Reversing George Gascon’s policy, District Attorney Nathan Hochman is allowing prosecutors to seek the capital punishment in special circumstance murder cases. Conan Nolan reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
Los Angeles’s top prosecutor will once again seek the death penalty for people convicted of capital murders, the LA County District Attorney’s office announced Tuesday.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman “effectively immediately” ended his predecessor’s policy, allowing prosecutors to seek the capital punishment in special circumstance murder cases.
The California Penal Code Section 190.2 allows the penalty for certain murder cases, including killing a police officer or a hate crime, to be the death penalty although the state has a moratorium on executions.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
Prosecutors will still consider requesting the capital punishment “only after an extensive and comprehensive review” and only in “exceedingly rare cases,” the DA's office said.
“I remain unwaveringly committed to the comprehensive and thorough evaluation of every special circumstance murder case prosecuted in Los Angeles County, in consultation with the murder victim’s survivors and with full input on the mitigating and aggravating factors of each case, to ensure that the punishment sought by the office is just, fair, fitting and appropriate,” Hochman said in a statement
This is one of many former DA George Gascon’s policies that Hochman had promised to undo as he ran on the platform to end the “extreme and categorical” policies.
Under the new policy, there will be conversations with defense attorneys in front of the Special Circumstances Committee when the capital punishment is under consideration. Murder victim’s survivors will have a chance to give their feedback before any final determinations are made, the office said.
But the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s office denounced the decision, saying it a "step backward for LA County."
"The death penalty is a cruel and irreversible punishment that is racially biased, and ineffective as a deterrent,” said Ricardo Garcia, the Los Angeles County Public Defender. “The death penalty doubles down on a system that has disproportionately harmed the poor and communities of color.”
