Donald Trump has chosen to pardon two police officers convicted of killing a 20-year-old Black man in 2020.
On Jan. 22, the newly returned Commander in Chief pardoned Terence Sutton Jr. and Andrew Zabavsky, who were sentenced to 66 months (Sutton) and 48 months (Zabavsky) in the killing of Karon Hylton-Brown, Reuters reported. The pardon comes four months after the officers received their sentences in what the Justice Department deemed as “an unauthorized police pursuit that ended in a collision” death of Hylton-Brown.
The officers never began their prison sentences, as they remained free while waiting for the outcome of their
pending appeals. The sentences came two years after a nine-week trial where a jury found Sutton guilty of second-degree murder, conspiracy to obstruct, and obstruction of justice and Zabavsky guilty of conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of justice.The DC police union requested pardons for the two officers after the jury convicted Sutton of driving a police vehicle with “conscious disregard” for the severe risk of death or serious injury to Hylton-Brown. Prosecutors said Karon Hylton-Brown was riding a motorbike without a helmet when Officer Terrence Sutton chased him in an unmarked car through Northwest D.C.
The pursuit lasted for 10 blocks before Sutton followed Hylton-Brown down an alley at what prosecutors described as an excessive speed. After Hylton-Brown exited the alley, he was struck by a car.
Following the crash, Sutton and Lt. Andrew Zabavsky allegedly conspired to cover up the true events of what happened, according to prosecutors. Prior to Trump’s recent ruling, Hylton’s mother, Karen Hylton, expressed how distraught she was about the potential pardons.
“As a mother, I am asking you don’t pardon the murders (sic) of my baby Karon Hylton,” Karen Hylton said in the statement. “President Trump as the mother of a baby whom I love, I am requesting to speak with you privately … Please don’t pardon Sutton and Zabavsky.
The two officers now join the 1,500 Trump supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and received pardons from the newly reinstated president on his first day back in office. Among those pardoned were individuals who had assaulted police officers during the riot.
The Fraternal Order of Police, the largest police union in the U.S. that endorsed Trump in the 2024 election, along with the International Association of Chiefs of Police, has since issued a joint statement expressing their “deep discouragement” over the pardons.
“The IACP and
FOP are deeply discouraged by the recent pardons and commutations granted by both the Biden and Trump administrations to individuals convicted of killing or assaulting law enforcement officers. The IACP and FOP firmly believe that those convicted of such crimes should serve their full sentences,” the IACP and FOP statement said.RELATED CONTENT: Donald Trump Says He Will Consider Pardoning NYC Eric Adams In Federal Indictment Probe