A convicted child killer, whose death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment under former President JOE BIDEN, is now facing the possibility of the death penalty once again in Louisiana. THOMAS SANDERS, 67, was convicted in 2014 by a federal jury for the heinous kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old LEXIS ROBERTS in 2010. Sanders was among 37 death row inmates whose sentences were commuted by Biden just before he left office in 2021.
On Monday, a grand jury in Catahoula Parish indicted Sanders on state charges, reigniting the possibility of a death sentence. BRAD BURGET, Catahoula Parish District Attorney, expressed outrage over Biden’s decision to commute Sanders’ sentence. “Whatever your politics are, this is a 12-year-old who watched her mother be brutally killed by Mr. Sanders. Then, he kidnapped her, shot her three times in the head, once in the chest, and slit her throat with a homemade knife,” Burget told Fox News Digital.
The brutal crime unfolded in 2010 when Sanders, who was dating LEXIS’ mother, SUELLEN ROBERTS, took her and her daughter on a road trip to the Grand Canyon. During their return, Sanders drove into an Arizona desert, killed Suellen, and abducted LEXIS. He held her captive for several days before traveling to Louisiana, where he murdered the young girl in a wooded area of Catahoula Parish. Her body was discovered by hunters in October 2010, leading to a nationwide manhunt. Sanders was eventually arrested at a Mississippi truck stop in November 2010.
BRAD BURGET criticized Biden’s clemency decision, stating, “The federal prosecutor did a wonderful job seeking justice for LEXIS and her family. But Biden decided to undo that with the stroke of a pen.” Burget believes the commutation was an abuse of authority and decided to present the case to a Catahoula Parish grand jury to pursue state charges against Sanders.
“I think we’ll be successful, but only time will tell,” Burget said. “I respect the Catahoula Parish jury to make the right decision when I present the case to them.” In Louisiana, capital offense cases must be presented to a grand jury, which decides whether to pursue the death penalty.
Sanders was initially arrested on federal charges in 2010, and a warrant for his arrest from Catahoula Parish was never executed due to the federal prosecution. Burget presented evidence to the grand jury on Monday, resulting in Sanders’ indictment on state charges.
[Sanders’ case highlights the ongoing debate over the death penalty and presidential clemency](https://www.foxnews.com).
**Sources:**
[Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com)
[Justice Department Records](https://www.justice.gov)