Governor’s decision to halt death penalty could impact cases on the Central Coast

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to halt executions on death row could impact several cases from Monterey County.

There are currently four men sentenced to death for crimes committed in Monterey County.

Monterey County assistant district attorney, Berkeley Brannon, said it’s disappointing to hear the governor’s decision. He said if the public knew the details of these cases, they would most likely be just as frustrated.

“These cases involve murdering kids, neighbors, neighbor kids, rape, burglary, murder, gruesome murders. These are extremely bloody, gruesome, violent offenses,” Brannon said.

Brannon added, “They were all found guilty by a jury and sentenced by a court in the ’90s and up to around 2000. The last person to have been sentenced was Kenneth Bivert who committed a triple murder while he was out of prison. He then was sentenced to life in prison and while he was in prison he stabbed a guy and then he murdered another person, his fourth murder.”

In 2016 California voters had the choice to repeal the death penalty on a proposition, but voted against it.

“This is a question of whether the will of the people of the state of California should be ignored, as Governor Newsom is doing, or whether we should listen and I think we should listen,” said Brannon.

The DA is also seeking the death penalty for Charles Holifield, the man accused of kidnapping and killing a 13-year-old Seaside girl as she was walking her dog. Brannon fears this new decision could make getting the death penalty in that case impossible.

He says the only way to reverse the governor’s decision would be a proposition voted on by the people, or by the next governor.

There are currently 737 inmates on death row. The last execution took place in 2006.