# California governors commute death sentences to life > California governor Gavin Newsom commutes death sentences of 500+ inmates to life without parole. - Title: California governors commute death sentences to life · Sfgate - Summary: California governor Gavin Newsom commutes death sentences of 500+ inmates to life without parole. gavin newsom, california, death row · reported by Sfgate. - Keywords: gavin newsom, california, death row, life without parole, serial killers, polly klaas, cary stayner, richard allen davis, david carter, celeste carrington, joseph naso, charles ng - Source: Sfgate — https://sfgate.com/bayarea/article/california-death-sentence-inmates-22519758.php - Read time: 1 min - Topics: gavin newsom, california, death row, life without parole, serial killers, polly klaas, cary stayner, richard allen davis, david carter, celeste carrington, joseph naso, charles ng ## Gavin Newsom's decision California governor Gavin Newsom commuted death sentences of over 500 inmates to life without parole. > I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system, and diminishes each of us ## Newsom's reasoning Newsom called the decision 'among the most difficult of my career' due to the pain it would cause some victims' families. > the decision 'among the most difficult of my career' due to the pain he knew it would cause some families of victims ## California's death row history California hasn’t executed a death row prisoner since 2006 and had the largest death row in the Western Hemisphere. > California hasn’t executed a death row prisoner since 2006 ## Celeste Carrington Celeste Carrington, 64, was convicted of killing three people in 1991 after robbing shoe factories and medical offices. > she was convicted of killing a janitor and a property manager and wounding a doctor while robbing the offices ## David Carpenter David Carpenter, 96, killed eight people in the 1970s-1980s as the 'Trailside Killer' hiding along trails to wait for hikers. > he killed his first person in 1979, when he began hiding along trails in Marin and Santa Cruz counties to wait for passing hikers ## Richard Allen Davis Richard Allen Davis, 72, kidnapped 12-year-old Polly Klaas in 1993 and buried her in a shallow grave off Highway 101. > he was finally taken into custody, where he confessed and told detectives Polly was buried in a shallow grave off Highway 101 near Cloverdale ## Randy Kraft Randy Kraft, 81, killed 16 people using coded lists and was known as the 'Scorecard Killer'. > he was found guilty of 16 murders, but some believe those 60 names refer to more victims ## Joseph Naso Joseph Naso, 92, killed at least four women in the Bay Area and is a person of interest in the Rochester alphabet murders. > he was found guilty of killing at least four women, but it’s believed he killed at least 10 ## Charles Ng Charles Ng, 65, killed 11 people with Leonard Lake in the 1980s and is buried in a mass grave at Wilseyville. > he was found guilty of 11 murders, but it’s believed there may be more victims ## Cary Stayner Cary Stayner, 65, killed three tourists in 1999 after saving his brother from kidnapping in 1980. > he killed three tourists in 1999, pretending he’d been called for a maintenance job at the Cedar Lodge ## Newsom's influence Newsom cited conversations with Polly’s sisters as influential in his decision to grant clemency to all death row inmates. > Newsom cited conversations with Polly’s two sisters as influential in his decision to grant clemency all of the state’s death row inmates ## Polly’s father opposes Polly’s father Marc Klaas has come out against Newsom’s stance against the death penalty. > Polly’s father, Marc Klaas, however, has come out against the governor’s stance against the death penalty ## California’s death row impact The commutation affects over 500 inmates, including some of California’s most notorious serial killers. > California has the largest death row in the Western Hemisphere ## Key takeaway California governor Gavin Newsom commuted death sentences of 500+ inmates to life without parole.