Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has declined to intervene in the parole request of Jens Soering, a twice-convicted murderer who is serving two life sentences for murdering his then-girlfriend’s parents in 1985.
McDonnell said that at the request of Soering’s attorney, he has reviewed the request for parole, and “nothing in the information provided by Soering or his attorney provides any basis for me to doubt the judgment of the jury in this case or the veracity of Soering’s own confessions.”
Soering has since proclaimed his innocence, later saying that he had only confessed because he wanted to spare his then- girlfriend, Elizabeth Haysom, the death penalty and thought his diplomatic immunity would protect him. Haysom is serving 90 years in prison.
He was convicted in 1990 by a Bedford County jury for the 1985 murders of Derek and Nancy Haysom. Soering, 44, has been in prison since he was 19, and is to be considered for parole this year.
“Additionally, to the extent that Soering’s petition is a request for a pardon or any other form of clemency, that request is also denied,” said McDonnell. “Consistent with my statement last year denying his transfer to Germany, it is imperative that Soering serve out his punishment in the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
Soering has sued McDonnell over the governor’s decision to revoke his application for transfer to a facility in Germany, and has claimed DNA tests exclude him as a suspect.
Last year, then-Gov. Tim Kaine approved Soering’s application for transfer one of his final acts in office, a request that was rescinded by McDonnell.
Kaine, a Democrat now running for the U.S. Senate, has defended the decision, saying he had received assurances from the German government that Soering would remain imprisoned for a number of years before he was considered for release, and that Germany should bear the cost of his incarceration.
Republicans, meanwhile, are seeking to turn it into a campaign issue for Kaine in the 2012 Senate race, and are digging for documents related to the transfer – an attempt that has thus far proven fruitless.
