Judge Denies Motion To Drop Special Charges Against Accused Cop Killer In Rebuke To Gascón Directive
In a rebuke to DA George Gascón’s new directives, a judge on Monday refused to drop all special charges against an accused cop killer charged in the execution-style killing of an off-duty LA County Sheriff’s deputy, and the murder of an innocent skateboarder.
Judge Jose Sandoval denied a motion put forth by a prosecutor under the direction of Gascón to dismiss all gun enhancements and special circumstances of multiple murders against Rhett Nelson, accused of murdering deputy Joseph Solano and Russian skateboarder Dmitry Koltsov in 2019.
"You have an obligation under [Penal Code] 1385 to demonstrate to this court that it’s in the interest of justice, in fact, what the victims have told me today, it is not in the interest of justice in this court’s opinion, the motion is denied," Judge Sandoval said.
"We were relieved today, this is justice that happened today," said Christina Solano, the sister of deputy Joseph Solano.
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San Diego D.A. Reclaims Cases From Los Angeles In Latest Fight Over George Gascón’s Policies
In an unprecedented move, a judge allowed the San Diego County district attorney’s office to move to reclaim jurisdiction Monday over several charges filed in Los Angeles connected to a violent crime spree that left two people dead, marking one of the strongest rebukes yet of newly elected L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascón’s policies.
In a motion filed last week, San Diego County Dist. Atty. Summer Stephan asked a judge to give her office control over five robbery counts filed against Rhett Nelson, 31, part of a broader slate of charges he faces for his alleged role in a days-long crime spree that spanned across Southern California and left two people dead in 2019, including Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Joseph Solano. Nelson was charged with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and seven robberies committed in or near San Diego, Long Beach and Los Angeles.
Under previous Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey, a slew of sentencing enhancements were also filed against Nelson because he allegedly used a gun in each crime and is charged with multiple murders. If convicted under those terms, he would have been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Stephan had agreed to consolidate all charges in Los Angeles, but changed her mind in response to Gascón’s directive barring prosecutors from using enhancements. According to her filing, Stephan feared Nelson could become eligible for parole after spending 20 years in prison if convicted without enhancements.
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Sacramento County DA Slams LA County DA George Gascón Over Policy Changes
A Sacramento County DA is criticizing newly-elected DA George Gascón for his sweeping policy changes in Los Angeles County. On Monday, FOX 11's Bill Melugin obtained a letter sent by Sacramento County DA Anne Marie Schubert telling Gascón his new policies are "abandoning duty to victim's rights."
In the letter, Schubert vowed to never let Gascón and his office authority over any Sacramento case. "I will never grant you jurisdiction over any crimes that involve Sacramento County while these policies of yours remain in place," her letter read in part. She also called Gascón's special directives "not just extreme but will undoubtedly wreak havoc on crime victims and their Constitutional rights."
Schubert's letter comes just days after another California DA
openly criticized Gascón. San Diego DA Summer Stephan said Gascón's
reforms are not "in the interest of justice" and the DA rescinded her
permission for Gascón to prosecute an accused LA cop killer's San Diego
armed robbery charges.
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