Monthly Archive: April 2024

An Oklahoma gang member who killed two people in 2002 was put to death today by lethal injection.  Emily Mae Czachor of CBS News reports that Michael DeWayne Smith died ten minutes after injection.  A mountain of evidence including his detailed confession resulted in his conviction and death sentence, but in multiple appeals Smith claimed that he was innocent.  Facts presented in an April 26, 2007 decision by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals indicate that on February 22, 2002 Smith left his apartment armed with a .357 magnum revolver.  He went to the apartment of 41-year-old Janet Moore, whose son Smith believed had snitched on his fellow gang members regarding a robbery.  He kicked in the apartment door and, after learning that the son was not there, Smith fatally shot Moore.  He then went to a convenience store and murdered 22-year-old clerk Sarath Pulluru, took some money and set the store on fire.  He later went to a friend’s apartment and told a woman that he had killed Moore and some person at a “chink” store.  At the time of his arrest, Smith was wanted by police for an earlier killing.

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An article by Ann Ley in last week’s New York Times begins:  “A string of frightening attacks in the subway amid a broader increase in crime in the system so far this year has put some New Yorkers on edge.”  The article goes on to discuss what experts believe the city and transit authorities must do to make riders “feel” safe.  While data suggests that subway crime is down slightly compared to last year, subway riders do not feel safe.  As Ann Coulter notes in a recent piece on the subject,  “the experts’ ideas were not aimed at actually reducing crime — which to be fair, is impossible if you’re not allowed to put criminals in prison—but to “ease riders’ fears about the subway.”

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While reported property crime in LA declined last year violent crime has increased according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The City News Service reports that so far this year homicides have increased 28%, robberies are up 9.5% and overall violent crime is 2.9% higher than last year. The interim Police Chief told the city’s Board of Police Commissioners last week that robberies with firearms are up by 2.9% while gang-related robberies jumped by 5.3%. The Chief also noted that residential burglaries are up 4.5%.  These increases, while not as high as 2022, reflect a growing concern that District Attorney George Gascon’s refusal to prosecute most property and drug crimes while undercharging violent offenders is fueling the violence on LA streets.  The county’s decision to eliminate cash bail and simply release suspects charged with crimes pending trial may also be a contributing factor.  It is likely that the drop in reported property crimes is due to the fact that most thefts are cite-and-release misdemeanors under California law.  In LA, even car thieves are routinely charged and released without bail the same day they are arrested. With absolutely no consequences for most property crimes fewer people and businesses see any value in reporting them. A ballot measure currently gathering signatures would, if adopted by voters this November, restore consequences for property and drug crimes.   The defeat of District Attorney Gascon by former Federal Prosecutor Nathan Hochman in this fall’s general election would put a real prosecutor in charge of combating crime in Los Angeles.