A convicted murderer whose life sentence was commuted by Donald Trump on the last day of his presidency has recently been convicted of attacking his wife.
Jaime Davidson was serving a life sentence in a New York jail for his role in a 1990 robbery that led to the death of Wallie Howard Jr., an undercover police officer. Davidson, while not present, planned the robbery that targeted one of his rival drug dealers. Trump, in the final 24 hours of his presidency, commuted Davidson’s sentence.
Then, earlier this year, officers in Orange County, Florida, charged Davidson with beating and strangling his wife, who he had been married to for five months, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. A jury acquitted him of all charges except misdemeanor domestic battery and a judge sentenced him in May to three months in jail.
Davidson is appealing the conviction, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. He told the judge he has been working for a delivery company since he was released from prison three years ago and regularly volunteers in the community.
“I would never disrespect a woman. I’ll walk away. I’m a God-fearing man,” he said at his sentencing. “I don’t drink, smoke. I don’t gamble. I don’t go out.”
While in prison, Davidson’s case was pushed back into the spotlight when the former president commuted his sentence. The Trump campaign pointed to recanted testimony when they announced Davidson’s commutation.
“Notably, witnesses who testified against Mr. Davidson later recanted their testimony in sworn affidavits and further attested that Mr. Davidson had no involvement,” the Trump administration wrote in a 2021 statement.
While serving his life sentence, Davidson also tutored more than 1,000 fellow incarcerated people to help them earn GEDs, according to the administration’s statement.
White House officials objected to Trump’s decision at the time, and Howard’s family questioned why the president would offer Davidson clemency, The New York Times reports.
“President Trump believes anyone convicted of a crime should spend time behind bars,” Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to the Times.
The admitted shooter— Robert Lawrence, 16 years old at the time — had his life sentence reduced in 2014 and has since been released from prison as well.
Davidson is not the first person who benefited from Trump’s judicial policies to find themselves back in cuffs. Just last month, Jonathan Braun, a New York drug smuggler and loan shark who Trump gave clemency, was also arrested. He now faces several assault charges after police say he punched his father-in-law in the head during a domestic dispute.
Braun, whose sentence was commuted in the same wave as Davidson’s, has pleaded not guilty.
The Independent has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.
