AI Summary
5 min readThe Hearing
On March 4, 2025, Sai Snar walked into a hearing room at the Utah State Correctional Facility to plead for the release of the man who murdered her son. She had spent years fighting for this moment—writing letters to senators, the governor, the Board of Pardons, anyone who would listen. When she finally received a response from the board in early February, she ripped open the envelope, her hope reignited. They had scheduled a hearing. But the hearing they granted was not the one she asked for.
The Hearing That Wasn't a Commutation
Sai and her husband Ron had been advocating for a commutation hearing—a proceeding that could alter George Benvenudo's sentence from life without the possibility of parole to life with the potential for parole. George was nineteen years old when he shot and killed Zachary Snar and gravely wounded Evette Rodier on August 28, 1996. Now 47, he had spent nearly three decades in prison. The Snars had received a letter of apology from George in 2018, and over the years, their relationship deepened through correspondence and visits. They came to know George's mother and brother, eventually inviting the Benvenuto family into their Salt Lake City home—the same living room where they had learned of Zach's death.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:51) **Episode Introduction & Setup** - Host Amy Donaldson reintroduces "The Letter" and explains the new development: a victim's hearing has been scheduled for the Snars.
- 2 (04:43) **The Snars' Mission and the Victim's Perspective** - Sai explains her motivation and the deep personal stakes, while acknowledging the pain this causes for the other victim, Yvette Rodier.
- 3 (10:58) **Facing Criticism and the Board's Hidden Decision** - Sai confronts public skepticism, and a crucial discovery is made: the Board of Pardons had already denied George's commutation request months prior.
- 4 (15:54) **Impact on Yvette Rodier** - The news of the hearing and the denied petition deeply affects Yvette, the survivor of the shooting, pulling her back into her trauma.
- 5 (19:04) **The Purpose of the Victim's Hearing** - The host clarifies the unique and seemingly contradictory nature of the hearing, which occurs after a decision has already been made.
- 6 (22:58) **The Morning of the Hearing** - The atmosphere and emotional preparation of the Snars and other attendees are described as they arrive at the Utah State Correctional Facility.
- 7 (27:55) **The Hearing Begins: Board Member's Opening Statement** - Board Member Blake Hills convenes the hearing and lays out the strict limitations for everyone present.
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Show Notes
After years of dead-ends and rejections, Sy and Ron Snarr finally get the moment they’ve been hoping for - a chance to ask the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole to release the man who murdered their son, Zach, from prison. But their desire to ask for mercy for Jorge Benvenuto, whose spent 28 years behind bars, means hurting someone they love - the other victim in the case, Yvette Rodier. The hearing means very different things to each family - and legally, it turns out to be much different than what the Snarrs requested.
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