Trenton, NJ – Trenton – In a sweeping and controversial act of executive authority, outgoing Governor Phil Murphy granted clemency to more than a dozen convicted murderers and violent offenders during his final hours in office, freeing several immediately and reducing sentences for others who had been serving decades-long prison terms.
Four of the convicted murderers are illegal aliens who will deported to their home countries upon release, but Murphy’s office did not say which ones.
The governor’s final clemency list, issued quietly late Monday, includes 13 individuals convicted of crimes ranging from murder and felony murder to robbery and arson. Among those granted relief is Maria Montalvo, the Long Branch woman convicted of burning her two young children to death in 1994, who will now be immediately eligible for parole.
Other recipients include David Moon, convicted of murder and weapons offenses in 2007, and Robert Rose, convicted of three counts of murder in 1983—both of whom will be released from prison immediately under parole supervision for five years.
Anthony Peoples, sentenced in 1998 for murder, felony murder, and multiple robberies, will also be freed under similar supervision. Convicted killers Mujahid Waathiq and Wali Williams, both imprisoned since 1990, are also among those released.
Several other inmates, including Luis Ramos, Natasha White, and Jerod Wise, will receive reductions to their remaining sentences or become parole eligible in the coming years. Two others—Germania Terrero and Shem Al-Mujahid/Walker—will be deported following their release due to immigration status.
Murphy’s decision has drawn sharp criticism from across the state, most notably from Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago, who denounced the clemency granted to Montalvo as “a devastating blow to justice.” Santiago called her case one of “unimaginable cruelty,” noting that her children, 18-month-old Zoraida and 28-month-old Rafael, were doused in gasoline and set ablaze. “They were not given a second chance,” Santiago said, “but their killer now has been.”
While the Governor’s Office cited rehabilitation, fairness, and equity in sentencing as guiding principles behind the clemencies, law enforcement officials and victims’ advocates described the move as reckless and disrespectful to victims’ families.
The late-night action marks one of the largest single-day clemency decisions in recent New Jersey history and concludes Murphy’s tenure with intense controversy over the use of executive power in cases involving violent crime.
The following individuals were granted commutations of their parole sentences by Governor Murphy:
- Muslim, Ali: Murder, robbery, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon, sentenced in 1986.
- Rutherford, Jay: Criminal attempt to commit murder, sentenced in 1995; felony murder, murder, robbery, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon, sentenced in 1995.
Key Points: Murphy grants clemency to convicted killers in final hours of his term – Trenton
- Governor Phil Murphy granted clemency to 13 convicted murderers and violent offenders before leaving office.
- Several, including Maria Montalvo and Robert Rose, were ordered to be released immediately under parole supervision.
- The decision sparked outrage from prosecutors and victims’ advocates who called it a betrayal of justice.
