Los Angeles' new tough-on-crime District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office will "immediately" begin seeking the death penalty - but only "in the rarest of cases" after thorough review.
There is a statewide moratorium on capital punishment in California, but it remains on the books, and prosecutors can still seek to put convicts on death row.
"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," Hochman said in a statement Tuesday.
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His office will only seek the death penalty under "the most egregious sets of circumstances," he said. As part of the new policy, defense lawyers will also be given more opportunities to prevent mitigating evidence.
In September 2023, Hochman's predecessor George Gascon, an opponent of the death penalty, doubled down after the ambush murder of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, 30.
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Although the murder of a law enforcement officer can be eligible for capital punishment under California law, Gascon had banned line prosecutors from seeking special circumstance allegations, including for gun enhancements and targeting on-duty officers.
Then he shocked the slain deputy's family by publicly announcing he would not seek the death penalty for suspect Kevin Eduardo Cataneo Salazar, 29, because it "doesn't serve as a deterrent," according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, which tracks executions around the U.S., COVID-19 killed more death row inmates than the state has executed over the past three decades.
California, which hasn't executed a condemned inmate since 2006, has the largest death row population in the country, according to the nonprofit.
