(Photo : Photo Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - AUGUST 24: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) In this screenshot from the RNC’s livestream of the 2020 Republican National Convention, Patricia and Mark McCloskey, a couple from St. Louis who pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters, addresses the virtual convention in a pre-recorded video broadcasted on August 24, 2020. The convention is being held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic but will include speeches from various locations including Charlotte, North Carolina and Washington, DC.
A couple from St. Louis who previously brandished their firearms at protesters who were marching outside of their property peacefully last year were pardoned by Missouri Governor Mike Parson, a decision announced on Tuesday by the official's office.
The suspects, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, are two attorneys in their 60s and were photographed showing off their guns to protesters. The couple was given their pardons on July 30. Parson granted the two individuals with 12 pardons and two commutations.
Couple Brandished Weapons
The McCloskeys pleaded guilty to misdemeanors in relation to the incident in June 2020, which caused them to pay fines. Mark pleaded guilty to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault for threatening the passersby with an AR-15 rifle and paid a $750 fine. His wife, Patricia, on the other hand, pleaded guilty to harassment and was fined $2,000.
Despite the pleas, neither of the attorneys lose their law licenses of their firearms during or after the case. During an interview, Mark said that the pardons were only a correction of something that should not have even happened in the first place, Fox News reported.
Special prosecutor Richard Callahan conducted an investigation into the 2020 protest that the McCloskeys were threatened by. He said that there was no evidence to support the couple fearing the crowd of protesters marching along the street. None of the demonstrators had weapons and no one he talked with knew that the street was privately owned.
The McCloskeys were defended by many Republican leaders, most notably by then-President Donald Trump. During the Republican National Convention last year, the couple was also invited to speak on video.
After the plea hearing, Mark was unapologetic about his alleged crime, saying he would do the same thing again if he was faced with the same scenario. The attorney said brandishing his firearm was the only thing that kept the protesters from destroying his home and attacking his family, the Associated Press reported. Mark also expressed his gratitude towards Parson for righting a wrong against the couple.
Unfair Treatment
For months, Parson's legal team has been working on a backlog of clemency requests, which has not yet taken action regarding Kevin Strickland, a longtime inmate. Several prosecutors said that the man was wrongfully convicted and is innocent of a 1978 triple homicide in Kansas City. While Parson has the authority to pardon Strickland, he does not believe the suspect is innocent of the crime.
Missouri House Democratic Minority Leader Crystal Quade criticized Parson's treatment of Strickland compared to the McCloskeys. The official called the incident "disgusting" where Parson allowed Mark and Patricia a pardon despite pleading and breaking the law. Unlike Strickland, who has spent 40 years in prison for crimes that are now being contested as fraudulent, remains without clemency, the Washington Post reported.
In a statement, Democratic state Rep. LaKeySha Bosley said that the governor's decision to pardon the McCloskey's severely underscored that under his rule, the privileged control the law and the justice system across the state.
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