Overview

• President Trump commuted Hoover’s six federal life sentences on May 28, reducing his federal term to time served.
• Hoover remains incarcerated under a 150–200-year Illinois state sentence for the 1973 murder of William “Pooky” Young.
• His legal team plans to petition Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Prisoner Review Board for clemency on the state conviction.
• Community and South Side elected leaders have mobilized support for Hoover’s release, urging Pritzker to follow through on second-chance principles.
• Critics like former federal prosecutor Ron Safer contend Hoover’s violent legacy disqualifies him from mercy, highlighting the controversy over his potential release.