US President Donald Trump pardoned two police officers in Washington on Wednesday m, who had been convicted in the 2020 murder of 20-year-old Black man Karon Hylton-Brown, according to the White House.
In September 2024, Terence Sutton Jr. was sentenced to 66 months in prison, while Andrew Zabavsky was given a 48-month sentence for their involvement in an unauthorized police pursuit that led to a fatal collision on October 23, 2020, in Northwest Washington, D.C. The Justice Department stated that the officers remained free while they appealed their convictions.
The Metropolitan Police Department revealed that Sutton, in his early 40s, and Zabavsky, in his mid-50s, were on “indefinite suspension without pay, pending our administration process.” Sutton was found guilty in late 2022 by a unanimous federal jury after a nine-week trial, charged with second-degree murder, conspiracy to obstruct, and obstruction of justice.
Zabavsky was found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of justice.
The jury determined that Sutton’s reckless driving during the police pursuit had caused Hylton-Brown’s death, showing “conscious disregard” for the risk of harm. Additionally, Sutton and Zabavsky were found to have conspired to hide the details of the crash from officials.
The DC Police Union had petitioned for a pardon for both officers. Sutton’s attorney, Kellen Dwyer, expressed confidence that the conviction would have been overturned by the D.C. Circuit, but celebrated Trump’s decision to end the case. Zabavsky’s attorney, Christopher Zampogna, also thanked the president.
Hylton-Brown’s mother, Karen Hylton, shared her shock and sorrow upon hearing of the potential pardons.
The case occurred months after the killing of George Floyd, which sparked global protests against police brutality and racial injustice. Trump’s pardon of Sutton and Zabavsky follows a controversial move earlier this week, where he pardoned approximately 1,500 individuals who participated in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, some of whom had assaulted police officers.
The Fraternal Order of Police, the largest police union in the US and a Trump supporter in the 2024 election, along with the International Association of Chiefs of Police, issued a joint statement expressing their “deeply discouraged” reaction to the pardons.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
