COVINGTON, Ky. —  A man released from prison on a pardon from former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin has been convicted of strangulation and domestic violence.

What You Need To Know

  •  Joheim Bandy was found guilty of strangulation and domestic violence

  •  Former Gov. Matt Bevin pardoned Bandy, who was serving a sentence for robbery and assault

  •  Another man pardoned by Bevin was sentenced more than 40 years in prison

Joheim Bandy, 20, was found guilty by a jury in Kenton County this week, The Kentucky Enquirer reported. The newspaper reported Bandy has been charged in three strangulation cases since he was pardoned in 2019.

Bandy was serving a 13-year sentence in prison for robbery and assault when he was pardoned. In that case, Bandy shot a man in the chest, Kenton Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders said.

In Bevin’s pardon, the former governor wrote Bandy had made “unwise decisions,” but was “turning his life around.”

In the strangulation case, a victim identified in court documents as the mother of Bandy’s child, told Covington police officers Bandy “pinned her against the wall, placing his hands around her neck, and restricting her ability to breathe."

Sanders said another trial for Bandy is scheduled to begin in February.

Another man pardoned by Bevin was sentenced earlier this year to 42 years in federal prison for a 2014 drug robbery killing, the same crime he was pardoned for. Patrick Baker was convicted of murder last year in a federal trial.

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