Idaho’s current longest-serving death row inmate will get a full hearing before state officials who will consider commuting his sentence to life in prison.
New documents released Friday show the Idaho Commission of Pardons & Parole granted Thomas Creech a full commutation hearing after considering his application earlier this month.
Creech has been convicted of killing multiple people, including two men in Valley County in 1974, and most recently, beating another inmate to death in 1981 that he claimed was self-defense.
His commutation application says he has changed significantly since those times. He said he’s remorseful for his past crimes and now urges younger inmates to avoid making the same mistakes he has during his life.
Several former prison guards and staffers submitted sworn declarations in support of Creech, including a judge that had sentenced him to death multiple times.
Officials issued a death warrant for Creech earlier this month, but his execution has since been put on hold pending the outcome of his commutation request.
Details of the commission’s initial hearing weren’t immediately available Friday. Boise State Public Radio has filed a public records request seeking that information.
That full hearing is scheduled for January.
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