LA District Attorney Will Allow Prosecutors to Seek Death Penalty ‘In the Rarest of Cases’
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced that his office will begin “immediately” seeking the death penalty “in the rarest of cases.” The move comes as California has had a statewide moratorium on capital punishment, though the death penalty remains legal and prosecutors can argue to put convicted criminals on death row.
“Effective immediately, the prior administration’s extreme and categorical policy forbidding prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in any case is rescinded … This new policy recognizes an evolving determination that the death penalty should be restricted to the most egregious sets of circumstances,” Hochman said in a statement on Tuesday.
He added, “I remain unwaveringly committed to the comprehensive and thorough evaluation of every special circumstance murder case prosecuted in Los Angeles County, in consultation with the murder victim’s survivors and with full input on the mitigating and aggravating factors of each case, to ensure that the punishment sought by the Office is just, fair, fitting, and appropriate.”
The announcement follows former District Attorney George Gascón’s firm stance against the death penalty, even after the 2023 murder of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer. Despite capital punishment being an option in cases involving the murder of an officer, Gascón prohibited prosecutors from seeking special circumstance allegations, such as gun enhancements or targeting law enforcement. He later announced that he would not seek the death penalty for the suspect in Clinkunbroomer’s murder, arguing it “doesn’t serve as a deterrent,” according to a report by Fox News.
California has not executed a convicted criminal since 2006, yet it has the largest death row population in the country, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. The policy change is part of Tom Homan’s efforts to position himself as a tough-on-crime prosecutor.
