Florida man granted clemency by Trump in police killing convicted of domestic battery

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A Florida man whose life sentence for the death of a police officer was commuted by former President Donald Trump is in trouble with the law again after he was convicted of domestic violence.

Jaime Davidson was charged by Orlando Police for beating and strangling his wife in March 2023. The couple had been married five months when the wife accused him of choking her after she confronted him for wanting to leave her.

He was acquitted of domestic battery by strangulation, a third-degree felony, but convicted of domestic battery, a first-degree misdemeanor. In May, he was sentenced to three months in county jail and one year probation for domestic battery by Orange County Judge Leticia Marques. Prosecutors had asked for one year in jail.

Davidson is appealing the conviction.

The sentencing was first reported by Popular Information .

Davidson was one of 143 people granted pardons or commuted sentences by Trump in the final days of his term. He was a cocaine dealer who planned the robbery of a rival dealer in New York in 1990. Syracuse Police officer Wallie Howard Jr., who was working undercover, was killed during the robbery. Davidson was convicted of his killing and given a life sentence, although he wasn’t present at the robbery.

The man who pulled the trigger, Robert Lawrence, was 16 at the time and had his life sentence reduced in 2014. He’s since been released.

As part of his commuted sentence, Davidson is still serving probation and could yet face federal charges for violating that probation.

During the sentencing hearing, Davidson told the court he has been working for a package delivery service since being released from federal prison, as well as volunteering and organizing a festival for autistic children. He maintained his innocence and asserted he wasn’t a “violent person” and has turned his life around.

“I would never disrespect a woman. I’ll walk away. I’m a God-fearing man,” Davidson told the court, according to the sentencing hearing transcript. “I don’t drink, smoke. I don’t gamble. I don’t go out.”

Judge Marques noted that other than the domestic violence charges, he had led “an exemplary life" since being released in 2021.

“He’s committed this crime, but he hasn’t been in and out of trouble,” Marques said. “He’s not one of the one’s that I see that is constantly getting in trouble and he does appear to be reforming his life so I think I have to find a balance somewhere in here.”

His sentence for the domestic battery charge includes a requirement to complete a domestic violence intervention program. Marques also required Davidson to have no contact with the victim.

Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com . Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida man granted clemency by Trump in police killing convicted of domestic battery