Outgoing Florida Gov. Charlie Crist -- an admitted Doors fan -- proposed the official let-off for the late singer for a disputed incident during a Miami, Florida, concert.
Morrison's widow, Patricia Kennealy Morrison, who opposed the pardon, said she was not surprised at the outcome, given the fans who were supporting it.
"Since the original charges and trial were a publicity stunt to begin with, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that the pardon should follow in those footsteps," she told CNN. Her husband "did nothing to be pardoned for" and his record should have been expunged, Patricia Morrison said.
Patricia Kennealy Morrison Opposed Pardon
Crist, who is set to leave office in January after losing his bid for the Senate in the recent midterm elections, said that after reviewing the case file, he felt compelled to get involved.
"What I do know is that if someone hasn't committed a crime, that should be recognized," he said before the vote. "We live in a civil society that understands that lasting legacy of a human being, and maybe the last act for which they may be known, is something that never occurred in the first place, it's never a bad idea to try to right a wrong."
The governor said the conviction should have been dismissed after Morrison's death "so that he was again presumed innocent."
"A pardon corrects the fact that Mr. Morrison is now unable to take advantage of the presumption of innocence that is the cornerstone of the American criminal justice system," Crist said in a statement after the vote.
Patricia Kennealy Morrison Opposed Pardon
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