ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A former inmate didn’t murder his girlfriend after receiving a pardon from President Barack Obama, despite claims made in a widely shared story. The man named in the account isn’t on a government list of pardons or commutations granted by Obama, and a mugshot accompanying the article is from a suspect in an unrelated case.
The story said a Gainesville, Florida, man named James G. Winters was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend on Feb. 27, a day after her body was discovered. The story said Winters was granted a pardon from drug trafficking and weapons convictions that led to a life sentence.
No one by the name James Winters appears on the Justice Department list of pardons and commutations granted by Obama.
Also, the story includes a mugshot of a man named Avery Draughty, who was convicted last year of an unrelated 2013 killing.
The story was shared by a site called The Underground Report, whose founder said he started it in late February to fabricate stories intended to fool supporters of President Donald Trump.
A disclaimer linked to the story after publication stated that the site produces stories that “are not based in reality.”
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This story is part of an ongoing Associated Press effort to fact-check claims in suspected false news stories.
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"The story was shared by a site called The Underground Report, whose founder said he started it in late February to fabricate stories intended to fool supporters of President Donald Trump.
A disclaimer linked to the story after publication stated that the site produces stories that “are not based in reality.”
JHC we need more reality not less.
Kinda like The Onion, except it’s not funny? …or kinda like Faux News: “I report, you decide”?
(shakes head)