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Families of victims lash out at Illinois governor
CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- A woman whose brother was nearly decapitated while his hands were tied behind his back said Monday that Illinois Gov. George Ryan is "as bad as a murderer himself" for pardoning four inmates awaiting execution and commuting other inmates' death sentences to life in prison. "He betrayed my trust in the government," said Diana Brenner, whose brother William Feuling had his throat slit from ear to ear in his home in 1985. Andrew Johnson was found guilty in the killing and sentenced to die, until Ryan issued a blanket commutation to all those on death row last weekend. "[Ryan] has no conscience. He's just as bad as a murderer himself," Brenner said on CNN's "Connie Chung Tonight." "The system had a problem. Now, it's broke." Of the man convicted of killing her brother, she said, "He laughed when he murdered my brother, he laughed during the trial, and I know he's laughing now, thanks to Governor Ryan." The decision by Ryan, who left office Monday, has outraged victims' families, who said they had met with the governor last month and that he had assured them he would evaluate each case one-by-one. Crystal Fitch, whose sister was raped and murdered, said Ryan "deceived" victims' families. Ryan reiterated that he believes he made the right decision and hopes lawmakers will pass legislation to make the criminal justice system more fair. "I came to office as an avid supporter of the death penalty. Having looked at the system ... I think without question there are some flaws that need to be looked at," Ryan said. He said a panel has recommended 85 changes but the General Assembly hasn't taken them up. Among them is a requirement that confessions be videotaped. Fitch said Ryan had promised victims' families he would study each death row case before taking action, but she contends that he didn't have the time to do that. "I'm very angered, as many of the other victims' families are," Fitch said. "I'm quite disappointed in the fact that I was basically lied to by someone that I thought that I could count on." Ryan's decision affected 156 inmates on death row and 11 others who were sentenced to death but are awaiting resentencing or trials in other cases.
Speaking of the man whose sentence was commuted, Fitch added, "This individual did not deserve to be spared. He, in fact, did not spare his victims ... he does not deserve to live, he does not deserve to continue to eat three square meals a day, he does not deserve to live off my tax dollars while I'm out working hard. "[Ryan] thinks that he's going out having done this courageous deed, when in fact he's done nothing courageous. He is, if anything, a coward and a liar, and that's how he will be remembered," Fitch said. Pardoned man alleges police abuseMeanwhile, Madison Hobley, one of the four men Ryan pardoned Friday, accused police of beating him after his arrest 16 years ago. "They weren't willing to hear the truth," he said. "They began to beat me, and one cop put a plastic typewriter cover over my head to try to suffocate me." Hobley was accused of killing seven people -- including his wife and son -- in a 1987 fire. He said he never freely confessed to the murders. He spent the weekend with his mother, who is recovering from lung cancer. "She's feeling much better now that I'm home," he said. "Of course I feel great. It's a joy to be here with my family," Hobley said. "Everyone just seems happy to see me home. This is where I should be. I should have been here the whole time." He said relatives of some of those he was convicted of killing still blame him for the fire. But he added, "I'm also a victim. I lost my wife and child. I continue to be accused of something I didn't ever do."
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