After 16 years in federal prison, Minnie Pearl Thomas is getting out. The grandmother of Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas is one of 214 prisoners whose sentences President Barack Obama commuted Wednesday.
Minnie Pearl Thomas, 60, received a life sentence in 2000 for distributing cocaine with her daughter, Katina Stuckey Smith (Demaryius’ mother).
Obama commuted Smith’s sentence in July 2015, and now Thomas will be released Dec. 1.
Most of the prisoners who learned that their sentences were being commuted Wednesday went to prison for non-violent drug offenses, including Minnie Pearl Thomas. She and hundreds of other will now get a second chance in life.
“My mom and I made mistakes by getting involved with drugs,” wrote Smith in an online petition to get her mother released. “We regret it and have each paid dearly for it. But neither of us deserved the long sentences we received. Because I refused to testify against my mother, I received a 20 year mandatory sentence because I did not give ‘substantial assistance’ to the prosecution.”
Come December, both will be free.
