Trump pardons police officers convicted of murder, obstruction in man's death
President Donald Trump pardoned two Washington, D.C. police officers convicted in the death of Karon Hylton-Brown, who was riding a moped on a sidewalk without a helmet when he ignored instructions to stop.
Those instructions came from police officer Terence D. Sutton, who then chased Hylton-Brown in a car for more than 10 blocks, including down an alley with emergency lights and sirens turned off, according to federal prosecutors. Hylton-Brown was struck by another car as he emerged from the alley and, as he lay unconscious, Sutton and fellow officer Andrew Zabavsky agreed to cover up Sutton's actions, prosecutors have said.
The pair allowed the driver of the other car to leave within 20 minutes, turned off their body cameras, conferred, and then left without contacting the Metropolitan Police Department's major crash and internal affairs units to start an investigation, according to the Justice Department.
Sutton was convicted by a federal jury in December of 2022 of second-degree murder, conspiracy to obstruct, and obstruction of justice. A judge sentenced him to 5 and a half years in prison. The same jury found Zabavsky guilty of conspiracy to obstruct and obstructing justice. He received a four-year prison sentence.
The DC police union as well as lawyers for the officers had sought clemency from the Trump administration, according to CNN.
Neither Sutton nor Zabavsky were behind bars at the time of Trump's pardon on Wednesday, according to NBC4 Washington. Both remained free while they appealed their cases.
Start your day smart: Sign up for Paste BN's Daily Briefing newsletter.
Hylton-Brown’s mother, Karen Hylton, urged Trump, in a statement ahead of the pardons, to choose a different course, according to NBC4 Washington.
“President Trump as the mother of a baby whom I love, I am requesting to speak with you privately," she said. "Please don't pardon Sutton and Zabavsky."
In a statement to Paste BN, Sutton's lawyer, Kellen Dwyer, said, “While we are confident that the D.C. Circuit would have reversed these convictions, we are grateful that President Trump ended this prosecution once and for all.” The D.C. Circuit is a federal appeals court.
Zabavsky's lawyer, Christopher Zampogna, said in a statement that his client "thanks President Trump for granting him a full and unconditional pardon for a prosecution that should never been brought and, although we are confident of overturning the matter on appeal, we are thrilled with President Trump's pardon."
(This story has been updated to add additional information.)