![]() ![]() With the governor’s pardon, Rushin could be released within months – but he must agree to a series of strict guidelines. “They see a Black person, they see a Latinx person, they see a brown person and they begin to make judgments and they move forward with their biases,” Proctor said. His photo appeared in posters and social media posts, alongside the words “Black Autism Lives Matter.”Ĭamille Proctor, founder and executive director of The Color of Autism Foundation, which aims to educate and assist African American families with autistic children, said Rushin and other people of color with disabilities usually don’t get an opportunity to express their needs when interacting with police. “He’s sitting there enduring what he’s enduring.”įor months, Rushin’s family along with advocates and activists, including Black Lives Matter 757, advocated for his release. ![]() ![]() “It’s a terrible feeling to know that it wasn’t an intentional crash and he’s innocent,” Lavern said during a rally in June, according to CNN affiliate WTKR. Rushin’s mother, Lavern Rushin, has said the crash was not intentional, and her son was wrongly convicted. “While it certainly is within the Governor’s authority to do so, this office believes that the sentence imposed by the court was appropriate, just and fair.” “Our hearts go out to the victims and their families in this case for the ongoing pain and legal process that they have had to endure,” Stolle said in a statement. He said the sentence imposed by the court “appropriate.” Stolle, who said his office was notified of the governor’s plans last week, extended his support to the crash victims and their families. right before the crash and did not apply his brakes,” prosecutors said in a statement last year.Ĭommonwealth’s Attorney Colin D. Investigation revealed that he was driving approximately 65 m.p.h. “When officers arrived on scene, Rushin climbed out of his vehicle and stated that he was trying to kill himself. Matthew Rushin was detained shortly after the crashes and remains in custody. Rushin’s family and prosecutors differed on whether his mental state or suicidal intent played a role in the 2019 incident. Rushin’s family says he did not have malicious intent Rushin’s sentence with these sentencing guidelines.” “Governor Northam’s conditional pardon aligns Mr. Rushin was sentenced for 50 years, despite sentencing guidelines that call for a sentence of 2 years 7 months up to 6 years 4 months,” Alena Yarmosky, a spokesperson for the governor, told CNN’s Joe Sutton. Ralph Northam reduced Rushin’s sentence, setting him on a clear path to be released by next spring. ![]() However, Rushin’s family, as well as members of the the autism community, have been calling for his release, saying that authorities did not provide appropriate accommodations or consider his communication access needs. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison with a judge suspending 40 years from it, prosecutors said The 22-year-old pled guilty to two counts of malicious wounding and one count of hit and run, personal injury, the prosecutor’s office said. He then drove head-on into oncoming traffic and struck another vehicle, leaving two people seriously injured, according to the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. Matthew Rushin was on his way to pick up pastries at a Virginia Beach Panera on January 4, 2019, when he struck a moving vehicle in a parking lot and fled, authorities said. Virginia’s governor this week conditionally pardoned a young Black man with autism who was serving 10 years in prison after being involved in two car crashes in 2019 that left two people seriously injured. ![]()
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