Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer Issues Statement on Governor Newsom’s Commutation of All Death Sentences in California

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer Issues Statement on Governor Newsom's Commutation of All Death Sentences in California

SANTA ANA, Calif. - Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer issued the following statement regarding California Governor Gavin Newsom's commutation of all death sentences in California:

Governor Gavin Newsom's commutation of the death sentences of all 548 condemned inmates in California is mercy for the wolves and while inflicting the ultimate act of cruelty on the sheep.

You cannot have crime without punishment, and in those instances in which the crimes committed are so heinous that death is the only appropriate punishment, I, as the elected District Attorney of Orange County, have, and will, continue to pursue the death penalty.

The death penalty has been repeatedly upheld by California voters and we as prosecutors represent the People of California and the greater good.

Clearly, Governor Newsom does not.

The pursuit of justice does not bend to political whims, and I am heartbroken for the hundreds of families who must now grapple with the devastation of knowing that the monsters who harmed their loved ones are one step closer to being back out on our streets.

The decision to impose death is not one made by an elected District Attorney an elected judge or an elected governor. It is the only sentence that is handed down by a jury of 12 who have listened to all of the evidence and decided that imposition of death is what is just.

Governor Newsom's decision to unilaterally eradicate the decisions of hundreds of juries comes as no surprise, as this is just another step in a calculated march to empty out California's prisons and send a message that no one should be held responsible for their crimes.

As of October 1, the state Board of Parole implemented regulations which allows thousands of inmates sentenced to Life Without the Possibility of Parole to be eligible for parole - ripping away a sense of security and finality for crime victims who were promised their monsters would die behind bars.

Now those criminals sentenced to death are one step closer to also being eligible for release from prison - and release from accountability.

Today, the voices of criminals are louder than the cries of victims, and the governor should be ashamed of himself for twisting the knife into the hearts of victims who have already suffered the most unimaginable pain.

Click here for full press release.