ST. LOUIS – On Monday, President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of two men on death row for the 1997 fatal shooting of a St. Louis bank security guard.

The guard, Richard Heflin, died when two men robbed a bank near Forest Park.

The men convicted in the murder and robbery, Norris Holder and Billie Allen, will now serve life without parole. At present, both men are incarcerated at United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute.

The president's decision brought a stern objection from the Eastern District of Missouri's U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming on Monday.

"The focus today, two days before Christmas, should be on Mr. Heflin's family and friends and the 27 years of suffering that they have had to endure since he was assassinated," she said.

In 1997, the two men robbed Lindell Bank near Forest Park and shot and killed Heflin. It ended when the getaway vehicle burst into flames, setting off ammunition inside. Holder had told police he planned the robbery after watching a movie.

Heflin was shot several times during the robbery. A Vietnam veteran and former member of the Caseyville Police Department, the community loved him.

Holder and Allen were initially accused of murder, but they were later indicted on a charge of robbery by force or violence resulting in death. They both were sentenced to death.

Attorney Rick Sindel represented Allen in the case. He said he is grateful for the commutation and that he argued for a life sentence during the trial.

"The population is not as behind the death penalty as it used to be – under 50%. So, I think there is a groundswell of public attitudes towards the death penalty," Sindel said.

But he said there was one piece of the case that he believes convinced the jury in 1997 to recommend the death penalty. Fleming pointed to the same moment when commenting on the case on Monday.

"After he had already been shot and wounded, Allen stood over Mr. Heflin with an assault rifle and shot him again, execution-style," she said.

The Heflin family asked for privacy at this time but sent out this statement:

“This murder left an indelible impact on our family, including our late parents and Richard’s children. The family believes that the defendants received a fair trial and that the punishment was rightfully handed down to Allen and Holder. Our parents were alive at the time of the crime, and Richard’s murder caused each of our parents to die of a broken heart. Our father gave up his battle with cancer shortly after Richard’s murder. Our mother died in 2003.”