BRIDGEPORT – A man convicted of one of the most horrific crimes in the city was granted clemency by outgoing president Joe Biden.
Adrian Peeler, a city drug kingpin who with his brother Russell Peeler Jr. were accused of executing 8-year-old Leroy “BJ” Brown and his mother, Karen Clarke in 1999, will leave prison in July as part of an order granting pardons and clemency to hundreds of people.
“We’ve been blindsided, where is the justice for my family?” asked Karen Clarke’s brother, Oswald Clarke, on hearing of Peeler’s release. “It’s like we are hearing of BJ and Karen’s deaths all over again but this time their killer is going free.”
Three years ago a federal judge had turned down Adrian Peeler’s request for a sentence modification stating he had not shown any remorse for his crime.
“So how can this be?” Oswald Clarke asked Tuesday, “A judge found he had no remorse for killing BJ and Karen; it’s not likely that’s changed.”
Bridgeport State’s Attorney Joseph Corradino, who had previously argued against an early release for Peeler, declined comment on the new release order.
In a statement responding to the news on Wednesday, House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora called the clemency “a careless decision.”
“This reckless act by Joe Biden dismisses the pain of the victims’ families and erodes public trust in the principles of justice,” wrote Candelora. “Such a careless decision at the close of his term should generate outrage here and throughout the nation.”
Under Biden’s order Peeler, 48, who was not slated to be released before 2033 on federal drug charges, will be released from McDowell Correctional Institute in West Virginia. Unlike a pardon he will retain his criminal record.
Clarke and B.J. were found shot to death in their East Side home just days before they were scheduled to testify in the trial Russell Peeler Jr. for the murder of another drug dealer.
BJ. was found lying at the top of the stairs of their home, shot multiple times. His mother was found dead a short distance away, shot dead as she reached for the telephone.
The crime shocked the community and spurred Connecticut lawmakers to enact a law protecting witnesses to crime. The city also dedicated a park to BJ where the boy often played basketball.
Russell Peeler was convicted of ordering the murders of Clarke and Brown in Bridgeport Superior Court. His initial death sentence was later converted to life in prison without the possibility of release after the death sentence was abolished in the state.
Adrian Peeler, who was identified by an eyewitness as the shooter, was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder by a jury in Waterbury and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He completed serving that term in 2022 but then began serving an additional 35-year federal sentence for operating a drug operation in the city.
“I take full responsibility for all my actions that led me to be here today,” Peeler told the judge during the 2021 hearing. “I sold drugs in the community…It is something I think of every day.
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This story has been updated with comments by Vincent Candelora released after publication