Mississippi man serving an illegal sentence granted clemency, weeks after his brother

JACKSON, Miss. — A man sentenced to an illegal prison term several years beyond the maximum sentence for his crime has won clemency from Mississippi’s governor, weeks after his brother was granted clemency in a similar case.

Governor Tate Reeves announced Wednesday that he was pardoning Maurice Taylor. The man’s brother, Marcus Taylor, received a pardon from the governor earlier this month for another illegal conviction.

In February 2015, both brothers accepted plea negotiations and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell a Schedule III substance.

At the time, the maximum sentence for conspiracy to sell a Schedule III substance was five years. However, Maurice Taylor was sentenced to 20 years in prison, five years of which were suspended, and Marcus Taylor to 15 years.

“Like his brother, Maurice Taylor received a sentence more than three times longer than allowed under Mississippi law,” Reeves wrote in his statement. “When justice is denied to even one Mississippian, it is denied to all of us. »

In May, the Mississippi Court of Appeals ruled that Marcus Taylor’s sentence was unlawful, but did not commute his sentence because Taylor missed the deadline to seek post-conviction relief. After reexamining the case in November, the court reversed course and ordered his release.

In Wednesday’s order, Reeves wrote that Maurice Taylor’s attorney, after his conviction, first contacted his office a few weeks ago, providing legal documents in his case. Maurice Taylor must be released within five days, according to Reeves’ order.

The Associated Press was not immediately able to identify and contact Maurice Taylor’s attorney after his conviction.

The brothers are the only ones to benefit from Reeves’ leniency.