President Obama Grants Grateful Dead Fan Clemency From Life Imprisonment

Today, President Barack Obama granted sentence commutations to 111 federal prisoners. The White House describes the individuals whose sentences were shortened as people serving “unduly harsh sentences under outdated laws for committing largely nonviolent drug crimes.” One of the individuals granted clemency was Timothy Tyler, a Grateful Dead fan who was given a life sentence in 1994 after selling LSD to a police informant. Since it was Tyler’s third drug-related arrest, the mandatory minimum sentence was life in prison. Obama’s commutation means Tyler’s sentence ends August 30, 2018. Tyler is required to enroll in residential drug treatment.

In interviews, Tyler’s family describe him as a Deadhead who “felt at home at Dead shows.” He followed the Grateful Dead on tour, and while in prison, Tyler listened to the Grateful Dead on his mp3 player. His family had been petitioning the president to grant Tyler clemency.

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