Gascón to Shorten Sentence for Cop Killer

Newly elected Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón has decided to drop the special circumstance allegations for a Utah man who killed two people on the same day in June of 2019.  Robert Gearty of Fox News reports that during a crime-spree which  included two armed robberies, Rhett Nelson shot off-duty LA Sheriff’s Deputy Joseph Solano while he was waiting in line at a Jack in the Box.  Earlier that day Nelson shot and killed Dmitry Kolsov as he stood outside a building in downtown LA.   Police believe that the killings were random.

Nelson has been charged with two counts of murder and two counts of robbery with special circumstances including multiple murder, use of a firearm and shooting from a vehicle.  If convicted of the murders and one of the special circumstances, Nelson would be eligible for a sentence of life without possibility of parole.  Shortly after election Gascón announced that his office would not impose special circumstances to increase a criminal’s sentence. Without them, Nelson will face a maximum sentence of 40 years and could be eligible for release on parole in less than 20 years.  A statement from Gascón’s office suggested that years from now it may not be in the public interest to keep Nelson behind bars for the rest of his life because he may no longer pose a threat to society.

What about justice?