Outgoing Tennessee Governor commutes death sentence of Harbison, pardons 22

Outgoing Gov. Phil Bredesen on Tuesday commuted a Tennessee inmate's death sentence to life in prison without parole and issued 22 pardons.

The Democratic governor acted during his last days in office to change the sentence of convicted murderer Edward Jerome Harbison.

"It's obviously a heinous crime, but when I compare it to others I don't think it rose to the level of a death penalty crime," Bredesen told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview. "So I knocked it down one notch to life without parole. And that's enough said, I guess."

Bredesen, who leaves office on Saturday, said he had discussed the commutation with Republican Gov.-elect Bill Haslam.

"He was totally fine, I think he understands completely," he said. "He thought it was appropriate even though the execution would have happened on his watch."

Bredesen also exonerated 1 man, commuted the sentences of 3 inmates and issued 22 pardons.

Harbison was convicted in Chattanooga of the 1983 slaying of Edith Russell, a woman for whom he had done handy work. He initially confessed but later claimed he was forced to do that because police threatened to arrest his girlfriend and put her children in foster care.

The exoneration erases the conviction of James Green, who was arrested in 2006 and charged with abducting and groping a child. 2 years later, the alleged victim recanted the claims and the district attorney dropped the charges. Green served more than 2 years of a 16-year sentence before he was released.

Source: Associated Press, January 11, 2011