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MICHAEL RUIZ: DA identifies 49 local killers slated for Newsom’s death row clemency — and their crimes
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer says he will challenge in court California Governor Gavin Newsom’s plan to commute the death sentences of all 548 people on the state’s death row. Spitzer argues that blanket clemency would ask the state Supreme Court to reverse decisions upholding the convictions and sentences, and says each request should be considered individually.
Spitzer’s office identified 49 Orange County inmates expected to be covered by the plan and highlighted cases including serial killer Randy Kraft, convicted of murdering at least 16 young men, and three inmates who killed police officers. The article also names Gerald Parker, who was sentenced to death after DNA evidence linked him to the killings of five women and an unborn child. Spitzer said his office planned to file its challenge on Monday.
In short
- Orange County’s DA plans a court challenge to Newsom’s blanket clemency push.
- The county identified 49 death row inmates who could be affected.
- Spitzer says clemency should be assessed case by case.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A governor could argue that commuting death sentences is a lawful act of executive clemency and a principled response to concerns about capital punishment, including its irreversible nature and the state’s use of the death penalty. Applying the policy across death row could reflect a consistent judgement about the punishment itself, while leaving convictions and life sentences intact.
The case against
A critic could argue that commutation should account for the facts and circumstances of each case, especially where victims’ families and communities have endured grave crimes. Individual review would allow distinctions among cases and respect the work of courts that upheld the convictions and sentences; a blanket policy risks setting those considerations aside.
Explained simply
California’s death row holds people sentenced to death after being convicted of murder. A governor can commute a sentence, changing it to a lesser punishment without overturning the conviction; Gavin Newsom has said he opposes executions and has imposed a pause on them while he is governor.
Newsom’s proposal concerns everyone on the state’s death row, including people convicted in Orange County. District Attorney Todd Spitzer is the county’s chief prosecutor, and he argues that decisions about commutation should be made case by case. The dispute matters because it raises questions about the governor’s clemency powers and how the state should treat long-standing death sentences.