Aisha Sultan
In his final acts of mercy, Gov. Mike Parson commuted the sentence of Patty Prewitt, 75, who has served more than 36 years of a 50-year, no-parole sentence for murdering her husband in 1984.
"I am so grateful to be home with my family for Christmas," Prewitt stated on a post on Facebook. "Thank you to Governor Mike Parson and to all the people who have supported me over the years."
Prewitt has always maintained her innocence and says an intruder who raped her, also murdered her husband, laying in bed next to her.
I got to know Prewitt and her family in 2019 when I worked on a documentary about her case. The documentary, "33 and Counting," detailed the botched police investigation and raised questions about the trial and conviction. It featured the voices of formerly incarcerated women who described how Prewitt had changed their lives. She served as a mother figure to many incarcerated women lacking that maternal figure in their lives.
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George Lombardi, the former head of the Missouri Department of Corrections, who has since died, also stated in the film that Prewitt deserved clemency for the incredible contributions she had made during her decades in prison.
Her daughter, Jane Watkins, had made the three-hour drive to visit her mother Friday when the news of the commutation was released. For the first time in 36 years of visits, her mother was able to leave in the car with Jane and head home to her family in time for Christmas.
Her lawyer, Brian Reichart, was jubilant and in shock when he heard the news.
"For over 38 years, Patty Prewitt has been an inspiration to so many within and beyond the prison walls. Being her advocate for the past 14 years has been one of the greatest honors of my life," he said. "Thank you to Gov. Parson for showing mercy and doing the right thing for a woman who has done so much for others."
Parson granted 16 pardons and approved nine commutations including one for Timothy Prosser, who was serving a life sentence for a conviction on drug charges.
Parson denied 23 clemency petitions. The governor's office now holds zero pending clemency petitions. When Parson was sworn into office, he inherited a clemency backlog of more than 3,500 and received hundreds more since. He has taken action on nearly 4,000 clemency petitions. Parson prioritized providing individuals an answer, whether approved or denied.
Parson, indeed, deserves credit for this remarkable and deserving act of mercy, along with prioritizing the backlog of clemency petitions. People, who had been waiting for years, deserve an answer.
While I had longed for this day for Patty, her children and children, I had nearly given up hope that it was possible.
Hearing that she is finally free and will spend Christmas with her family is a testament to her unwavering faith that one day, she would get justice.
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