From Kern County District Attorney's Office In his final days as governor, Gavin Newsom is considering handing out “golden tickets” to ALL 563 people on California’s death row by…
From Kern County District Attorney's Office
In his final days as governor, Gavin Newsom is considering handing out “golden tickets” to ALL 563 people on California’s death row by commuting their sentences to life without the possibility of parole. But what happens next? If Newsom decides to commute the sentences, questions remain about whether former death penalty inmates could eventually receive another opportunity for review or parole consideration through the state’s prison system. ONLY the most heinous killer can become death sentence eligible. Among those 563 inmates are 26 individuals sentenced in cases originating in Kern County. One is Vincent Brothers, a former vice principal who in 2003, executed his entire family, including his newborn child. California voters upheld the death penalty in 2012 and 2016. Now, our state faces the possibility of the governor unilaterally undoing what the voters chose to keep in place. As Californians, we must urge the governor to respect the verdicts reached by juries, acknowledge the voices of voters, and consider the irreversible effects on victims’ families. 📲 Read District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer’s full editorial here: https://www.bakersfield.com/opinion/community-voices/community-voices-the-final-insult-to-the-memory-of-crime-victims-governor-newsom-considers-handing/article_dc3a99f7-ed08-458e-acaf-1b418ba382ad.html
