Governor Branstad has denied applications to commute the sentences of four prison inmates. Three of the convicts who filed applications for executive clemency are serving life sentences for first-degree murder. Branstad, in a press release, did not explain his reason for denying the inmates’ requests.
The inmates are identified as 50-year-old Jimmy Allen, 54-year-old Robert Odem, 43-year-old Mark Smit and 25-year-old Justin Davidson. Allen is serving a life sentence for the March 1982 death of Clifford Welling at his home in Des Moines. Odem is serving a life sentence for the deaths of Bill and Kimberly Smith at their home in Floyd County in 1980. Davidson is serving a 10-year sentence for second-degree robbery in Warren County in 2006.
Mark Smit’s case has drawn national attention. He was sentenced to life in prison for killing his girlfriend, 15-year-old Jennifer Crompton of Bettendorf. Smit was 18 at the time he committed the crime in 1986. Crompton’s mother has shared her daughter’s story on The Today Show, 60 Minutes and The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Vicki Crompton has also authored several magazine articles and co-written books about teen dating violence.