California Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered the commutation of death sentences for 548 inmates on the state's death row, replacing them with life sentences without the possibility of parole. The action, taken on Nov. 5, means the condemned men and the state's death row population will no longer face execution. Newsom said the decision angers many people and causes pain to the families of victims.
Under California law, inmates convicted of multiple felonies require approval from the state Supreme Court before their sentences can be changed in this way, a step that will shape how quickly the commutations take effect for some of the most serious offenders. Fox News Digital sought comment from Newsom's office on the decision and its consequences.
The move has drawn attention to a group of inmates whose crimes have long been among the most notorious in the state's history. Among those who could benefit is Richard Allen Davis, who kidnapped and strangled 12-year-old Polly Klaas in 1993. Davis was sentenced to death in 1996, and his case helped spur the passage of California's Three Strikes law. Polly's father, Marc Klaas, later founded the KlassKids Foundation, which works on behalf of children and families affected by violent crime.
Joseph Naso, known as the « Alphabet Killer », is responsible for at least four killings of women between 1977 and 1994. He was sentenced to death in Marin County in 2013. Cary Stayner, who killed four people near Yosemite National Park in 1999, was sentenced to death in Santa Clara County in 2002.
Chester Turner, dubbed the « Southside Slayer », raped and killed women in South Los Angeles. He was arrested in 2003 after a DNA database match and has received death sentences in 2007 and 2014. Christopher Cheary was sentenced to death in Tulare County in 2017 for the 2011 killing of 3-year-old Sophia Acosta in Exeter.
Randy Kraft, known as the « Scorecard Killer », is suspected of more than 60 killings, though he was charged with 16. He was sentenced to death in Orange County in 1989. Isauro Aguirre was sentenced to death in 2018 for torturing and killing 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez in 2013, while Pearl Fernandez received life without parole in the same case.
Charles Ng was sentenced to death in Orange County in 1989 for killing at least 11 people at a cabin known as « The Castle » between 1983 and 1985. His co-conspirator, Lake, died by suicide. David Carpenter, the « Trailside Killer », raped and killed at least seven hikers and was sentenced to death in 1984 and 1988 in two counties. Cherie Rhoades, who fatally shot four people at a 2014 tribal meeting, was sentenced to death in 2017.
Newsom's commutations would affect these and hundreds of other condemned inmates, reshaping the outcome for cases that have occupied courts and victims' families for decades.