Governor Gavin Newsom just freed 548 inmates without asking anyone. This happened on October 17. The move changes the lives of 548 people overnight. It also shatters the hearts of those who lost loved ones. According to NBC News, this executive action represents one of the most significant steps against capital punishment in recent history.
The Silence Before the Storm
Newsom’s administration did not notify victims’ families in advance. RedState noted that many families learned of the news from television reports. Imagine finding out your family’s justice was erased while you watched the morning show. On Thursday, grieving family members and law enforcement gathered at the state Capitol in Sacramento. They went there to express their disgust with the governor. The Daily Caller characterized this event as the largest mass commutation of death sentences in U.S. history.
Faye Jenkins lost her daughter and son-in-law in 2008. Her family was tortured in their own home. Jenkins spoke to reporters outside the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Monsters, Not Animals
Jenkins had a sharp take on how people view these killers. “People used to say they’re animals. No, I love animals. These were monsters,” she said. She described the horror her daughter faced. “They tortured my daughter and made my son-in-law watch while they sexually assaulted her,” Jenkins said. The physical abuse was brutal. “They stomped him and beat him so badly he even had shoe prints on his back — the impression where they stomped him so hard,” she added.
Steve Herr attended 203 court dates over many years. His neighbor was convicted for killing his son and a friend in 2010. Herr thought the nightmare was over when the killer was sent to San Quentin. “He was sent to San Quentin’s death row to await his execution and I thought that was the end of that horrible nightmare,” Herr said. Now, that nightmare has a new chapter.
A Different Kind of Hope
Not everyone sees this as a tragedy. Some inmates welcome the change. After killing a rival and three witnesses in 2012, Ka Pasasouk was condemned to death. He told The Daily Caller that he hopes Newsom runs for president. “If you do run for president, I mean, it just gives me more hope because if you could commute death sentences, you could give people a chance to go home,” said Pasasouk. He believes he will no longer have to be isolated or constantly shackled.
Should Newsom’s executive order stand, the inmates would be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The California Constitution requires the state Supreme Court to review clemency grants for the vast majority of inmates. This legal review will take time. But the message is already clear to families like Jenkins and Herr. Their vote was ignored. Their pain was dismissed.
