Some victim families support California's death row commutations

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A group of murder victims' families is voicing support for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to commute all death sentences in California, urging the state Supreme Court to sign off on the proposal.

Support for death row commutations

What they're saying:

During a virtual news conference on Monday, relatives representing 50 murder victims called on the state's high court to approve the commutations. In addition to the conference, these families have sent a letter to Newsom encouraging him to follow through with the plan.

There are currently 548 incarcerated people on California's death row. Among them, 382 cases must be reviewed and approved by the California Supreme Court because the inmates have two prior felony convictions.

Supporters of the commutations include the sisters of Polly Klaas, who was kidnapped and killed in Petaluma in 1993 by Richard Allen Davis. Family members stated that, despite their enduring pain, they maintain a moral opposition to capital punishment.

"We do not forgive the man who did this, and yet we have come to realize that as long as he is never able to cause harm again, it is irrelevant through a process of healing or justice to whatever happens to him including how he ultimately dies," said Jess Nichol, the sister of Polly Klaas.

Newsom, who announced his move to commute the state's death row sentences last week, told the San Francisco Chronicle that he was motivated to make his decision after speaking to Polly's sisters.

Vehement opposition

The other side:

Polly's father, Marc Klaas, is vehemently opposed to to commuting the death sentences, especially that of his daughter's killer. 

And he told KTVU he was very upset with Newsom's decision, which also drew harsh criticism from other victims' families, police unions including in San Francisco and Oakland, and district attorneys across the state.

But Paul Wilson, the husband of a murder victim, said victims' families aren't all out for blood. And he questioned the actual purpose of the death penalty.

"An unexpected a very painful series of events eventually led me to question whether the death penalty would provide the true justice that I sought," Wilson said.

California