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MICHAEL RUIZ: California prosecutors revolt after Newsom orders state’s worst killers off death row
California prosecutors have criticised Governor Gavin Newsom’s plan to commute the death sentences of hundreds of people on the state’s death row to life imprisonment without parole. They argue that a blanket decision overlooks the facts of individual cases and say victims’ families were not notified; Newsom says state-sanctioned executions conflict with California’s values.
Those affected include Isauro Aguirre, convicted of torturing and killing eight-year-old Gabriel Fernandez, as well as prisoners convicted in multiple killings, including serial murders. Prosecutors cited Randy Kraft, convicted of killing 16 men, and Charles Ng, sentenced to death for his role in 11 people’s abduction, abuse and murder. District attorneys said Newsom’s move does not change state law or end capital punishment in future cases.
In short
- Newsom plans to commute hundreds of death sentences.
- Prosecutors say the blanket move ignores individual cases.
- The plan would leave sentences as life without parole.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Commuting the sentences would end the prospect of state executions while keeping those convicted in prison for life without parole. Supporters can argue that executions conflict with California’s values and that a governor may use clemency to address the death penalty’s irreversibility and the state’s changing views, even in especially grave cases.
The case against
Critics can argue that commuting every death sentence at once fails to distinguish between cases and gives insufficient weight to the circumstances of individual crimes and the judgments reached in court. They also contend that victims’ families should have been notified and heard before a decision affecting these sentences was made.
Explained simply
California has the largest death row in the United States, holding people sentenced to death for crimes including murder. A governor can commute a sentence, changing the punishment without overturning the conviction; life without parole means the person is expected to remain in prison for life.
Gavin Newsom is California’s governor, while district attorneys prosecute criminal cases on behalf of the state. The prisoners named in the dispute include Isauro Aguirre, convicted of killing Gabriel Fernandez, and Randy Kraft and Charles Ng, convicted in cases involving multiple victims.
The debate concerns how a governor should use the power to change sentences, and how decisions affect victims’ families and the justice system. Commutations would not change California’s death penalty law or prevent prosecutors seeking death sentences in future cases.