It was inevitable, Save Jerseyans.
Jerry D. Crawford – a man released from New Jersey’s South Woods State Prison thanks to a law signed by Governor Phil Murphy – now stands accused of a post-release murder.
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On Wednesday, NJ.com reported that Crawford and a second individual had been charged by prosecutors with the murder of a man whose body was discovered under a half-mile from the prison facility; the grisly murder was committed a mere two days after Crawford’s release.
Crawford (and thousands of other inmates, some of whom were known to be danerous) were released early thanks to S-2519, a bill signed by the Democrat incumbent last fall which awarded so-called “public health emergency credits” to inmates who were inside of 365 days of scheduled release.
“Thanks to the efforts of our correctional leadership, the COVID-19 positivity rate among our incarcerated population is at an impressive low of 0.09%. But the threat of COVID-19 is still present,” Governor Murphy explained in an October 2020 release celebrating the program. “Reducing our prison population will undoubtedly further our mission to combat COVID-19. This law further reduces the prison population to allow for even more social distancing.”
Critics say the consequences were predictable.
“A member of the public is now dead as a direct result of the Murphy administration’s dangerous early release policy,” said state Senator Mike Testa Jr. (R-1) on Wednesday. “According to the charges filed by prosecutors, it took just two days for a released inmate to commit murder after his sentence was cut short and he was set free. We warned Governor Murphy that he was putting the public at risk, but he disagreed, with tragic results.”
“While Governor Murphy was jamming nursing homes with sick COVID patients, he was emptying jails to protect prisoners,” Testa continued. “It’s a level of insanity and hypocrisy that’s almost beyond belief. Governor Murphy owes New Jersey an apology for the 8,000 nursing home deaths he caused and the criminals he freed who are driving his death toll even higher.”
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