The first to be rejected was Jeffrey Mears, who voted to parole Paula Sims, a woman convicted in 1990 of killing her two daughters, and Zelma King, who was convicted of three homicides. That rejection was followed by the voting down of Eleanor Wilson, the godmother of former President Barack Obama’s children, who was voted down 31-15, with 14 Democrats joining 17 of the senate’s 18 Republicans in voting no. Twelve Democrats chose not to vote.
