Indiana candidates back Chicago man's stalled pardon request
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana gubernatorial candidates say they would likely grant a pardon to a Chicago man whose request hasn't been acted upon by Gov. Mike Pence for two years despite evidence he was wrongly sent to prison for an armed robbery conviction.
Cooper's pardon request, which the Indiana Parole Board recommended be approved in 2014, has received renewed attention since Pence became Donald Trump's vice presidential running mate.
Cooper was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the robbery during which a teenager was shot in the stomach, but advances in DNA testing and a nationwide offender database excluded Cooper as the attacker and identified another person.