Mass murderers — along with prison, child, and cop killers — shared their thoughts with the Daily Caller about Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to commute the sentences of death row inmates across the state.
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murderers → share → state
Shortly after the 2026 midterm election, Newsom commuted the sentences of all 548 inmates on California’s death row, in what was the largest mass commutation of death sentences in U.S. history.
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what → commute → history
However, the California Constitution requires the state Supreme Court to review clemency grants for the vast majority of inmates who have been on multiple counts.
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who → require → counts
Gavin Newsom Plays Populist — Behind The Curtain He’s A Uniparty Darling)
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He → play → Curtain
The six felons who spoke with the Caller offered differing views on Newsom’s decision, his political ambitions, and how a commuted sentence could change their lives.
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sentence → speak → lives
When asked whether Newsom’s act of grace was the beginning of a potential presidential campaign, Ka Pasasouk told the Caller, “I hope he does.”
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he → ask → Caller
“If you do run for president, I mean, it just gives me more hope because if you could commute death sentences, you could give people a chance to go home,” said Pasasouk, who was condemned to death after killing a rival and three witnesses outside a Los Angeles boarding home in 2012.
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who → run → 2012
Although Pasasouk admits he has made a “mistake,” he said he is ready to move forward and would love to see his grandchild and go fishing.
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he → admit → fishing
More realistically, the man who didn’t learn to read or write until he was on death row said that if the commutation did go through, he would no longer have to be isolated or constantly shackled.
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he → learn → row
He would also be able to socialize, join group programs, and participate in personal development opportunities.
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He → socialize → opportunities
In contrast, one of the 34 inmates on death row for killing a police officer said he accepted long ago that he would die in prison because of California’s “broken system.”
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he → kill → system
“It was never gonna happen,” he added, explaining he initially welcomed the prospect of death over a life in prison when he was arrested more than two decades ago.
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he → go → prison
Over time, however, he accepted that California had not executed anyone since 2006.
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California → accept → 2006
Before stepping out to walk his prison-issued dog, the inmate said he would never vote for Newsom because of their political differences.
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he → step → differences
Nevertheless, he expressed a “newfound respect for him” for following through on the commutations, despite believing the decision might “hurt” Newsom’s future political chances.
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decision → express → chances
“I deserve to be in prison,” he said, wishing he could apologize to the family of the person he killed but believing doing so would only reopen old wounds.
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doing → deserve → wounds
Another inmate, Edward Charles, who was sentenced for the 1994 murder of his parents and brother, declined to discuss the commutation but told the Caller he would write Newsom directly.
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he → sentence → Newsom
However, not everyone welcomed the decision.
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everyone → welcome → decision
Some inmates viewed the commutations as “wrong.”
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inmates → view → commutations
Miguel Crespo, who was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder, was later condemned to death for binding, gagging, torturing, and killing his “transgender woman” cellmate within eight hours of being paired together.
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who → serve → hours
Despite Newsom offering platitudes against violence and hate toward the “trans and gender non-conforming people taken from us by violence and discrimination,” Crespo is also eligible for a commuted sentence.
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Crespo → offer → sentence
Crespo criticized what he sees as politically motivated commutations, telling the Caller that Newsom’s “political [ambitions] to become what he wish is at [innocent] people price,” adding that he is “callous and [indifferent] to the [suffering] of others.”
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he → criticize → others
Michael “Santos” Walters also opposed the commutations, describing Newsom’s post-election decision as “all political,” “suspicious,” and hypocritical.
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Walters → oppose → decision
Walters told the Caller he believes in the death penalty and affirms that “some of us should be killed.”
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some → tell → us
His comments came between a graphic description of stabbing his pedophile cellmate 170 times and a lengthy conspiracy theory about prison guards spying on him with cameras and military technology.
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guards → come → cameras
Christopher Henriquez, who murdered his pregnant wife and two-year-old daughter, said that despite spending more than 30 years in prison, he has “little say so over this system that holds me.”
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that → murder → me
“As far as the decision made by Newsom,” Henriquez told the Caller, “with the way things have been going for me in this overall horrible situation, either way I will most likely die in prison.
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I → make → prison
(RELATED: Literal Dead Guy Leading In Too Close To Call Election)
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Guy → relate → Election
The family killer continued, “My life has been one of many bad decisions, and the consequences that have followed.
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that → continue → decisions
As I struggle with my addictions and flawed personality, at 55 I learned: all we should want people to remember of us is the good that we give the universe of humanity. “
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we → struggle → humanity
The Aporia
