Some of California’s “worst of the worst” convicted killers could escape execution under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s controversial plan to spare more than 500 death row inmates.
Behind California’s prison walls, 548 inmates remain on death row, the largest condemned prison population in the United States, according to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC).
Among those awaiting execution are some of the state’s most notorious killers, including Richard Allen Davis, 72, who kidnapped and murdered 12-year-old Polly Klaas in 1993, and 81-year-old Randy Kraft, the “Scorecard Killer,” convicted of murdering 16 people.
Yet despite the horrific nature of their crimes, neither man has faced execution. In fact, California hasn’t executed a prisoner since 2006, when Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor.
Now, nearly two decades later, and following the Democrats’ midterm victories, Newsom wants to ensure that none of the state’s remaining death row prisoners – even those “who committed the ‘worst of the worst’ crimes” – faces execution.
‘Incompatible with California’s values’
In an open letter to Californians, the Democratic governor announced plans to replace their death sentences with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, arguing that “state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values” and “diminishes each of us.”
The decision follows years of opposition to capital punishment. Newsom suspended executions in 2019, but the moratorium left hundreds of death sentences legally intact.
As he approaches the end of his eight-year tenure, Newsom has now taken a more permanent step, describing the decision as one of the most difficult of his political career.
But the governor’s announcement does not mean every sentence can be changed without further approval.
Voters rejected ballot to repeal death penalty
Under California’s constitution, the state Supreme Court must review clemency requests involving prisoners with more than one felony conviction. According to Newsom’s office, that requirement affects 382 inmates, nearly 70% of those facing execution, AP reports.
The remaining 166 prisoners generally don’t require that approval, meaning Newsom can commute their sentences using his own authority.
The legal hurdle comes as Newsom prepares to leave office in January, amid speculation that he could seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.
His decision also challenges a position California voters have repeatedly defended. In 2016, residents rejected a ballot proposal to abolish capital punishment, leaving the death penalty firmly established in state law.
‘This is that moment’
Newsom acknowledged that his authority cannot overturn that decision.
“I recognize the limits of this clemency action,” he wrote, “which does not repeal the death penalty and is limited to commuting California’s current death sentences.”
Instead, he argued that the power to grant clemency exists “for moments when law as applied cannot be squared with justice.”
“For me,” he said, “this is that moment.”
His announcement follows a similar decision by former President Joe Biden, who commuted the death sentences of 37 federal prisoners in 2024.
And while Newsom’s successor, Democrat Xavier Becerra, has pledged to continue California’s execution moratorium, the larger question of whether the state should retain capital punishment remains unresolved.
What do you think of Gavin Newsom’s decision to spare California’s death row inmates? Do you believe some crimes deserve the death penalty, or should life in prison be the ultimate punishment? Please let us know your thoughts!
Read more:
