Marvin Gabrion, a Michigan inmate sitting on death row for the 1997 murder of Rachel Timmerman, had his death sentence commuted by President Joe Biden on Monday, according to the White House.
He was among 37 inmates whose sentences were reduced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“President Biden has dedicated his career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system,” White House officials wrote. “He believes that America must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level, except in cases of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder – which is why today’s actions apply to all but those cases.”
Timmerman, 19, of Cedar Springs, disappeared two days before she was set to testify against Gabrion for raping her in 1997.
Gabrion restrained the 19-year-old, covered her eyes and mouth with duct tape, and chained her body to cinderblocks before throwing her into Oxford Lake, a body of water within Manistee National Forest, according to previous reporting by News Channel 3.
Timmerman’s body was recovered in June 1997.
Gabrion was found four months later in New York, extradited back to Michigan, and convicted of first-degree murder.
His case became West Michigan’s first death penalty trial, as the murder happened on federal land, qualifying him for the death penalty.
He was ultimately sentenced to death in March 2002.
In the years that followed, Gabrion requested to have his sentence overturned, but that request was denied.
Gabrion remains accused of murdering Timmerman’s infant daughter, Shannon VerHage, who has never been found, along with three others, according to police.
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