The defense in a Yolo County murder prosecution has moved to permanently bar prosecutors from reasserting a special-circumstance allegation, which a judge previously determined violated California’s Racial Justice Act.
Yolo County Superior Court Judge Samuel T. McAdam instructed the jury to disregard prosecutorial comments regarding Carlos Reales Dominguez’s nationality and background during his retrial. The directive followed the defense’s filing of a California Racial Justice Act petition, which alleged the prosecution improperly emphasized these aspects. Dominguez faces two counts of second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in connection with a series of stabbings.
The California Supreme Court retroactively overturned the death sentence of Anthony Bankston, a Black man, under the California Racial Justice Act, according to a report by the Death Penalty Information Center. This decision marks the first death penalty reversal under the Act, stemming from the prosecution’s use of the term “Bengal Tiger” during the sentencing phase. The court determined this language constituted racial discrimination, violating CRJA provisions against sentences based on race or ethnicity.
A Fresno County Superior Court judge granted a discovery request under the California Racial Justice Act for Douglas Stankewitz, enabling the defense to pursue evidence of racial bias in his decades-long death penalty case.
The defense argued in a post-conviction hearing that the language used during the original criminal trial included implicit racial bias in violation of the California Racial Justice Act, while the prosecution maintained that their language had no bearing on the jury’s decision-making.
The accused was granted parole with additional conditions to ensure completion of treatment and behavioral changes, after both sides debated the sentencing of the accused facing misdemeanor theft and drug possession charges.
Douglas Stankewitz’s defense attorneys have filed a motion to obtain decades of records from the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office in order to evaluate whether race played an unlawful role in his prosecution and punishment, citing the California Racial Justice Act.
The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office is facing an overload of cases due to increased complexity of laws and digital evidence, leading to potential release of incarcerated people due to lack of defense attorneys and a call for immediate funding and resources.
A Yolo County Superior Court judge has granted a motion for the defense to receive homicide charging and conviction data for white and Hispanic individuals, citing potential concerns under California’s Racial Justice Act.
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