The man who former President Donald Trump released from life in prison for his role in killing a Syracuse cop has been convicted in Florida of choking his wife. He’s now fighting efforts to return him to federal prison.
Nearly four years ago, Trump commuted Jaime A. Davidson’s life sentence after Davidson served 28 years in prison for the 1990 murder of Syracuse Police Officer Wallie Howard Jr.
Davidson, 55, was convicted in May of misdemeanor battery for choking his wife, a verdict that could result in revocation of his supervised release, the federal counterpart to parole. Davidson is appealing the battery conviction, and whether he returns to federal prison hinges on the outcome.
Davidson’s criminal case in Florida was first reported by Judd Legum of Popular Information.
Federal prosecutors said Davidson was the mastermind behind a drug robbery that led to Howard’s murder.
Davidson, who was not present when Howard was killed, was convicted by a jury as part of a drug conspiracy that led to Howard’s death. Howard was conducting an undercover drug investigation when he was killed in a botched robbery in a store parking lot in Syracuse.
Prosecutors and police expressed outrage in 2021 that Davidson was released from prison.
“I’m kind of outraged that President Trump has granted him a commutation,” retired Assistant U.S. Attorney John Duncan said at the time. He handled the prosecution of Davidson.
Davidson always proclaimed his innocence. But his appeals were consistently denied.
Appellate courts rejected him at least three times, and trial court judges have denied him retrials and other requests dozens of times. The Supreme Court was unwilling to hear his arguments, rejecting him in 1994.
The federal Office of the Pardon Attorney turned down his case twice, in 2013 and 2017, records show.
Davidson’s commutation request came to Trump from Alice Marie Johnson, an activist boosted by reality TV star Kim Kardashian. Davidson also got help from a white-collar attorney who had previously represented members of the Trump family.
The teen who shot Howard, Robert “Bam Bam” Lawrence, 16 years old at the time, was released from federal prison in October 2020 after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that juveniles shouldn’t be given life sentences.
In January 2021, Trump commuted Davidson’s sentence to time served, saying that witnesses who testified against Davidson later recanted. Trump also noted that Lawrence, the shooter, had already been released from prison.
Lawrence was the key witness against Davidson. During the murder trial, he identified Davidson as the drug ringleader who planned the fatal robbery. Lawrence testified that Davidson gave him a .357-Magnum revolver (the eventual murder weapon), just hours before the shooting and asked Lawrence to collect some money for him.
The teen told the jury he took the stand because Davidson had set up the murder, then abandoned him in prison.
Lawrence recanted his testimony in 2000, swearing in an affidavit that Davidson was not involved.
But then in 2014, in his own petition for his release from prison, Lawrence said Davidson was responsible for the murder. He told his defense lawyer that Davidson had pressured him to sign a statement years ago to help exonerate Davidson, but that none of what he wrote in the statement was true.
Davidson has been serving a five-year term of federal supervised release since his commutation.
He was arrested March 31, 2023, in Orlando after his wife accused him of choking her. At a trial in May 2024, the jury acquitted Davidson of a felony charge of domestic violence but convicted him of misdemeanor battery.
Davidson was sentenced to three months in jail and 12 months on probation. He appealed the conviction in June.
In sentencing Davidson for battery, Judge Letitia Marques said it appeared that Davidson had led “an exemplary life’' since being released from federal prison. Davidson has been employed and has worked with youth in the juvenile justice system, among other positive actions.
“He’s committed this crime, but he hasn’t been in and out of trouble,’’ the judge said, according to a transcript of the sentencing hearing.
Federal probation officers have sought to revoke Davidson’s supervised release based on his recent criminal conviction. But that request is on hold, pending resolution of Davidson’s appeal in Florida district court.
The federal judge overseeing Davidson’s case has scheduled a status conference for Nov. 21.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Davidson was convicted of choking his girlfriend. The victim was his wife.
Staff writer Tim Knauss can be reached at: email | Twitter | 315-470-3023.
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