By Didimoko A. Didimoke with agency report
President Donald Trump’s pardon for two Washington, D.C., police officers convicted in the 2020 death of 20-year-old Karon Hylton-Brown, has generated widespread outrage and concerns in the United States of America.
Hylton-Brown’s mother, Karen Hylton, expressed shock and distress upon learning of the potential pardons.
The incident occurred amid heightened tensions following the killing of George Floyd, which ignited protests against police brutality.
In addition to these pardons, Trump granted clemency to individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, some of whom had assaulted police officers, drawing criticism from law enforcement groups such as the Fraternal Order of Police and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
In September 2024, Terence Sutton Jr. was sentenced to 66 months in prison, and Andrew Zabavsky received a 48-month sentence for their roles in a police pursuit that ended in a fatal crash on October 23, 2020, in Northwest D.C.
Both officers remained free while appealing their convictions. The Metropolitan Police Department had placed them on indefinite suspension without pay pending further actions.
Sutton was convicted in 2022 of second-degree murder, conspiracy to obstruct, and obstruction of justice, while Zabavsky was found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of justice.
The jury concluded that Sutton’s reckless driving caused Hylton-Brown’s death and that both officers had conspired to conceal the circumstances of the crash.
The DC Police Union had advocated for the pardons. Sutton’s attorney, Kellen Dwyer, expressed confidence the conviction would have been overturned on appeal and thanked Trump for ending the case. Zabavsky’s attorney, Christopher Zampogna, also expressed gratitude.
