Governor Gavin Newsom declared on Thursday that he is commuting the death sentences of over 500 condemned inmates to life without parole. Among those facing execution are 34 individuals from San Diego County, with some cases dating back to the 1980s.
These individuals have been convicted of some of the region’s most infamous crimes, including Cleophus Prince, who was found guilty in the 1990 serial murders of six women in San Diego, and David Westerfield, convicted in 2002 for the murder of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam, a neighbor living nearby in Sabre Springs.
The most recent death sentence from San Diego County was given to Jesse Michael Gomez, who was convicted of fatally shooting San Diego police Officer Jonathan “J.D.” De Guzman and severely injuring Guzman’s partner in 2016. Gomez was sentenced in 2022; prior to that, there had been a 12-year gap since San Diego had sent anyone to death row.
California has not executed anyone since 2006. In 2019, Newsom placed a moratorium on all executions during his time in office and closed San Quentin’s death row. The condemned inmates have since been transferred to various prisons throughout the state.
Below is the alphabetical list of the 34 individuals sentenced to death by San Diego County, who remained condemned prisoners as of early this week.
Eric Anderson, 52, was a 30-year-old parolee in 2003 when authorities say he fatally shot Cajon Speedway owner Stephen Brucker during a failed robbery.
Hector Ayala, 75, and his brother Ronaldo Ayala, 76, were convicted for the 1985 execution-style murders of three men during a robbery at an auto repair shop.
Steven Bell, 61, was found guilty of stabbing his girlfriend’s 11-year-old son to death while the boy was watching TV in 1992. Authorities stated Bell intended to steal the TV to sell for crack cocaine.
Christopher Box, 57, was just 21 in 1989 when authorities say he and a 17-year-old killed a mother, her 3-year-old son, and a guest in a Clairemont Mesa Boulevard home during a robbery.
Manuel Bracamontes, 63, was convicted of kidnapping, sexually assaulting, and murdering 9-year-old Laura Arroyo in San Ysidro in 1991. His arrest in 2003 was based on DNA evidence.
Adrian Camacho, 51, shot and killed Oceanside police Officer Tony Zeppetella during a traffic stop in June 2003.
David Carpenter, 96, gained infamy as the “Trailside Killer” due to the early 1980s murders of seven hikers in Marin County; his trial was relocated to San Diego County.
Dean Carter, 71, was convicted for the murders of four women in the 1980s, including a 24-year-old who was strangled and stuffed into a closet in her Pacific Beach residence in April 1984.
Tecumseh Colbert, 42, was convicted of killing two men during robberies that occurred within two weeks in 2004.
Kevin Cooper, 68, was found guilty in 1985 of the 1983 murders of a family — a mother, father, their 10-year-old daughter, and an 11-year-old friend in their Chino Hills home. The trial took place in San Diego, and Cooper has consistently claimed his innocence.
Kerry Dalton, 73, is among the few women sentenced to death, found guilty of murder with special circumstances of torture and premeditated acts for the 1988 killing of an acquaintance.
Michael Flinner, 59, was an Alpine landscaper found guilty of hiring one of his workers to murder his 18-year-old fiancée in order to collect insurance money in 2000.
Jesse Gomez, 62, was convicted for the murder of Officer Jonathan “J.D.” De Guzman, who was shot while in his patrol car, along with shooting Guzman’s partner when they attempted to intervene.
Johnaton George, 68, was convicted of a fatal carjacking shooting near 5th Avenue and G Street after escaping from a sheriff’s van in 1992.
Ivan Gonzales, 60, and his wife Veronica Gonzalez, 57, were convicted of torturing and murdering her 4-year-old niece, who died after being scalded in a bathtub in 1995.
Jaime Hoyos, 68, was convicted of killing a marijuana distributor and his wife and injuring their 3-year-old son in their Jamul home in 1992.
Bryan Jones, 64, was convicted for strangling two women and attempting to kill two others, who survived to testify against him, with the crimes occurring in 1985 and 1986.
Robert Jurado, 56, was one of three individuals convicted for the murder of a pregnant woman who was strangled and beaten with a tire jack and left to die in Balboa Park in 1991.
David Lucas, 71, was convicted of three murders, including the brutal slaying of a mother and her 3-year-old son in their Normal Heights home in 1979, and the disappearance of a university student in La Mesa in 1984.
Kurt Michaels, 60, was found guilty in 1988 for the throat-slashing murder of his girlfriend’s mother in Escondido.
Calvin Parker, 57, was convicted for the rape and murder of his female roommate in their Morena District apartment in 2000, attempting to cover it up by dismembering her and hiding her body in a trash can.
Cleophus Prince, 59, was found guilty of the murders of six women who were stabbed to death in their homes across Clairemont, University City, and East San Diego between January and September 1990.
Jean Pierre Rices, 45, pleaded guilty to the killing of two individuals at an El Cajon liquor store in 2006.
Ramon Rogers, 66, was convicted for the murders of two former girlfriends and a male friend in 1993; he was arrested in 1996 after body parts were discovered in a storage area at his College Area apartment.
Rudolph Roybal, 70, was convicted for the stabbing and throat-slitting of a 65-year-old woman in her Oceanside home in 1989.
Brandon Taylor, 53, was convicted for raping and murdering an 80-year-old neighbor in her North Park home in 1995.
Correll Thomas, 53, was convicted of beating a neighbor to death and, three weeks later, using a submachine gun to kill a stranger who smiled at his girlfriend in 1996.
Derlyn Threats, 45, was found guilty for murdering a young mother who interrupted a robbery in her Vista home in 2005.
Billy Ray Waldon, 63, was convicted of three murders and 21 other crimes, including rape, in 1985, having acted as his own attorney during the trial; among the victims were a 42-year-old woman and her 13-year-old daughter.
Randall Wall, 58, was convicted of murdering an elderly couple in their Clairemont home during a robbery in 1992.
David Westerfield, 74, gained notoriety as the convicted murderer of young Danielle van Dam, who went missing from her Sabre Springs home in 2002.
George Williams, 71, was found guilty in 2004 of kidnapping a 14-year-old girl from her Chula Vista home in April 1986, raping and strangling her before disposing of her body in Barrio Logan; DNA evidence led to his arrest.
