The Law According to King George

In a surprising move announced Friday, progressive Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon’s office will be charging the three Chicago gang members arrested for the murders of three women in Beverly Crest last January, with special circumstance first-degree murder and enhancements.  Brie Stimson of Fox News reports that nine people were shot on the morning of January 28 by what police characterized as an ambush.  The three women killed and the accused shooters were all from the Chicago area.   This announcement is unusual because, since his election, District Attorney Gascon has forbidden his deputies from charging special circumstances and enhancements against murderers and other violent offenders.

For example, earlier this month police arrested a woman for the stabbing murder of a man on an LA street.  In 2020 the same woman was arrested for attempted murder for stabbing another woman in the chest.  In 2021 she was arrested for attacking a police officer.  Later that year she was arrested for pulling a knife and threatening to kill a man.  In March of this year she was arrested again for assaulting a bus driver with a knife.  This violent offender never spent any jail or prison time for her crimes.  After each arrest Gascon’s office chose to divert her to a mental health program and on each occasion she walked away from the program.  It took the murder of the father of two girls to induce Gascon’s office into treating her like a serious criminal.

Charging the Chicago gang members with special circumstance murder will require that they be sentenced, if convicted, to life-without-the-possibility-of-parole (LWOP).   Gascon has publicly stated that he opposes LWOP.

It is clear that Gascon’s charging and sentencing decisions are motivated by political calculation rather than justice and public safety.