DOJO – Two men once sentenced to die for brutal murders are now being held inside the United States’ most secure federal prison, after the Justice Department began transferring inmates whose death sentences were commuted by President Biden during the final days of his term.
Aquilia Marcivicci Barnette of North Carolina and former New Orleans police officer Len “Robocop” Davis were officially moved to the U.S. Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX) in Florence, Colorado, officials confirmed. The transfers are part of a sweeping plan to relocate all 37 inmates whose federal death sentences were commuted by Biden on December 23, 2024.
Who Are the Convicted Killers?
Barnette carried out a cross-state spree in 1996, firebombing the apartment of his ex-girlfriend, Robin Williams, before shooting her to death weeks later. He also murdered 22-year-old Donald Allen during a carjacking. Davis, a notoriously corrupt officer nicknamed “Robocop,” was convicted of ordering the assassination of Kim Groves — a mother of three — after she reported him for police brutality. Both men had been on federal death row for decades.
Why Are They Being Sent to ADX?
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has framed the transfers as an effort to “restore a measure of justice” for victims’ families who say the late-term commutations blindsided them. Bondi’s Justice Department says the goal is to ensure the conditions of confinement match the severity of the inmates’ crimes and security risks.
ADX Florence — known as “the Alcatraz of the Rockies” — houses some of America’s most dangerous offenders, including Ramzi Yousef, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and El Chapo Guzmán.
Political Fallout and Families’ Anger
Families of victims say they were never notified before Biden signed the clemency wave, which included 4,245 pardons and commutations, the highest in U.S. history. Several relatives told federal officials they felt “betrayed” and “ignored.”
Bondi met with families earlier this year. Her department insists these transfers are a direct response to what they describe as Biden’s “reckless” actions.
Meanwhile, some former death-row inmates, including Davis, have even asked courts to reinstate their death sentences — calling the commutations unconstitutional.
What Happens Next?
The DOJ confirms that 10 former death-row inmates have already been transferred since mid-September, with all 37 expected to arrive at ADX by early next year. The moves represent the most aggressive federal containment action since the clearing of death row.
Bondi says the agency “will continue to seek accountability,” while Trump administration officials push for tougher measures against violent offenders who benefited from Biden’s clemency decisions.
