The Idaho Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Governor Brad Little who denied clemency to convicted double murderer Gerald Pizzutto Jr.
The High Court was tasked with determining whether the governor had the authority to reject a parole board’s commutation recommendation.
Gerald Pizzuto
Pizzuto has been on death row for more than three decades after being convicted for the 1985 murders of two gold prospectors at a remote cabin north of McCall. His execution had been scheduled for June 2021, but he asked for clemency because he has terminal bladder cancer, heart disease, diabetes and decreased intellectual function.
In a 4-3 vote in December the Commission on Pardons and Parole recommended Pizzuto’s sentence be commuted to life in prison. Little rejected the recommendation, leading to the court’s decision.
In the opinion handed down this week, a majority of justices on the high court said state laws and the Constitution are consistent, noting that Idaho’s governor has historically played a significant role in the commutation process.
The decision means the state can seek a death warrant for Pizzuto. Once issued, the warrant would set Pizzuto’s execution by lethal injection in the next 30 days.
