Criminal
Aug. 18, 2017
Judge eliminates death penalty for Orange County mass murderer
After a two-month hearing, Judge Thomas Goethals said his action was remedial, necessitated by ongoing prosecutorial misconduct.
The death penalty is off the table for Orange County's deadliest mass murderer in a decision announced this morning by Superior Court Judge Thomas M. Goethals.
"This is not a punitive sanction. ... Rather it is a remedial sanction necessitated by the ongoing prosecutorial misconduct," Goethals said.
The unprecedented move, driven by a far-reaching jail informant scandal, means Scott Evans Dekraai can only be sentenced to life in prison for a 2011 rampage at a Seal Bea...
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