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The Calif. serial killers who just had death sentences changed to life
SFGATE • • nation
Key Points:
- California Governor Gavin Newsom commuted the death sentences of over 500 death row inmates, replacing them with life imprisonment without parole, citing the state's values and the moral issues with state-sanctioned killing.
- California has not executed any death row prisoners since 2006, and Newsom had previously placed a moratorium on the death penalty in 2019; the state holds the largest death row population in the Western Hemisphere.
- Notable inmates affected by the commutation include serial killers and notorious criminals such as David Carpenter ("Trailside Killer"), Richard Allen Davis (kidnapper and murderer of Polly Klaas), Randy Kraft ("Scorecard Killer"), Joseph Naso, Charles Ng, and Cary Stayner.
- Newsom acknowledged the difficulty of the decision and the pain it may cause victims' families, noting conversations with Polly Klaas’s sisters influenced his choice, though Polly’s father publicly opposed the move.
- The commutation marks a significant shift in California's approach to capital punishment, emphasizing life imprisonment over the death penalty amid ongoing debates about justice and victims' rights.
