BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — In a letter to the state, Governor Gavin Newsom announced he has exercised his clemency authority and commuted death sentences for nearly 550 prisoners, changing them to sentences of life without parole.
This order comes years after Newsom signed an executive order imposing a moratorium on lethal injections. The last time a person was executed by the state of California was in 2006.
In the letter, Newsom defended his actions, saying, “I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California's values, undermines the foundations of our legal system, and diminishes each of us."
According to Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer, over 20 inmates in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation received the death penalty in cases stemming from Kern County.
Zimmer lambasted Governor Newsom's announcement as a gross misuse of executive power.
"This is an insult to victims who were brutally murdered. This is a betrayal to their families who, we are going to have to inform of this," said Zimmer. "This is an insult to the will of the voters. This was an act of cowardice, I believe, by Governor Newsom by not telling the voters ahead of time that this was what he was going to do when he ran for office. Governor Newsom said that he would uphold the will of the voters. He did not."
Zimmer said that while she understands that the Governor has the power to do this, she believes a process like commutation needs to be done carefully and not en masse.
"I see nothing wrong with the governor looking at one at a time and carefully considering that, but he didn't carefully consider these. He didn't read these, he's just commuting all of them because of his political ambitions," said Zimmer.
Among the inmates facing death sentences stemming from Kern County juries is Vincent Brothers. In 2003, Brothers was sentenced to death after being convicted of the murder of his wife, their three children, and his mother-in-law, Earnestine Harper.
But when asked their thoughts about Newsom's commutation order, one of Harper's sons took a different approach.
“I'm okay with it; we're okay with it, if that's what the Governor wants to do. Nothing is going to bring back my loved ones," said Eddie Harper.
In the letter, Newsom called the decision one of the hardest of his career, and noted that by doing so it could dredge up many awful memories for victims' families; nonetheless, he called it a righteous action.
"I deeply respect the views of those who will strongly disagree with my decision, including some families of victims who have suffered the worst possible loss. I hold this painful truth along with the belief that this is a righteous action. Today I am acting on my long and deeply held conviction that individually and collectively we are stronger as a society when we reject state-sanctioned killing," said Newsom in the letter.
According to information provided by the Governor's office, the commutation action from Thursday only changes death sentences to sentences of life without the possibility of parole.
The office added that individuals who have their sentences changed will remain incarcerated, will not be eligible for parole under the recently issued Board of Parole Hearings regulations on commutations and resentencing, and will not have their convictions changed as a result of this action.
The full letter to Californians is available on the Governor's website.
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