San Bernardino County Sheriff Condemns Newsom's Death Penalty Commutations: 'Disregards the Victims, Their Families, and the Juries'

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department in San Bernardino County, California, issued an advisory on November 5 in which Sheriff Shannon Dicus released a statement condemning Governor Gavin Newsom's commutations of death sentences, saying the decision disregards the victims, their families, and the juries who imposed the sentences.

"Governor Newsom's decision to commute the death sentences of hundreds of convicted murderers is reprehensible and disregards the victims, their families, and the juries who carefully considered the evidence before imposing these sentences," Dicus said. He noted that the San Bernardino County cases include some of the most horrific crimes local communities have experienced, including the murder of five members of the Nguyen family in San Bernardino, the torture and murder of five-year-old Arthur Jennings in Apple Valley, and the devastating 2003 Old Fire, which destroyed approximately 1,000 homes and resulted in five murder convictions.

Dicus said the sentences were not arbitrary but were imposed following extensive investigations, criminal trials, and judicial proceedings, and that California voters have repeatedly upheld the death penalty and their decisions deserve to be respected. He added that Sacramento lawmakers have repeatedly attempted to weaken life-without-parole sentences and asked, "How long before politicians decide that life without parole should no longer mean life?"

Dicus said he stands firmly with San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson and supports his continued legal efforts to defend California's death penalty before the courts. "Behind every conviction is a victim whose life was taken and a family forever changed. We owe these families more than political fodder. We owe them justice that cannot be undone by the next decision coming out of Sacramento," he said.

Related:

Newsom Commutes All California Death Sentences to Life Without Parole: All 548 Death Row Inmates Affected

(Source: San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department)

Source: San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department

Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：圣贝纳迪诺县政府中心（县固定图库）。Xnatedawgx 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: San Bernardino County Government Center (county fixed library). Photo by Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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