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Pattie 6 tear tn SL te ee tase ee = o Hee a totter LY a aa Bin te a an ® Toison ————— . oe ‘ortionaL roam NO. 10 a . \ * Mohr 2:2u — - UNITED STATES GOVE) MENT wD Za’ Parsonst_——— Memorandum oyfe \ «TO: Mir. DeLoach INd pate: 9-2-60 Then —— : : W.S,pSullivan — we eee - _ Mies ~ Tele. Room —— FROM : M. PereeNA Gandy suyject: INTERVENTION BY GOVERNOR EDMUND G. . Le t! “BROWN (D-CALIF) IN CASES OF CONVICTED CEL Fe KILLESS JACK D. GREEN AND JAMS MERXOURIS j **" a3 io You will recall that at the Director's request, we analyzed an article by a Governor Brown entitled ''Let’s Abolish Capital Punishment" whica aopeared in the aaepas August, 1960, issue of Good Housekeeping Magazine."' at was pointed out in this analysis (attached) that on one occasion Brown removed the 'mo-possibility-of -parole" stipulation from life-termer Jack D. Green's sentence as the first step toward granting him an eventual parole. Green was involved in a robbery in 1932 in wich : a Los Angeles policeman was killed, and in 1934, Green's death sentence was : commuted to life imprisonment without possibility of parole. Further, in January, ° 1960, Brown commuted the death sentence of two-time killer James Merkouris — provided there would never be any "possibility of parole.'* One Los Angeles ; newspaper pointed out that it appeared Brown had found’a new way of combating capital punishment. First, he commutes the sentence of a particularly prutal killer while public sentiment is strong by adding tae proviso against parole. Then, when sentiment dies down, he removes the proviso and makes it possible for the killer to be released to again "imperil the lives of innocent persons." The Director inquired when it was that Governor Brown had intervenec | in the Green and Merkouris cases. This information was not available in Bufiies, ar Los Angeles Office was requested to furnish this data toge*ner with the facts of the Green and Merkouris cases. Attached are separate writeups containing summaries of pertinent data concerning the Green and Merkouris cases aS received from Los Angeles and San =rancisco Offices on 9-2-60. OBSERVATION: . As noted in the attached writeup on. Green, he was released on parol¢ on 9-1-60. Thus, Governor Brown's action on 12 -21-59 in removing the "without_ possibility of parole" stipulation from Green's sentence directly paved. the way for, Green's release from prison in a little over § months. | —_ rere, needs anlage ee RECOMMENDATION: s = aa eine ae ax nbOt the Director's information. . oO — oe aS , . i ati a v ed Encloftres \ foo - if $O Str 4 1 - Mr. DeLoach a aS / NOT RECORDED —=\" ae . ‘+ é ay . _& “2 = te oe Ne, yf AN SAVE US SEP 18 1980 4 OES o . ' . . ave? y .