Lansing, MI – A Kent County man expressed mixed emotions after learning that President Joe Biden had commuted the death sentence of Marvin Gabrion, the man convicted of murdering his daughter, Rachel Timmerman, in 1997. While Tim Timmerman, the father of the victim, did not dispute the president’s decision on principle, he voiced strong criticism regarding the timing of the announcement.
Gabrion, who was convicted of killing 19-year-old Rachel Timmerman, was also implicated in the disappearance of her infant daughter, whose body was never found. Timmerman’s tragic case has been a source of prolonged grief for her family, and the commutation of Gabrion’s death sentence, which had been handed down in 2001, reignited painful memories for her father.
In an interview on Monday, Tim Timmerman said that while he respected the decision, he was particularly upset by the timing, coming just days before the Christmas holiday. “We thought the timing was despicable,” Timmerman told reporters. “We were hoping that this kind of decision would wait until after the holidays, but it didn’t. It just made things harder.”
Timmerman’s comments reflect a broader sense of discontent felt by some victims’ families when significant legal decisions are made during sensitive times. The decision to commute Gabrion’s sentence, announced the day before Christmas Eve, struck a chord with Timmerman, who was hoping for a period of peace with his family during the festive season.
Marvin Gabrion’s case has been controversial for years. Despite his conviction for Rachel Timmerman’s murder, his legal team had long sought to have the death penalty overturned, citing various procedural and legal arguments. Gabrion’s commutation was part of a broader review of death penalty cases by the Biden administration, which has moved toward limiting federal executions.
Though Timmerman acknowledged that the commutation was within the president’s authority, he could not shake the disappointment that the decision came at a time when the emotional toll on his family was especially heavy. The family of Rachel Timmerman, who has spent decades grappling with both her death and the unresolved disappearance of her child, continues to struggle with the lasting pain of their loss.
As the Timmerman family navigates another difficult holiday season, Tim expressed frustration with the timing, calling it a painful reminder that justice, in his eyes, had been delayed yet again.
