Sophea Om, convicted in Los Angeles in 2006 at the age of 23 for acquisition of an access card
• Christopher Osborn, convicted in Orange County in 2002 at the age of 21 for selling marijuana

Those receiving commutations include:

• Andrew Aradoz, who fired shots at a group of rival gang members in 2007, when he was 14. He has been incarcerated for 12 years.
• Dwayne Allen, who shot and killed a person during a robbery in 1979. He was 21 at the time and is now 62, having been incarcerated for 41 years.
• Kathy Baker, who shot and injured her ex-boyfriend following an argument in 2006. Baker, now 61, was sentenced to 31 years to life, of which she has served 14 years.
• Carl Banks, who shot and killed am an in a gang-related crime in 2007 and was sentenced to 40 years to life. He was 16 at the time and is now 29.
• Isaac Belmontez, convicted of shooting and injuring two rival gang members in 2011, when he was 23. He is now 32 and was serving a 45-year sentence.
• Louis Calvin, sentenced to 32 years to life for fatally shooting a man during an altercation in 2006, when he was 45.
• Yesica Cambero, who drove her crime partner to a location where he shot a rival gang member in 2004, when she was 17. She has served 16 years of a 32-year sentence.
• Yu Chen, who fatally shot a romantic rival in 1995, when he was 32. He has served 24 years of a 35-year sentence.
• Paris Dixon, sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for a murder he committed during a robbery in 1982, when he was 25.
• James Heard, who shot a romantic rival and directed a crime partner to kill him in 1998, when he was 22. He has served 21 years of a life sentence.
• Frank Marquez, who robbed businesses at gunpoint in 2007, when he was 17 and 18 years old. He has served 11 years of a 33-year sentence.
• Duncan Martinez, who helped cover up a fatal stabbing in 1990, when he was 20. He has served more than 25 years of a life sentence.
• Jose Martinez, who participated in the killing of a rival gang member in 2005, when he was 16. He has served 15 years of a 40-year sentence.
• David Phillips, who killed a man during a robbery in 1998, when he was 20. Phillips has been incarcerated for 24 years as part of a life sentence.
• Jered Pillsbury, who committed multiple robberies in 2012, when he was 32. He has served seven years of a 13-year sentence.
• Richard Ponce, who was convicted for robbing a man and participating in his murder in 200, when he was 31. He has served 19 years of a life sentence.
• Adolfo Quiroz, who shot and injured a man in 2004, when he was 17. He is now 33 and has served nearly 14 years of a 32-year sentence.
• Miguel Ruiz, who was convicted for a 1989 murder he committed when he was 21. He has been incarcerated for more than 29 years during his life sentence.
• Cindy Thao, who participated in a 2005 robbery in which her crime partner killed the victim, when she was 21. She is now 36, having served 14 years of a 26-year sentence.
• Issa Wajeel, who shot and killed a man on his property illegally in 2008 when he was 50. He is now 62, having served nearly 10 years of a 50-year sentence.
• Thomas Waterbury, who shot and killed his wife, Deborah, in 1980, when he was 22. He has been incarcerated for more than 39 years during his life sentence.