Well here is what the Gov said. He doesnt mention the $25k that Bakers family gave him though.
Pardon for killer by former Kentucky Gov. Bevin sparks calls for investigation
Bevin wrote in the pardoning document that Baker's “drug addictions” led him to fall in with the wrong people and the evidence against Baker was “sketchy at best.”
It doesn't matter how much they contributed to his campaign, the evidence was still questionable. We don't convict people on the basis of their relative's political affiliations here.
We don't convict people on the basis of their relative's political affiliations here.
But sometimes we pardon them because of their relative's political affiliations.