MEDIA ADVISORY Victims of Governor Newsom’s Death Penalty Commutations to Speak Out

MEDIA ADVISORY

Victims of Governor Newsom's Death Penalty Commutations to Speak Out

Santa Ana - Crime victims will speak out at a press conference to denounce Governor Gavin Newsom's decision to commute the death sentences of all 548 of California's condemned inmates. The decision to commute the death sentences to life without the possibility of parole comes just a month after the Board of Parole hearings adopted new regulations on October 1, 2026, which will allow state prisoners sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole to now be eligible for a hearing where the Board of Parole recommends release after they have served 25 years of their sentence with very few exceptions.

Orange County District Attorney's Office
Thursday, November 12, 2026
10 a.m.
Orange County Crime Victims' Monument
Orange County District Attorney's Office Courtyard
300 N. Flower Street, Santa Ana, CA 92703

Press Conference Speakers will include:

Steve Herr, Father of Private First-Class Samuel Eliezer "Sam" Herr, who was just 26 years old when he was shot and killed by his neighbor Daniel Wozniak in Costa Mesa in 2010. Wozniak also shot and killed Sam's friend, Juri "Julie" Kibuishi, to frame Sam for Kibuishi's murder and steal his combat pay to pay for his upcoming wedding and honeymoon. Sam's dismembered body parts were later recovered in El Dorado Park. Wozniak was convicted of the special circumstances murders and was sentenced to death.

Faye Jenkins, Mother and Father of Quiana Jenkins-Pietrzak, who was just 26 years old when she was sexually assaulted, tortured and murdered alongside her 24-year-old husband United States Marine Corps Sergeant and helicopter mechanic Jan Pietrzak on October 15, 2008. Jan Pietrzak was born and raised in Poland and the couple had been married for just 67 days when they were executed. Racial epithets were written on the walls of the couple's home, and several fires were set in an attempt to cover up the crimes. Four Marines - Lance Cpl. Emrys John, age 18, of Maryland, Lance Cpl. Kesaun Sykes, age 21, of California, Pvt. Kevin Darnell Cox, 20, of Tennessee, and Lance Cpl. Tyrone Miller, age 20, of North Carolina - were charged with the murders. John, Sykes, and Miller were sentenced to death. Cox was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Debra Hernandez, Chapter Leader of the Greater Orange County Chapter of Parents of Murdered Children, serving in loving memory of her son, Jonathan

Patricia Wenskunas, Founder/CEO of Crime Survivors, Inc., a nonprofit that supports individuals and families affected by violent crime. Wenskunas launched the organization after her own experience as a survivor of a violent crime in 2002, when she faced both the trauma of the attack and the challenges of the criminal justice process.

Jon Radus, Fullerton Police Chief and President of the Orange County Chiefs of Police and Sheriffs Association

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer, statewide campaign manager to pass Marsy's Law, California's comprehensive Victim's Bill of Rights, approved by California voters in 2008, to ensure victims have a voice in the criminal justice system.

MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA ARE ASKED TO RSVP TO: [email protected] MEDIA CHECK-IN WILL BEGIN AT 9:15 A.M.

INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEWS WILL BE COORDINATED WITH EVENT SPEAKERS FOLLOWING THE PRESS CONFERENCE.

Click here for full press release.