Eight federal inmates who were once on death row for brutal murders — including killings of fellow prisoners, gang stabbings, and the slayings of two campers — have been moved to the notorious “supermax” prison in Florence, Colorado, the Justice Department confirmed to Fox News Digital.
The transfers to the U.S. Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility, better known as ADX, mark the first step in Attorney General Pam Bondi’s push to tighten restrictions on violent offenders who received clemency under President Biden.
In December, Biden commuted the sentences of 37 death row inmates — a move widely criticized as a political “Hail Mary” made without proper vetting. Justice Department officials now expect all of those inmates to be relocated to ADX by early next year.
Bondi and Trump Target Clemency Rollbacks
Attorney General Bondi, working closely with President Donald Trump, has sought ways to counteract Biden’s criminal justice measures. While commutations cannot be undone, Bondi has emphasized stricter confinement conditions.
A DOJ memo noted that transfers to ADX ensure punishment “consistent with the security risks those inmates present because of their egregious crimes, criminal histories, and all other relevant considerations.”
Heinous Crimes Behind the Transfers
Each of the eight inmates moved this week had been convicted of first-degree murder under federal jurisdiction.
- One killed a married couple camping in Arkansas’ Ouachita National Forest in 2003.
- Another kidnapped, robbed, and murdered a local bank president, tying him to a concrete block before throwing him off a bridge.
- Several others had murdered fellow inmates while already serving prison time.
The Notorious ADX
ADX Florence is the nation’s only true federal “supermax” facility, home to some of the most infamous criminals in modern history, including Ramzi Yousef (1993 World Trade Center bombing), Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (Boston Marathon bombing), Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, and al-Qaeda co-founder Mamdouh Mahmud Salim.
“President Biden’s decision to commute the death sentences of these monsters showed abhorrent disregard for our justice system and total disrespect for victims’ families already suffering through immense loss,” Bondi told Fox News Digital.
She added that after meeting with victims’ families earlier this year, she directed the Bureau of Prisons to begin the relocation process. “This will ensure they spend the remainder of their lives in conditions consistent with the egregious crimes they committed.”
Families’ Anger Over Biden’s Actions
Many victims’ families said they were blindsided by the late-term commutations and only learned of them after they were announced. Bondi met with some of those families at DOJ headquarters, promising to take action to restore “a measure of justice.”
Biden’s clemency record drew even sharper criticism than that of former President Barack Obama, whose commutations largely targeted low-level drug offenders under a structured initiative.
In February, Bondi ordered the Bureau of Prisons to formally evaluate placement for all 37 commuted inmates — a process that has now begun with these first eight transfers.
