California bill could release murderers from jail
Phyllis Loya, whose police officer son was murdered, joined 'Fox & Friends' to discuss the legislation and why it would be a 'travesty' if passed.
A California mother whose son was murdered in the line of duty spoke out Thursday against a state bill that would release some of the most violent criminals from prison, even some who are facing the death penalty.
Phyllis Loya lost her son, Pittsburg police officer Larry Lasater, after he was shot while responding to an armed robbery call in 2005. She joined "Fox & Friends" to discuss the legislation and what is at stake if the bill advances.
"There are 127 on death row inmates that would be eligible for release under this proposed legislation, and our justice system has been systematically eroded in the last at least 15 years and with more and more sentence modifications, letting people out early," Loya told Steve Doocy Thursday.
"If the left radicals could have their way, there would be no prisons at all in California. The prison doors would be open, but this proposal, this legislation, would let very dangerous killers out on the streets, and I think many of them would kill again."
Pittsburg Police Officer Larry Lasater died in 2005 after he was shot while responding to an armed robbery
California Senate Bill 94, co-authored by state Sens. Dave Cortese and Scott Wiener, would pave the way for the state's most violent murderers and serial rapists to secure lighter sentencing after serving at least 20 years behind bars.
The legislation would apply to inmates serving life sentences without parole, or those who are facing the death penalty, with special circumstances, that occurred before 1990.
"This bill would authorize an individual sentenced to death or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for a conviction in which one or more special circumstances were found to be true to petition for recall and resentencing if the offense occurred before June 5, 1990, and the individual has served at least 20 years in custody," the legislation reads.
"The bill would authorize the court to modify the petitioner’s sentence to impose a lesser sentence and apply any changes in law that reduce sentences or provide for judicial discretion, or to vacate the petitioner’s conviction and impose judgment on a lesser included offense," it continued.
Proponents of the bill, including Cortese, argue the measure would allow more than 800 inmates, nearly all of whom are over 50 years old, a chance at re-sentencing if they qualify under the requirements.
"Research shows there is little risk for elderly individuals to re-offend or recidivate upon release. For individuals previously sentenced to life without parole who were granted a commutation and released, the recidivism rate is zero percent," he said on his website.
"The majority of people serving a life without parole sentence are classified as low risk, according to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. In fact, 88% of people serving life without parole have been assessed with the lowest risk score on CDCR’s California Static Risk Assessment tool," he continued.
But critics of the bill have argued the move would compromise public safety at a time when crime, in many cities statewide, is already running rampant - and would worsen with the most heinous criminals back on the streets.
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Loya, who is advocating against the measure on behalf of crime victims, called the legislation a "travesty."
"It's not right. It's wrong. It's ludicrous," she said. "We have such a staggering crime rate in California right now."
Her son was a military veteran, and 35 years old when he died. One of his killers was sentenced to death, and the other faces life in prison without parole, according to Officer Down Memorial Page.
Despite the severity of the sentencing, the convicted murderers would not be eligible for re-sentencing if the bill passes, since the crime happened after 1990.
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"California citizens need to look at themselves in the mirror because their mercy for murderers, they are making further victims of family members that have lost someone to death row killers or killers sentenced to life without that possible parole," Loya said.
"They are the ones robbing us of justice now. They are the ones that are showing cruelty to us," she continued. "We are being further victimized by the legislature that pushes this proposal."
Gov. Gavin Newsom, D., issued a moratorium on death penalty executions back in 2019, despite California voters rejecting an end to the death penalty in past elections.
The bill was referred to the state Senate's Appropriations Committee on Tuesday.
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