SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Inmates convicted in the killings of law enforcement officers are among those whose death sentences would be changed to life without parole under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed statewide commutations.
The outgoing governor announced Nov. 5 that he intends to commute the death sentences of all 548 people on death row. The governor’s office says the inmates would remain incarcerated without parole eligibility and that the commutations will take effect after the required legal steps are completed.
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A review compiled by retired Riverside, Illinois, Police Chief Tom Weitzel identified at least 29 inmates on the intended clemency roster whose cases were linked to the murders of 32 law enforcement officers, including one correctional sergeant.
Weitzel stated he used the governor’s roster, court records and published reporting to compile the cases. He described the review as an independent index that may not include every qualifying case.
Among those identified is John Hernandez Felix, who was sentenced to death in 2019 for murdering Palm Springs Officers Jose “Gil” Vega and Lesley Zerebny.
The officers were responding to a domestic disturbance on Oct. 8, 2016, when Felix opened fire with an AR-15 rifle, according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. Felix was also convicted of attempting to murder six other officers.
The roster also includes Luis Bracamontes, convicted of murdering Sacramento County Deputy Danny Oliver and Placer County Detective Michael Davis Jr. in 2014.
The death judgments for the 29 inmates span more than four decades, from 1981 to 2025, according to the governor’s roster. The most recent was imposed June 27, 2025, on Adel Sambrano Ramos for the 2019 murder of Sacramento Police Officer Tara O’Sullivan.
O’Sullivan, 26, was killed in 2019 while helping a woman retrieve belongings and leave Ramos, according to The Sacramento Bee. O’Sullivan had served with the Sacramento Police Department for six months.
The cases in Weitzel’s review also include the murder of San Quentin Correctional Sgt. Howell Dean Burchfield in 1985.
Jarvis Jay Masters was convicted of murder and conspiracy in that case. A California Supreme Court opinion identifies another inmate as the person who inflicted the fatal wound. Masters maintains his innocence and has continued to challenge his conviction.
The victims identified in the review also include U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Julie Cross, killed in Los Angeles in 1980, and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Maria Rosa, who was off duty when she was killed in Long Beach in 2006.
Newsom’s proposal covers 548 people under death sentences, according to California’s Habeas Corpus Resource Center. The center says inmates with a separate felony conviction require a recommendation from at least four California Supreme Court justices before the governor can complete their commutations.
In announcing his decision, Newsom said, “State-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values.” He acknowledged that the announcement could bring painful memories to victims’ families.
The governor’s office says victims registered with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Office of Victim and Survivor Rights and Services will be notified when the commutations take effect. Victims whose contact information has changed are encouraged to update their registration.
The 29 cases
Names and victim pairings follow Weitzel’s index. Court recommendation requirements reflect the governor’s intended-clemency roster.
| Offender | Victim(s), per Weitzel’s index | Requires California Supreme Court recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander, Andre Stephen | U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Julie Yvonne Cross | Yes |
| Alvarez, Alberto | East Palo Alto Police Officer Richard A. May Jr. | Yes |
| Bracamontes, Luis Enriquez Monroy | Sacramento Deputy Daniel Oliver; Placer Detective Michael Davis Jr. | Yes |
| Brady, Roger Hoan | Manhattan Beach Police Officer Martin L. Ganz | Yes |
| Camacho, Adrian George | Oceanside Police Officer Tony Zeppetella | Yes |
| Cruz, Tomas Verano | Shasta County Sheriff’s Deputy Kenneth F. Perrigo | No |
| Cummings, Raynard Paul | LAPD Officer Paul Lawrence Verna | Yes |
| Duenas, Enrique Parra | L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Lee Hoenig | No |
| Ervine, Dennis Newton | Lassen County Sheriff’s Deputy Larry David Griffith | No |
| Felix, John Hernandez | Palm Springs Officer Jose G. Vega; Officer Lesley Zerebny | Yes |
| Fuiava, Freddie | L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Stephen Wayne Blair | Yes |
| Gomez, Jesse Michael | San Diego Police Officer Jonathan De Guzman | Yes |
| Gonzalez, Frank Christopher | L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Maria Cecilia Rosa (off duty) | Yes |
| Gonzalez, Jesse Edward | L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Jack Williams | Yes |
| Green, Earl Ellis | Riverside Police Officer Ryan P. Bonaminio | Yes |
| Hamilton, Alexander Rashad | Pittsburg Police Officer Larry Lasater | No |
| Mai, Hung Thanh | California Highway Patrol Officer Don J. Burt | Yes |
| Masters, Jarvis Jay | San Quentin Correctional Sgt. Howell Dean Burchfield | Yes |
| Mickel, Andrew Hampton | Red Bluff Police Officer David F. Mobilio | No |
| Orozco, Jose Luis | L.A. County Deputy Luis Gerardo “Jerry” Ortiz | Yes |
| Ramirez, Irving Alexander | San Leandro Police Officer Nels Daniel Niemi | No |
| Ramos, Adel Sambrano | Sacramento Police Officer Tara O’Sullivan | No |
| Rivera, Cuitlahuac Tahua | Merced Police Officer Stephan Gene Gray | Yes |
| Scully, Robert Walter | Sonoma County Sheriff’s Deputy Frank V. Trejo | Yes |
| Steskal, Maurice Gerald | Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy Bradley J. Riches | Yes |
| Thomas, Regis Deon | Compton Officer Kevin Burrell; Reserve Officer James MacDonald | Yes |
| Topete, Marco Antonio | Yolo County Sheriff’s Deputy Jose Antonio Diaz | Yes |
| Volarvich, Brendt Anthony | California Highway Patrol Officer Andrew T. Stevens | No |
| Zanon, David Charles | California Highway Patrol Officer Douglas Scott Russell | Yes |
Note: Jarvis Jay Masters was convicted of murder and conspiracy in Burchfield’s death; another inmate inflicted the fatal wound. Masters maintains his innocence.
