Iowa Board of Parole Won't Recommend Commutation, Protester Arrested at Iowa Capitol
Activists vow to keep fighting for Waterloo man. A Black protester is arrested by the Iowa State Patrol at the Iowa State Capitol. Black & Brown Business Summit vendor opportunity.
Iowa Board of Parole Won’t Recommend Commutation for William C. Scott
The Iowa Board of Parole Thursday — with one dissenting vote — won’t recommend commuting the life sentence of William ‘Cory’ Scott, 51, a Waterloo man convicted of first-degree murder in 1991, under the controversial felony murder rule. Black activists for months have fought for his release.
The Iowa Board of Parole Vote:
Ralph Haskins — Yes
Kathleen Kooiker — No
Sue Weinacht — Yes
Vince Lewis — Yes
Andrew Boettger, vice chair — Yes
"I don't believe there was an intent to kill and therefore I think it’s appropriate that the governor revisit this sentence in the form of a commutation grant, Boettger said, acknowleding there was a victim who had died.
When a split vote occurs, the “formal recommendation of the Board of Parole to the governor is to deny commutation,” according to an email from the board. Gov. Kim Reynolds has 90 days to review the recommendation, make additional inquiries and render a decision, the email stated. A commutation of a life sentence is a reduction or lessening of the original sentence, according to the board’s website.
“It is incredibly frustrating that four out of the five board members could recommend commutation, but the official recommendation that will come to the governor's desk will be no,” said Antwonette Shade, founder of the Union of Black America, a coalition of individuals and organizations that have a vested interest in the Black community that is pushing for Scott’s freedom. “This is another technicality that works against justice.”
Shade said now they’ll fight to have their voices heard by the governor who “alone has the power to make the decision.”
“I expect her to look closely into the reason why nearly all of her board is in favor of giving William Cory Scott his life back,” she said. “There is no better candidate for the second chances she spoke of during her campaign. I truly see no justifiable reason why she would deny him a second chance.”
The Iowa Department of Corrections also did not recommend Scott for release, Boettger said.
The department “noted that you've had good institutional adjustment and you’ve used your time productively in the institution, but they cannot support release at this time,” Boettger said.
The board received letters in support of Scott’s commutation from Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad, D-Des Moines, Scott’s mother and Waterloo Mayor Quentin Hart. Nearly 4,000 people also signed a petition to free Scott.
No victims or victims’ advocates joined the hearing, which was held using Google Meet.
According to court documents, Scott, 21 years old at the time, was stabbed by Willie Guyton, who he had known of for years, with a knife. Scott received more than 260 stitches. Two weeks later, Scott thought Guyton had a gun and fired four shots toward Guyton’s car, and one bullet “was deflected at a sharp angle,” killing the man. Scott was convicted of first-degree murder on Dec. 13, 1991. He was sentenced under the felony murder rule, based on the added felonies of willful injury and terrorism.
Scott told the board that Guyton had been targeting him and had threatened his life the day of the incident, but he did not intend to kill him.
In the dissenting vote, Kooiker said: “The jury found him guilty. The Court of Appeals looked at these issues . . . and they did not find in favor of that. And with the life loss and the violence and just what led up to it, my vote is going to have to be no.”
“Mr. Scott was convicted solely based on the felony-murder doctrine,” said Boettger.
“The felony murder doctrine is really punitive, in my opinion,” he said.
Boettger said Scott went to the police after Guyton injured him and didn’t receive any help, and Scott said the police told him that he might be the one who was prosecuted.
“In a moment of what I would think would be sheer panic and fear, Mr. Scott was in this situation where he had to take his own defense into his own hands,” Boettger said.
Board Deliberations
Kooiker, the dissenting vote, asked Scott detailed questions for nearly 30 minutes about the time in Scott’s life before the shooting, his movements in the days leading up to purchasing a gun, where he kept it, how well he knew the victim and the nature of their relationship and why he made the decisions he did on the night of the shooting.
Scott told the board he has used his time in prison to better himself, help others and “hopefully prepare myself for a life outside of these walls.”
The board also asked what he has learned about himself while incarcerated.
Scott said he’s vice-president of the local NAACP and a braille transcriber.
“I’ve developed some qualities — leadership type of skills — to lead other people to a positive direction,” he said.
The board asked about Scott’s future plans should he be released.
Scott, who got married in January and has an adult son, said his immediate plans would be to reside in Des Moines temporarily, find employment and eventually go back to college and work toward earning a master’s degree in computer science. He would like to move to Alabama where his wife is located, he said.
The Sentencing Project, a national group that works for criminal justice reforms, has launched a campaign to end life sentences. According to the project, a record number of people are serving life sentences in the U.S. “due to policy decisions to lengthen sentences, delay parole hearings and reduce parole grants.”
Crown Act Fails to Gain ‘Traction’ in Iowa
HF471, to prohibit discrimination based on an individual's texture or style of hair, died this year. Rep. Marti Anderson, D-Des Moines, said via email the bill was referred to the Judiciary Committee but didn’t move on since Republicans lead the House. She said it also usually takes three to five years for a new idea, “especially a new civil right, to get traction.” However, she and the 11 other sponsors aren’t giving up, she said.
According to the Crown Act, Black women are 1.5 times more likely to be sent home for work because of their hair. The Crown Act is the law in several states, cities and counties, according to the initiative.
Protester Arrested at the Iowa State Capitol
The Des Moines Black Liberation Movement on Thursday issued a press release after a high school student was arrested earlier in the day during a protest organized by Advocates for Social Justice at the Iowa State Capitol. They said protesters were “demonstrating nonviolently” against “racist and dangerous” bills in the legislature when a high school student asked officers for their badge numbers. According to the press release, an Iowa State Patrol officer then arrested the high schooler. “The arrest was illegal and unconstitutional,” the press release said. According to the Des Moines Register, Josie Mulvihill, 18, an activist was arrested. The Norwalk student has been recently “fighting against racism, harassment and bullying” in the Norwalk school district, according to the Register story.
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