Georgia parole board spares life of condemned man

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    ATLANTA, GA (WGCL) — The Georgia parole board on Thursday spared the life of a man who was scheduled to be executed just hours later, commuting his sentence to life without the possibility of parole.

The decision to grant clemency follows a meeting Wednesday. The Board reviewed and considered the clemency application, all of the facts and circumstances of the offender and his offense, as well as argument, testimony, and opinion in support of or against clemency.

The commutation order includes the Board’s findings in the case. The Board cited Meders’ lack of a criminal record prior to committing his offense, his commission of only one minor infraction in over 30 years on death row, the jury’s explicit desire during deliberations to impose a life without parole sentence which was legally unavailable at the time, and every living, able juror’s continued support for such a sentence.

Meders was convicted of the 1987 Glynn County murder of Don Anderson. In Georgia, the Parole Board has the sole constitutional authority to grant clemency and commute, or reduce a death sentence to life with the possibility of parole or to life without the possibility of parole. The Board also has the authority to issue a stay or deny clemency.

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