BREAKING: Outgoing Louisiana Gov John Bel Edwards pardons 40 convicted murderers

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards pardoned 56 inmates as he left office, with 40 of them being convicted murderers.

Of the murders on the list pardoned, 11 were in the greater New Orleans area.

Several of the inmates convicted involved the murder in the second degree as well first degree. One in the first degree was of Keith Elmon Messiah, who demanded money from Bernice Holman in a Popeye's parking lot during Mardi Gras.

When Holman and her friends complied and gave Messiah the money, he proceeded to shoot her in the face and fled the scene. He was recommended for the death penalty.

Edwards told news outlet NOLA.com this week, "For as long as I can remember, Louisiana reflexively responded to an increase in crime by putting more people in prison and keeping them there longer."

He told NOLA.com, "We’ve never been made safer as a result of that. There is no data to suggest that an increase in crime here was because of the reforms.”

In recent days Edwards has repeatedly claimed, "When I leave office, the state of Louisiana will be better than it was when I took office." 

Edwards made headlines earlier this year after he vetoed a bill that would ban sex changes for minors in the state. He saw his veto subsequently overridden by the legislature which held a veto-proof majority on the matter.  

Louisiana later flipped its governorship towards the GOP in a crowded election. However, Edwards was not eligible to run because he had reached the end of the state term limits. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry avoided a runoff in a crowded field because he was able to meet the 50 percent threshold in the first round. 

Louisiana had a so-called jungle primary where the candidates from all parties share the same ballot and the top two vote-getters went on to compete in the general election if no one secured 50 percent of the vote. With the support of former President Donald Trump, Landry was able to avoid a runoff by securing more than 50 percent and giving a boost to the GOP in the state.